Monotowns of Kazakhstan: Development Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

The Kazakhstan-2050 strategy, outlining the national development objectives to 2050, set the target of increasing the proportion of the urban population to 70%. At present time, a significant share of the urban population lives in industrial towns defined by the government as monotowns owing to their dependence on a single industry, primarily mining. Kazakhstan’s dependence on natural resources makes monotowns important for national development. Trying to boost urbanisation, the government’s policy therefore faces the need for balancing urban and regional development to benefit cities, towns and villages. Since 2012, the government has adopted policies and made considerable budget transfers to support monotown development. This chapter aims to provide a critical review of Kazakhstan’s monotown policy. In doing so, it provides an overview of the transition of monotowns from the Soviet legacy to the market economy realities. Based on fieldwork and the analysis of monotown development plans and national statistics, the chapter assesses the impact of policy and governance initiatives aiming at supporting monotowns, and compares and contrasts the achievements and challenges of different monotowns. Finally, the chapter argues for a necessary shift in policy and governance to help monotowns find their own sustainable economic development paths.