CITIZEN-CENTRIC SERVICE DELIVERY IN KAZAKHSTAN

Abstract

Kazakhstan has adopted adequate legislation and platforms to improve citizen-centered service delivery. The Concept on public administration development till 2030 unveiled the agenda of citizen-focused public administration in Kazakhstan. Given these institutions in place, it is appealing to examine how well is citizen-centered service delivery is implementing in Kazakhstan. This study draws on World Bank’s citizen-centered service delivery framework and aims to study it from the public officials’ perspectives. For that purpose, this inquiry employs the survey with 384 public officials and one focus group with acting civil servants of Kazakhstan. Findings suggest that Kazakh citizens prefer traditional modes of communication with state agencies, implying that e-government is not a panacea in citizen-centric service delivery. Also, vertical responsiveness to higher level state agencies is gradually shifting toward citizens. Civil servants still lack analytical skills to manage “citizen feedback”, whereas citizens are reluctant in participating in decision- and policy-making along with state officials. Regarding public integrity, there are good policies against favoritism and bribery, while transparency of public procurement and local budget is still questionable.