Graduate School of Public Policy

Dr. Riccardo Pelizzo, Associate Professor and Vice Dean for Research at NU GSPP participated in the international forum which was held in Nur-Sultan on Nov. 29-30. The conference, titled “The Evolution of Party-Political System of Kazakhstan: Challenges, Achievements, and Perspectives”, was organized by the Institute of Public Policy of Nur Otan Party. Speakers from 15 countries shared their vision of the success of the political party system in Kazakhstan and its ruling party Nur Otan.

During the conference, Dr. Pelizzo noted that studies of the post-Soviet space in recent years prove an indisputable fact – the economic achievements in Central Asian countries, especially in Kazakhstan, became possible only thanks to political stability. “Let’s look at the history of Kazakhstan. For 30 years of independence, the country’s economic growth has surpassed the successes of Singapore. As an example, in Kazakhstan, GDP per capita in 1991 was about $ 1000 US dollars, in 2013 – more than $ 13 000. No country over the past 100 years has been able to achieve this, not even Singapore,” – the professor said.

The speaker stressed the key role that the party system played in ensuring political stability in the country. “During the years of independence, Nur Otan has been able to consolidate the powers and reduce the fragmentation of the party system that has been decreasing since the 1990s. In general, high levels of fragmentation pose a threat to the proper functioning of a political system, undermine the quality of government, reduce parliament’s ability to approve good laws, and can compromise government stability. As a result, high levels of fragmentation of the party system can lead to the breakdown of the constitutional order,” – said Riccardo Pelizzo.

Source: Liter