the international crisis group released its report on development in central asia. (a pdf of the full report is here). while the report is harshest in its assessment of the other four former soviet central asian republics, kazakhstan still doesn't come off that well, even though it is considered to be "in a league of its own" above the others. as the summary for the kazakhstan section states:
Although Kazakhstan has pursued reforms and invested in infrastructure, the outcome has been disappointing. The country will continue experiencing social stratification in access to quality education and good healthcare. As elite schools and modern clinics in cities co-exist with their dilapidated counterparts in neighbouring villages, social tensions are likely to rise within a growing rural, southern underclass. The country may not be able to achieve greater international competitiveness due to the low quality of the national transportation system, a shortage of technical expertise and negative impact of poor health on productivity. This would spell the end to any hopes of modernisation decreasing the reliance on extractive industries. Donors have yet to find new ways to influence a government that does not rely much on foreign aid.(via JFL)
