Category: Economy

The Political Economy of Withdrawal and Transition in an Afghan Market Town

Central Asia Policy Brief No. 12, October 2013 By Noah Coburn While the international community focuses on national-level issues, many of the factors that will determine the future stability of Afghanistan are local. Many… Continue reading The Political Economy of Withdrawal and Transition in an Afghan Market Town

Foreign Trade Effects of the Customs Union between Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia

Central Asia Economic Paper No. 8, May 2013 By Alexander Libman and Daria Ushkalova The Customs Union constitutes the first regional trade agreement in the post-Soviet space based on effective enforcement of commitments… Continue reading Foreign Trade Effects of the Customs Union between Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia

Moving beyond the Leadership “Parlor Game”: Foreign Investment and the Succession Issue in Kazakhstan

Central Asia Policy Brief No. 8, March 2013 By J. Edward Conway While it is no doubt true that the system of government in Kazakhstan concentrates power heavily in the executive branch, the mistake… Continue reading Moving beyond the Leadership “Parlor Game”: Foreign Investment and the Succession Issue in Kazakhstan

Discussing the Eurasian Customs Union and its Impact on Central Asia

Central Asia Policy Forum No. 4, February 2013 Putin’s Eurasian Union project, the Russia-Belarus-Kazakhstan Customs Union and the Single Economic Space, raises many debates about the economic goals and political agendas behind them.… Continue reading Discussing the Eurasian Customs Union and its Impact on Central Asia

Kazakhstan’s Agriculture after Two Decades of Independence

Central Asia Economic Paper No. 6, January 2013 By Richard Pomfret Kazakhstan is among the world’s ten leading grain exporters. The agricultural sector remains the major employer, and an important source of exports.… Continue reading Kazakhstan’s Agriculture after Two Decades of Independence

The United Arab Emirates as an Alternative Trade and Investment Partner in Central Asia

Central Asia Economic Paper No. 5, November 2012 By Sebastien Peyrouse The UAE is now Turkmenistan’s fifth-largest trade partner. The UAE presents itself as an attractive alternative partner, offering low-interest loans with no… Continue reading The United Arab Emirates as an Alternative Trade and Investment Partner in Central Asia

Discussing Eurasianism and Eurasian Integration within the Azerbaijani Context

Voices From Central Asia No. 7, October 2012 By Farhad Aliyev Azerbaijan has long positioned itself as reluctant to see the revival of Russian influence in Eurasia. The role of Russia as… Continue reading Discussing Eurasianism and Eurasian Integration within the Azerbaijani Context

Game Over? Shifting Energy Geopolitics in Central Asia

Central Asia Policy Brief No. 5, October 2012 By Michael Denison One of the coordinates structuring geopolitics in Central Asia since the dissolution of the Soviet Union has been competition for development of the… Continue reading Game Over? Shifting Energy Geopolitics in Central Asia

The Development Space(s) of Non-OECD Aid Donors in Southern Eurasia: A Look at the Islamic Development Bank

Central Asia Economic Paper No. 3, September 2012 By Bruno De Cordier With more than sixty percent of the IBD’s capital shares held by Gulf and other Arab economies, the bank is primarily… Continue reading The Development Space(s) of Non-OECD Aid Donors in Southern Eurasia: A Look at the Islamic Development Bank

Kazakhstan’s ‘Resource Nationalism’: Its Sources and Motives

Central Asia Economic Paper No. 2, September 2012 By Robert M. Cutler Kazakhstan’s ‘resource nationalism’ is learned behavior arising from twenty years of experience of independence. Successful administrative and financial reforms from… Continue reading Kazakhstan’s ‘Resource Nationalism’: Its Sources and Motives

Rare Earth Metals in Central Asia and Mongolia: A Promising but Paradoxical Agenda

Central Asia Economic Paper No. 1, August 2012 By Sebastien Peyrouse Japan, Germany, South Korea and the United States are eyeing Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Mongolia in the hopes of circumventing China’s growing economic… Continue reading Rare Earth Metals in Central Asia and Mongolia: A Promising but Paradoxical Agenda

The Politics of Islamic Finance in Central Asia and South Caucasus

Voices From Central Asia No. 2, July 2012 By Fuad Aliyev Kazakhstan is the most welcoming towards Islamic finance in the region, and plans to become a regional hub linking Central Asia… Continue reading The Politics of Islamic Finance in Central Asia and South Caucasus