Competitiveness And Private Sector Development Enhancing Competitiveness In Central Asia

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have recorded impressive economic growth rates since 2000, driven mainly by the export of commodities and labour.

- Foreword - Acronyms and abbreviations - Executive summary - A regional agenda for economic diversification in Central Asia - Business environment in Central Asia: Access to finance - Business environment in Central Asia: Firms' internationalisation - Business environment in Central Asia: Skills - Country factsheets - Details of country projects

This Central Asia Competitiveness Outlook examines the key policies that would increase competitiveness in Central Asia and reduce dependence on the natural resource sector.

This Central Asia Competitiveness Outlook examines the key policies that would increase competitiveness in Central Asia and reduce dependence on the natural resource sector.

This book presents an in-depth analysis of sectors and reforms that can support Kazakhstan's potential to become an economic leader in Central Asia. Relying on oil and gas alone, however, will not produce the long-run level of growth needed to meet this potential. Reforms geared to improve the business climate, enhance competitiveness, and increase private sector participation are essential. This book examines reforms to accelerate economic diversification in the country. This involves not only modernizing and using public resources in agriculture more efficiently to increase productivity, but also transitioning of manufacturing toward high-potential exports to help the country's industrial development and create employment opportunities. Upgrading innovation of oilfield services and improving transport and logistics are important to increase participation in the global value chains.

This review of competitiveness and private sector development in the Ukraine includes diagnosis and policy actions for policy makers and advisors, offering policy responses to underpin economic diversification, enhanced competitiveness and private sector development.

Building on robust economic growth since the end of a civil war in 1997, Tajikistan has transformed itself into a service economy driven by consumer spending fueled by strong remittance inflow. Yet the transfer of resources to high value-added sectors has been restrained, and structural change has generated few new jobs. Without sufficient employment opportunities in the services and industrial sectors, agriculture became the fallback for most of the labor force. To continue its economic growth, Tajikistan requires new drivers from a diversified industry sector and a modernized economy through structural transformation and export diversification.

This book discusses Kazakhstan’s transitioning trajectory to a market economy since it declared its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.. It analyses the evolution of key policy areas and sectors through the lens of policy development and implementation, and evaluates their suitability in pursuing the country’s strategic objectives. Topics include policy initiatives for economic development, new policy paradigms in public service delivery and infrastructure improvement, and water-energy-food (WEF) nexus thinking in governing the WEF sectors. The book argues that policies developed in the 1990s and 2000s have so far served the nation’s needs. Nevertheless, as Kazakhstan seeks to achieve a competitive edge worldwide, many of these policies would require adjustment, or a paradigm shift. Providing a unique outlook on policy and governance, this book will appeal to scholars, students, and practitioners involved with Kazakhstan and Central Asia and interested in the transformation of ex-Soviet nations, their policy, and sustainable development.