Thesis Topic: Innovating Across Kazakhstan and China: Understanding the Cross Border Regional Innovation System
Thesis Advisor: Associate Professor Serik Orazgaliyev
Research Summary: This thesis aims to provide a comprehensive exploration to the question: how does policy change shape the interactions of actors and thereby affect the cross-border integration? To address this question, it focuses on the "Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)" as a significant policy change affecting the Kazakhstan-China borderlands, analyzing its repercussions on cross-border integration. The objectives of this thesis are to (1) identify the actors and action situation involved in the Kazakhstan-China borderlands integration, (2) explore the factors that contributing to the integration process by implementing the BRI, a major identified policy change, (3) identify the interaction patterns that generated by the BRI’s implementation for promoting integration, and (4) analyze the outcomes that BRI brings to the cross-border integration process. To achieve these goals, this thesis proposes a framework that integrates the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework and the proximity literature. The integrated framework is then employed to the Kazakhstan-China borderlands using qualitative research methods to analyze the BRI's impact on the integration process.
Education: M.A. in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel)
Nationality: China
Thesis Topic: Kazakhstan emission trading scheme: Monitoring, Reporting and Verification
Thesis Advisor: Associate Professor Peter Howie
Research Summary: Kazakhstan launched its emission trading scheme in 2013 as a policy tool to regulate carbon emissions and achieve the country’s commitment under the Paris Agreement. However, the effectiveness of KazETS in decreasing the emission footprint of the country is low. Scholars explain that one of the reasons for such an outcome of Kazakhstan’s ETS is the weak measurement, ratification, and verification system (MRV) and its non-compliance with international standards. MRV is a form of regulation requiring information disclosure on carbon production based on which carbon allowances are calculated and it directly presents transparency systems main aim of which is changing the emission behavior of regulated companies. Therefore the MRV system plays a crucial role in the functioning of ETS to effectively reduce carbon emissions of the country. My research area is MRV in KazETS with the purpose to explain why the MRV system is weak in Kazakhstan’s ETS by applying theoretical frameworks of transparency.
Education: Master of Arts in Economics, KIMEP (Kazakhstan)
Nationality: Kazakhstan
Thesis Topic: A Policy Analysis of Pension Reform(s) in Kazakhstan
Thesis Advisor: Associate Professor Dina Sharipova
Research Summary: This thesis proposal focuses on why policy change is preferable by examining the pension reforms as a case of change rather than maintenance of a status quo. Thus, research focuses on exploring the driving force behind the 2013 decision to consolidate private pension funds under the national bank’s management and the 2023 reversal, allowing citizens to transfer up to 50% of their pension assets back to private funds. To investigate this, the research will employ a qualitative case study approach using the process tracing method. For data collection, conduct interviews with key stakeholders will be conducted and official documents will be analyze to provide a comprehensive understanding of the factors at play. The desired outcome is to contribute to future policymaking, ensuring pension systems truly meet retirees' needs. This research not only examines pension systems but also delves into the broader issues of why policies shift, how governments make decisions, and the real-life impact of those choices.
Education: Master in Public Policy, Nazarbayev University
Nationality: Kazakhstan
Thesis Topic: Exploring Barriers to Utilization of Maternal Healthcare Services in Tanzania
Thesis Advisor: Professor Riccardo Pelizzo
Research Summary: My research investigates barriers to accessing and utilizing maternal healthcare services in Tanzania using a mixed-method approach. The study aims to uncover both supply and demand determinants affecting access, explore the influence of maternal healthcare availability on fertility intentions and contraception, and assess the impact of cultural beliefs on service utilization. Through a comprehensive analysis, this research aims to contribute valuable insights into improving maternal healthcare accessibility and addressing related challenges in Tanzania
Education: Master's in Economics, University of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)
Nationality: Tanzania
Thesis Topic: Ethical leadership to Curb Corruption in Public Sector Organizations: A Mixed-Methods Study
Thesis Advisor: Professor Nooree Alam Siddiquee
Research Summary: Ethical leadership has been suggested as an organizational factor that would minimize unethical behaviors in an organization. My dissertation aims to investigate whether and how ethical leadership helps in mitigating corruption in public sector organizations. Specifically, this study plans to investigate the effect of ethical leadership in curbing corruption through the mechanism of organizational justice, and public service motivation. To answer this question, I am using mixed-methods approach. This research's findings will offer valuable insights to combat corruption in public sector organizations.
Education: Master in Public Administration, China University of Geosciences Wuhan, China
Nationality: Pakistan
Thesis Topic: Determinants and Consequences of Institutional Change in Central Asia
Thesis Advisor: Associate Professor Aziz Burkhanov
Research Summary: This research aims to offer new insights into the institutional change theories by exploring whether the intra-elite conflict is a determinant for institutional change. In testing this proposition, this study analyzes the cases of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan to explain why in spite of substantial differences in their political systems, economic development, legislative processes, and civil society, the three countries recently experienced the same outcome, i.e. institutional change, ranging from formal legislative amendments and structural reforms to changes in the electoral system and institutional composition. In doing so, this research employs a mixed-method approach, including case studies, in-depth interviews, surveys, and content analysis. The findings will provide valuable insights into the causes of institutional changes and their consequences in Central Asia, aiding policymakers to refine their approaches to governance and reform.
Education: Master of Arts in Political Science and International Relations, Nazarbayev University
Nationality: Kazakhstan
Thesis Topic: Corruption: women do it differently?
Thesis Advisor: Professor Riccardo Pelizzo
Research Summary: The primary focus of the thesis is the idnetification if females and males belong to different cultures, and if so, then comunication of anticorruption strategies should incorporate those differencies. The model is used is the Cultural theory (group/grid)developed by Mary Douglas, then enriched with the emprical results of Hofstede's and Erin Meyer (2014) surveys.
Education: Master of Science in Project Management, Lancaster University Management School
Nationality: Kazakhstan
Thesis Topic: Crisis Communications during COVID-19 in Kazakhstan
Thesis Advisor: Assistant Professor Lisa Lim
Research Summary: Effective communication is essential for maintaining public health and well-being. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown how critical it is for the government to communicate clearly during a crisis. But with many different organizations involved, having a unified communication strategy within government agencies is vital, especially in healthcare. My study aims to examine how well government healthcare agencies in Kazakhstan worked together to communicate during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will explore the challenges they faced and the lessons they learned to improve future crisis communication efforts.
Education: Master in Public Administration, Nazarbayev University
Nationality: Kazakhstan
Thesis Topic: Maternity leave policies in Kazakhstan: impact on women with leadership career aspirations
Thesis Advisor: Associate Professor Peter Howie
Research Summary: My thesis aims to investigate how women's career aspirations for leadership are affected by the maternity leave policies in Kazakhstan. According to the Role Congruency Theory perceptions about agentic qualities such as competence, ambition, dominance, independence are crucial for leadership roles. My research will look at how maternity leave length affects how people view women's agency. It aims to identify the unintended consequences of current maternity leave policies by examining how these perceptions affect women's career growth in Kazakhstan. I will employ a combination of experimental studies and descriptive statistical analysis. Findings of this research will offer insights on the complex relationship between the length of maternity leave and women's career progression in Kazakhstan.
Education: Master in Public Policy, Nazarbayev University
Nationality: Kazakhstan