Graduate School of Public Policy

Graduate School of Public Policy is pleased to invite you to the book launch “A Primer on Policy Communication in Kazakhstan” written by Basskaran Nair, Saltanat Janenova and Balzhan Serikbayeva. 

This book is a timely publication to address the issue of the government’s policy execution capabilities. The book is written as a work manual based on international good practices and principles, interwoven with case studies in Kazakhstan. The book’s wide range of topics cover media management in a technologically-savvy society, marketing of complexity, planning successful campaigns, soft power management given the country’s aspirations for greater international standing, and forward-looking advice on crisis management and shareholder communication. This is a highly relevant book for civil service, civic organisations, commercial entities, policy researchers, and international organisations working in or planning to work in Kazakhstan, and other Central Asian countries.

This Book is available in Kazakh and Russian languages.

Learn more about book: https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9789811506093

When: 12 November, 17:00
Location: Qabanbay Batyr Ave 53, Block C3, 1st floor, 1022
Please register through this link or contact Zhanar Ismailova (zhanar.ismailova@nu.edu.kz)

We look forward to seeing you there!

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About Professor Basskaran Nair

Basskaran Nair is currently a Visiting Professor at Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Public Policy (NUGSPP), as part of an exchange programme with Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. He is the author of several books including A Primer on Policy Communications in Kazakhstan (2019), Marketing Public Policy: Complexity, Hurts and Minefields (2017), A Primer on Public Relations in Singapore (1986), which was a textbook for training public relations practitioners in Singapore. In late 1990s he wrote a series of books on Social Media entitled “From Main Street to Cyber Street: Changes in the Practice of Communications”. He was previously President of the Institute of Public Relations of Singapore. Basskaran first worked as a journalist, followed by more than 40 years in managing the public campaigns programmes, shareholder communication, public affairs counsel and social and corporate marketing communications.

Abstract

Kazakhstan’s policies and programmes are well designed, with good intentions but they often fail at the execution levels of the policy continuum. A lack of follow-through is a pervasive shortcoming in many countries and institutions. The reasons include pursuing many initiatives at the same time, preoccupation with short term payoff and failure to monitor progress. And most of all poor communication of the policies, leading to lack of popular support for them and even cynicism that negates the policy execution. This book A Primer on Policy Communications in Kazakhstan is a timely publication to address this issue of execution capabilities, noting that the crux of policy execution is communication. It is written as a work manual with international best practices and principles, interwoven with case studies in Kazakhstan so that it is a topical and relevant book for civil service, civic organisations and commercial entities.

A Primer on Policy Communications in Kazakhstan, written by a group of professors from the Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Public Policy, is not an academic book but one written with practical advice so that the users will learn to “cross the river (of policy execution) by feeling the stones.” It covers social and mainstream media management, how to run successful campaigns, how to market complex policies, what steps to take to manage a crisis, how to project the nations’ many cultural, social, geopolitical significance into Kazakhstan’s soft power, and be effective in shareholder communication even as the country builds up its stock market operations.