CAREC Institute Contributes to the Book About Kazakhstan

On 9 June 2023, at the Astana International Forum 2023, CAREC Institute Chief economist Dr. Hans Holzhacker took part in the launching of the book “The New Kazakhstan – Steering the Steppe amid a Global Storm” with a foreword by well-known economist Nouriel Roubini, and edited by Marc Uzan from the “Reinventing Bretton Woods Committee.”

Dr. Holzhacker contributed to the book with the essay “Disruption, Catching up, and Gravity in the CAREC region – and the role of Kazakhstan.” The authors of the book covered a broad range of topics relevant to Kazakhstan but also to the broader CAREC region and beyond, starting from political and economic reforms over connectivity, geoeconomic fragmentation and regional cooperation to the green transition and the role of technology and of specific sectors such as agriculture and fisheries. All authors emphasized the severity of the challenges the World and the region are facing but also pointed to opportunities.

Dr. Holzhacker’s main message was that regional cooperation could be an important factor for re-accelerating the catching up process of the CAREC region with developed countries, for the embracing of new technologies and for the green transition. By providing economies of scale and scope it could further increasing the weight of the CAREC countries in the global economy. He pointed out that Kazakhstan is the largest contributor to intra-CAREC trade besides China and is well aware of its role as a potential driver of intensified CAREC cooperation and integration.