Kuralay Nurgaliyeva

This study aims to examine the relationship between higher education and economic development determinants in Kazakhstan’s regions. The paper used two sets of indicators of three-time series: 2010, 2015, and 2020. The analysis constructed a correlation using a panel dataset for 15 regions of Kazakhstan compiled by the Statistics Bureau of Kazakhstan and the National Bank. The first set reflects the determinants of higher education (number of students in colleges and universities, number of teaching staff, and the existing ICT infrastructure in universities). The second set includes indicators of regional economic development (GRP per capita and the population’s income level). The results showed a causal relationship between economic development and the determinants of higher education in the regions of Kazakhstan, which depend on the period. Surprisingly, the number of university students has almost no effect on GRP per capita and the population’s income level. For 2015–2020, the study observed the emergence and strengthening of correlations between economic growth and the development of innovations in universities. The findings also identified Mangystau, Atyrau, North Kazakhstan, and Pavlodar as regions with low innovation development in education. Therefore, the country’s higher education development policy should encourage and strengthen knowledge management systems in these regions. The study concludes that higher education and economic indicators significantly influence the growth of the economy in Kazakhstan.

Acknowledgment
The study was carried out within the framework of program-targeted IRN BR18574240 funding by the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan “Development Strategy of Kazakhstan Regional Potential: Assessment of Socio-Cultural and Economic Potentials, Roadmap, Models and Scenarios Planning”.

Today, the development of financial technologies and their application in the banking sector have changed the processes of economic growth in general and commercial banks in particular, giving them an innovative orientation. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between the banking infrastructure, innovation, and economic growth in Kazakhstan based on panel data. The study relies on information extracted from annual publications issued by the National Bank of Kazakhstan, the World Bank Database, and the Bureau of the National Statistics of Kazakhstan from 2004 to 2022, and also uses a regression model. Within this framework, variables used in the study, the number of ATMs, the number of bank branches, and the share of innovative products, are explanatory variables, and the gross domestic product per capita is the dependent variable. The study showed that both business innovations and the prevalence of ATMs have a significant and noticeable impact on the economic landscape of Kazakhstan, as evidenced by the impressive value of the R-square of 0.890. Moreover, the regression model demonstrates reliable stability and reliability, which is confirmed by the p-value of 0.001. In light of these findings, it is important to contribute valuable insights and evidence-based recommendations to enhance Kazakhstan’s economic growth strategy by leveraging the synergistic potential of its banking infrastructure and innovation ecosystem.

Acknowledgments
The study was funded by the Committee Science of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan “Investigating the impact of macroeconomic, political, and digital processes on financial sustainability of Kazakhstan” No. AP19674948.

Innovation is vital in the modern economic environment, as it aims to improve the operational efficiency, competitiveness, and sustainability of enterprises. The study aimed to examine the innovation activity of Hungarian small and medium-sized enterprises and the most important factors influencing their innovation. The paper employed a questionnaire survey in the spring of 2024. During the survey, a total of 253 companies were interviewed about their innovation factors. Based on the results, the innovation activity of the Hungarian SME sector shows a developing tendency. A positive attitude toward innovation is increasingly present among SMEs. More than half of the respondents (53%) believe that innovation plays a key role in maintaining competitiveness. However, in practice, almost two-thirds (58%) of managers do not involve their employees in innovation processes, or only partially, suggesting that companies’ decision-making processes remain centralized. Statistical analyses showed that neither the companies’ size nor age showed a significant correlation with innovation. However, the research results showed a close relationship between innovation and the use of knowledge transfer. This result shows that knowledge management plays a decisive role in the innovation processes of Hungarian small and medium-sized enterprises.

Acknowledgments
This study is funded by the Science Committee of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Grant “Strategy of structural and technological modernization of the basic sectors of the economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan based on ESG: criteria, mechanisms and forecast scenario” No. BR24993089).

Type of the article: Research Article

Scientific productivity is one of the key benchmarks to evaluate the development of a country in terms of innovation potential and competitiveness in the global academic environment. This study investigates the impact of key factors such as faculty workload and satisfaction, career dynamics, institutional environment, and research funding on publication performance. The methodology is based on system dynamics (SD), a simulation approach that assesses the dynamic impact of multiple factors on the publication performance. The approach combines causal-loop analysis, stock-and-flow diagrams, sensitivity testing, and Monte Carlo simulations, with Kazakhstan serving as a case country. The data on the factors, including from the global literature and statistics from Kazakhstan, were simulated to forecast publication performance and research output through 2030. Sensitivity analysis identified six dominant factors affecting the number of researchers: average wage growth rate, Ph.D. growth rate, average author tenure, normal workload, job satisfaction, and productivity rate. In contrast, the number of publications was most influenced by the research expenditure per paper, government investment growth rate, and private sector investment growth rate. The study findings from Kazakhstan can serve as “lessons learned” and assist researchers and policymakers working in the science policy and evaluation area in identifying high-impact factors and formulating more effective strategies to enhance the scientific knowledge creation of a country.

Acknowledgments
This paper has been funded by the Science Committee MSHE RK (Grant “Modernization of the quality assurance system of higher education in Kazakhstan based on digitalization: development of approaches, mechanisms and information base” BR24992974).

Type of the article: Research Article

Abstract
Export diversification and the growth of non-resource exports remain key strategic priorities for Kazakhstan, particularly for food manufacturing firms facing organizational and institutional obstacles to participation in international markets. We seek to assess managerial, institutional, organizational, and ownership-related drivers associated with direct and broader export participation, targeting food manufacturing enterprises in Kazakhstan. The empirical analysis uses the food sampling-sector domain of the 2024 World Bank Enterprise Survey for Kazakhstan. The complete national dataset contains 1,013 establishments, and the initial food-domain subsample comprised 128 establishments. After listwise deletion of observations with missing values, the final estimation sample consisted of n = 121 establishments in the direct export model and n = 121 establishments in the any-export model. The statistical analysis applies survey-weighted logistic regression and average marginal effects. The findings suggest that organizational capabilities are important for firms’ export operations. Digital presence (β = 2.030; p = 0.004), process innovation (β = 1.789; p = 0.010), and firm size (β = 1.491; p = 0.001) are positively associated with direct export participation. Broader export involvement is associated with foreign ownership and customs restrictions. Strengthening export competitiveness therefore requires improvements in organizational preparedness, innovation, digital communication, customs procedures, and logistics.

Acknowledgments
This study is funded by the Science Committee MSHE RK under grant IRN AP23489234 “Research on new instruments for the development of agrotechnological hubs in the regions of Kazakhstan to enhance the country’s competitiveness in the Eurasian region.”