Sergey Guriev will be the headliner of the Open Economy Forum in Almaty

Almaty, October 31. International and local experts will discuss institutional reforms, human capital and its impact on inclusive economic development during the “Open Economy-2019” forum, which will be held in Almaty on the 8^th of November 2019.

The special guest of the “Open Economy” Forum is Dr. Sergey Guriev, Doctor of Science in Economics, professor at Sciences PO University (Paris, France), former chief economist of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The expert will give a lecture on institutional quality and its impact on economic growth and inequality and will also take part in the panel discussion.

The OEF-2019 will be attended by experts in the field of economics from 7 countries such as Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Ukraine – all these states have been going through the transition from a planned to a market economy. Building institutions that would support their further economic development is essential for each of these states.

International and Kazakhstani experts will discuss and observe the relationship between institutional reforms and sustainable economic development in Kazakhstan, reflect on the need for economic and political competition in Kazakhstan. They will give specific answers to the question of current interest: “How much does a Kazakhstani citizen need for his well-being and happiness?” — and will offer their vision on how to stop the brain drain from the country.

 “The state is now forced to respond and is responding to aggravated economic and social challenges. On the one hand, populist sentiments and a lack of expertise were exposed in this process. On the other hand, we were once again convinced that effective public administration is impossible without the fundamental principles of the rule of law, social justice, access to information, participation in governance, and the development of strong civil society institutions. Therefore, it is necessary to actualize the problems of vulnerable segments of the population, based on balanced and comprehensive expert discussions. That is why our Fund holds the “Open Economy” Forum for the second time,”- says Aida Aydarkulova, Chairman of the Board of the Soros Foundation-Kazakhstan.

“During the challenging period of political transition, the role of civic institutions and the impact of politics on the economy become especially noticeable. Such institutions for Kazakhstan are represented by inviolability of private property, independent courts and a free press. I am sure that the economic reforms necessary for Kazakhstan can become effective and useful for all its citizens only in the presence of strong and self-sufficient public institutions.” – said Kassymkhan Kapparov, founder of “Ekonomist.kz”.

The OEF 2019 is organized by the Soros Foundation-Kazakhstan and the online project Ekonomist.kz.

For information:

The Open Economy Forum is an interactive platform for discussing new approaches to inclusive, sustainable and long-term economic development in Kazakhstan. Both program and the spirit of the Forum will direct the efforts of all participants to discuss ways to achieve inclusive, sustainable and long-term economic development.

The “Open Economy” forum was first held on November 9, 2017 in Astana with support of the Soros Foundation-Kazakhstan Fund.

Soros Foundation-Kazakhstan (SFK) is a non-governmental charity organization that supports activities in the field of promotion towards tolerant, active society and responsible, transparent government through the development of partnerships between non-governmental organizations, government and business. SFK is a part of the international “Open Society Foundation” network. Moredetailsonthewebsitewww.soros.kz

Ekonomist.kz is an open online platform for professional discussions on economic topics in Kazakhstan. Ekonomist.kz talks about complex economic phenomena in simple terms. The aim of the project is to develop a professional virtual expert network that will help Kazakhstani people to be aware of the news and problems of the country’s economic development, and provide promotion opportunity for young experts. As a result of the project, the authors hope to influence the quality of decisions made by the state to ensure income growth of the population and the presence of social justice.