An applied research center that helps people navigate a changing economy. We analyze what is happening, understand how technology is changing it, and help prepare for the future.
We do not simply offer services. We solve real problems faced by the state, business, and civil society in conditions of uncertainty.
Open to collaboration, expert dialogue, and joint projects. Write to us — we’ll tell you more and discuss how we can be of help.
Leading economists discussed housing market trends in Kazakhstan. Will there be an increase in housing prices in Astana and Almaty, stagnation and the expectation of stabilization. Is it profitable to invest in real estate now? The impact of preferential programs and leases. Risks of DDU, unfinished buildings and shareholders. Problems of social housing and urban planning, urbanization and competent management. Opportunities for buying housing on benefits.
Hi! We return after a break (vacation, work trips). And we return in a slightly unusual format. Today there will be fewer primitive questions from the moderator, but more of a conversation between two expert economists. Eldar Shamsutdinov invited Askar Kysykov, Director of the TALAP Center for Applied Research, to visit. And an interesting (and most importantly not too "abstruse", as Eldar sometimes likes) conversation came out.
The events of the last two years, with major geopolitical upheavals, have posed a serious challenge for the countries of Central Asia –– Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. These states have skillfully maneuvered the changing political landscape, adhering to a balanced foreign policy. They have adeptly avoided making unequivocal alliances with any sides and focused on economic cooperation.
By Decree of the President No. 1311 of 9 June 2026, the Nationwide Strategy for Large-Scale Digitalization and the Comprehensive Deployment of AI Technologies, “Digital Qazaqstan,” was approved until 2029. TALAP analyzed the document: what goals and indicators it sets, how it differs from previous programs, and what it means for citizens, business, and the state.
The Center for Applied Research "TALAP" presented the findings of a series of strategic discussions and research. Experts warn: without rules and measurements, the implementation of AI in schools could exacerbate inequality and reduce the quality of basic skills.
In three years, we have become a little less afraid of our neighbors, but we still do not trust them.
Everyone was watching oil, food, and aviation kerosene. But the most durable consequences of the war manifested themselves in other sectors: fertilizers, petrochemicals, aluminum, insurance, and ocean freight. This is a story about why the loudest fears do not always turn out to be the main impact.
The Gulf War passed by Kazakhstan’s export route — but not by its economy. The real blow came not through Hormuz, but through the Black Sea, the CPC, Tengiz, and the limited capacity of alternative routes. This is the story of a country for which a high oil price proved weaker than an infrastructure disruption.
The war became a test for forecasters. Almost everyone identified the key point: the risk for Kazakhstan was not in Hormuz, but in the CPC, Tengiz, and export infrastructure. But beyond that, forecasts diverged. Some focused on GDP, others on the oil price, and still others on the tenge exchange rate. Reality showed that the key variable was not the Brent price, but the country’s ability to produce, export, and monetize oil.
