Labour market and technological development in Central Asia

This paper discusses the current situation in labour markets of economies of Central Asia and considers the options available for labour market policies to support technological development. It analyses labour market issues including labour migration, informality, inequality, and financing of pensions through the taxation of labour. The paper provides recommendations for the modification of labour market policies to promote the economic diversification and productivity growth in Central Asia. The Institute of Public Policy and Administration is part of the Graduate School of Development, University of Central Asia. Geographically, the paper covers Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan as well as Afghanistan

Public finance and technological development in Central Asia

This paper discusses the current situation in the economies of Central Asia in terms of government revenue, expenditure, and deficits, and considers the options available for using fiscal policy to support technological development. National development strategies and policies emphasize the need to diversify from reliance on extractive industries and low productivity agriculture to more technologically advanced manufacturing, services, and value-added agriculture. Various economic policies are needed to support this shift. The paper provides recommendations for the modification of fiscal policies to promote economic diversification and productivity growth in Central Asia

Production and Exports of Kidney Beans in the Kyrgyz Republic: Value Chain Analysis

This report provides results of the study of the kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) production and the marketing value chain in the Kyrgyz Republic. The main tool of this survey is field study of farmers, dealers-wholesalers, and bean exporters with elements of quantitative and qualitative methods, as well as the results of desk analysis using open sources of information. The report analyzes agrotechnical conditions for bean production, including data on bean-related phytosanitary safety and the situation with bean-related food safety standards when exporting it and marketing problems in foreign markets. Findings of the study include the main barriers and constraints to increasing domestic production, improving bean quality and processing, and improving the phytosanitary situation and food safety standards; recommendations on Kyrgyz bean market improvement are also included

Global strategies and local implementation of health and health-related SDGs: Lessons from consultation in countries across five regions

Evidence on early achievements, challenges and opportunities would help low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) accelerate implementation of health and health-related sustainable development goals (HHSDGs). A series of country-specific and multicountry consultative meetings were conducted during 2018-2019 that involved 15 countries across five regions to determine the status of implementation of HHSDGs. Almost 120 representatives from health and non-health sectors participated. The assessment relied on a multidomain analytical framework drawing on existing public health policy frameworks. During the first 5 years of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) era, participating LMICs from South and Central Asia, East Africa and Latin America demonstrated growing political commitment to HHSDGs, with augmentation of multisectoral institutional arrangements, strengthening of monitoring systems and engagement of development partners. On the other hand, there has been limited involvement of civic society representatives and academia, relatively few capacity development initiatives were in place, a well-crafted communication strategy was missing, and there is limited evidence of additional domestic financing for implementing HHSDGs. While the momentum towards universal health coverage is notable, explicit linkages with non-health SDGs and integrated multisectoral implementation strategies are lacking. The study offers messages to LMICs that would allow for a full decade of accelerated implementation of HHSDGs, and points to the need for more implementation research in each domain and for testing interventions that are likely to work before scale-up

Migration governance and agrarian and rural development: Comparative lessons from China, Ethiopia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Morocco, Nepal and Thailand

The purpose of this policy brief is to draw together key comparative lessons on different types of migration governance interventions in the AGRUMIG project research regions and examine how they support positive feedback loops between migration and agrarian and rural development. This exploration offers stories of success and omission. Moving beyond the elusive triple-win situation on the benefits of migration for destination and origin countries, migrants themselves and the highly politicized domain of the migration-development nexus, our point of departure is that there are vital prospects for augmenting the positive impacts of migration for societies globally. This brief focuses on how migration governance interventions are potentially useful in maximizing the gains between migration and agrarian development in the sending communities in China, Ethiopia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Morocco, Nepal and Thailand