Disability in Kazakhstan : an evaluation of official data

In order to answer the questions of (a) what is the true pattern of disability in Kazakhstan; (b) whether the incidence of disability is decreasing; and (c) what is the life expectancy of Kazakhstan's disabled, this paper attempts first to create an historical picture of disability in Kazakhstan by analyzing government population statistics and studying the evolution of disability determination procedure in the former Soviet Union and independent Kazakhstan. Doing so is not a trivial task, as there has been almost no systematic research, either in Russian or English. The paper concludes that the optimistic official picture of disability patterns in Kazakhstan is almost certainly inaccurate. The paper details that the quality of official disability data is high, and much can be learned from the patterns. However, changing definitions and strictness of enforcement make time series comparisons problematic, and the improvements in adult disability recorded are inconsistent both with trends for children, and with mortality trends. Rather, the authors note that barriers for applying disability benefits have increased and incentives to report disabilities have decreased markedly in the past 15 years, so that it is virtually certain that there is substantial hidden disability.Population Policies,Disease Control&Prevention,Disability,,Social Protections&Assistance

Kazakhstan's Pension System: Pressures for Change and Dramatic Reforms

Five years ago, Kazakhstan embarked on a dramatic reform of its pension and social security system in order to move from an unsustainable public defined benefit ("solidarity") system to one of defined mandatory contributions (accumulative system). While assessment of long-run success is premature, early results have exceeded expectations. This paper considers the reform's rationale and initial impact: Why did the Government of Kazakhstan decide to introduce a new pension system? What advantages did the state perceive? Was the Government's decision appropriate, and what alternatives existed? The paper also analyzes pension reform issues that have yet to be fully resolved.

Fertility and Marriage in Kazakhstan's Transition Period: Implications for Social Security Policy

Seven years ago, Kazakhstan embarked on a dramatic reform of its pension and social security system in order to move from an unsustainable public defined benefit ("solidarity") system to one of defined mandatory contributions (accumulative system). While much has been written on the financial implications for individual contributors, and on macro budgetary impacts, there has been no examination of how changing demographic structure is likely to affect the size of vulnerable pools. This paper explores the impact of these changes, and links demographic structure to economic performance. Focusing on changes in nuptiality (marriage) and fertility, we conclude that demographic structural shifts will increase overall system risk, but that current trends are favorable.

How marriages based on bride capture differ : Evidence from Kyrgyzstan

BACKGROUND: A significant proportion of women in the Kyrgyz Republic marry viaala kachuu,generally translated as bride capture or kidnapping. Many regard this practice asharmless elopement or a tradition; others perceive it as a form of forced marriage. OBJECTIVE: This paper contributes to the understanding ofala kachuu by exploring the extent towhich couples in these marriages differ from those in arranged or love marriages. METHODS: We use the 2013 wave of the Life in Kyrgyzstan survey to compute profile similarityindices for the personality of couples. We then regress marriage type on the profilesimilarity index, controlling for sociodemographic variables.RESULTSCouples in marriages resulting from bride capture are far less assortatively matched onpersonality traits than other couples, especially those who have only recently married. CONCLUSIONS: This greater dissimilarity is consistent withala kachuu being forced marriage ratherthan merely staged or ritualized elopement. CONTRIBUTION: This paper provides a novel source of evidence on the possible nonconsensual nature ofbride capture in Kyrgyzstan, adding further weight to those arguing that it is forced

Pension Reform in Central Asia: An Overview

Seven years ago, Kazakhstan embarked on a dramatic reform of its pension and social security system in order to move from a public defined benefit ("solidarity") system to one of defined mandatory contributions (accumulative system). At the same time, Kyrgyzstan embarked on a move to a notional defined contribution (NDC) system that has made little progress. Today, major reforms are being planned in both Uzbekistan and Tajikistan as well. This paper surveys the reforms that have taken place, discusses the planned reforms, and places them in the underlying fiscal and demographic contexts of the various countries in the region.

W. Arthur Lewis in Retrospect

This paper reviews several themes from the writings of W. Arthur Lewis, both the first black Nobel Laureate in Economics and the first from a developing country, and examines them from the perspective of two to five decades of hindsight. The paper emphasizes three main interrelated aspects; economic growth, economic dualism, and the evolution of the economic order -the forces that drive the prices of goods and relative incomes across countries. Lewis\u27s messages still resonate today, as he foresaw the rise of industrial exports from developing countries-and also that it would not end the large gaps among nations\u27 standards of living. The paper both documents these rises and asks whether one could have predicted it from information available in the 1960s, or whether additional prescience was necessary