Graduate School of Public Policy

On May 19, 2022, NU GSPP hosted a guest lecture by Ivailo Izvorski, the World Bank’s Practice Manager on the Global Macro and Debt Analytics, Macroeconomics, Trade & Investment.

Mr. Izvorski discussed the options for upgrading Kazakhstan’s economy in the lecture titled “Kazakhstan: dependence – distance – dispersal”. During the discussion, the speaker stressed the main challenges of Kazakhstan and the three priorities on productivity, mobility, and connectivity.

Mr. Izvorski said that as the world is changing, Kazakhstan is changing too, and staying stable in the changing world means lagging behind. He stressed the importance of economic freedom and trust in the government. He also noted that to improve trust in governments the focus should not only be on the even spread of development, but also on providing equity of access to opportunities. 

The full video from the guest lecture is available on the School’s YouTube channel. 

About the speaker: 

Ivailo Izvorski is the World Bank’s Global Macro and Debt Analytics, Macroeconomics, Trade & Investment Practice Manager. Before he was a Lead Economist on Central Asia, also worked in the front office of the Macroeconomics, Trade, and Investment Global Practice and before that, as the Practice Manager for the economists working on Central Europe, Russia, Caucasus and Central Asia.  Ivailo has worked on the countries of East Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, and Africa at the World Bank, the IMF, and the Institute of International Finance. Ivailo is one of the co-authors of Diversified Development: Making the Most of Natural Resources in Eurasia, and Reinvigorating Growth in Resource-Rich Africa.  His research interests are in productivity growth, natural resources, and fiscal policy. Ivailo is a Bulgarian national and holds a M.A. and a Ph.D. in Economics from Yale University.