Expertise is a scientific term that is defined in dictionaries and reference books as an evaluation and analytical activity performed with the involvement of experts to analyze and (or) evaluate the objects of expertise.

An expert examination indicates its own type of activity, as a rule, but not always, requiring special training, which is confirmed by the relevant documents for credibility.

Expertise exists in many areas of life: medicine, ecology, psychology, science, etc. They can be external or internal, i.e. they are carried out by invited or in-house specialists. Depending on their goals and methods, they can be economic, social, legal, political, etc.

Expertise is an important element in the management system, since it provides the most verified information, gives an external and independent assessment of objects or processes, which ensures the proper level of validity of decisions made.

Political expertise – is a systematic type of expertise. Its main objects are the political situation or its components. By revealing the sociological content of political expertise, it is possible to identify it as a social institution designed to provide government and management bodies with analytical information and practical recommendations, which allows them to take into account and minimize possible risks in the political decision-making process.

The institutionality of political expertise is confirmed by the fact that it is carried out by professionally trained employees representing independent or state institutions, and its powers are spelled out in the relevant laws.

Political expertise is a field of knowledge of hybrid origin, i.e. based on the achievements of many sciences: sociology, psychology, history, systems theory, political science, etc^[47].

Analytical centers are institutions that systematically conduct research on a particular or several areas of political activity (policy field) and set their task to inform and provide recommendations to the government or other state bodies, or to influence some public discussions – what is happening in the public field. Depending on the typology of such institutions, there is a difference between state or quasi-state analytical centers (working for the state and with it directly, serving its interests, being an extension of state structures, receiving their funding from state sources), and independent analytical centers.

In the activities of the latter, the essential question is whether such structures are independent of the state or donors, whether there is academic or intellectual independence, financial or political, ideological, and so on. The various classifications of think tanks are not limited to this list. There are also analytical centers at universities, there are even think-and-do-tanks and advocacy tanks, which are not only engaged in research activities, but also enter the field of activity of activists and non-governmental organizations, and even engage in political lobbying. And almost all types of think tanks are represented in Kazakhstan in different numbers.

However, the field of analytical centers in Kazakhstan is still quite limited, both in terms of the number of such structures and their level of activity. Geographically, they are mainly concentrated in Astana and Almaty, and most of the mare somehow connected with the state.

As for the functions performed by different types of think tanks, if we analyze the literature that considers such structures in incomplete democracies or in de-democratizing regimes (for example, countries in Central and Eastern Europe), we can see three types of functions:

Advising (from English Advisory) or providing specific recommendations for solving political problems or tasks. This is a process in which experts are not guided by ideological imperatives, but deal with a clearly formulated practical problem and try to find a solution to it.

Opposition to the ruling forces or certain political decisions. This function is to call into question the political course or any political decisions of the ruling elite or party. Within this function, the analytical framework presents alternative solutions or an alternative version of the country's political development.

Legitimation of the political course, or confirmation of the correctness of the political decisions of the ruling elites. This function is especially important in times of crisis, and it is also aimed at crisis management. But even in addition to crisis situations, this function can be key to ensuring political stability and public support for the adopted political decisions.

In Kazakhstan, there are just the first and third functions. The second one is limited only to a separate constructive criticism of political decisions, and this criticism does not prevail in the public field.

Experts and think tanks play an important role in the process of developing and implementing public policies, ensuring their scientific validity, objectivity and effectiveness. Their contribution includes:

Analysis of the current situation-experts conduct research on socio-economic, political and legal aspects, identify key problems and trends.

Development of recommendations – based on the analysis, proposals are formulated to address current issues, strategies and development concepts are developed.

Assessment of the consequences of decisions – predicts the possible effects of the adoption of certain regulatory acts, which helps to minimize risks.

Participation in public discussions-think tanks and experts are actively involved in the dialogue with government authorities, business and civil society, contributing to the development of informed decisions.

Monitoring and control of implementation – analyzes the effectiveness of implementing regulatory legal acts and government programs, suggests adjustments if necessary.

Analytical centers can work as independent research organizations, as well as within government agencies and international institutions. Their activities can improve the quality of decisions made, make public policy more transparent and focused on the long-term interests of society.

Experts working in government think tanks do not always aim to influence policy, but they are generally capable of doing so. The main part of their work is closed analytics, which is not published in the public domain. Passing through several «filters» inside the centers themselves, analytical notes and reports (not all, of course) get on the table of top officials. In other words, as an expert, you have an internal channel, if not for influencing, then at least for informing decision makers. At the same time, if you are not the head of a think tank, but a mid-level expert, you often do not even know how your report was perceived by your superiors and whether it even got to the «cherished» table. In such cases, the only way to track your own influence –is to hear your thoughts or messages in public speeches by politicians or find your own language in government programs.

For experts working in non-governmental think tanks, everything is different. Their strategy of influencing political and public processes consists in public action, i.e. in promoting an analytical product through social media or mass media. If an independent expert has prepared a thorough and high-quality analytical document on a relevant issue, even if there is a good media strategy for promotion, political decision makers are more likely to pay attention to it. By creating a resonance in the public field, such experts have a chance to influence political discourse, and sometimes decisions made, they are invited to events more often, and their opinions are listened^[48] to.

Experts and think tanks play an important role in the process of developing and implementing public policies, ensuring their scientific validity, objectivity and effectiveness. Their contribution includes:

- based on the current situation, experts conduct research on socio-economic, political and legal aspects, identify key problems and trends;

- development of recommendations – based on the analysis, proposals are formulated to address current issues, development strategies and concepts are developed;

- evaluation of the consequences of decisions – forecasting the possible effects of the adoption of certain regulatory acts is carried out, which allows minimizing risks;

- participation in public discussions – analytical centers and experts are actively involved in a dialogue with government authorities, business and civil society, contributing to the development of informed decisions;

- monitoring and monitoring of implementation - analyzes the effectiveness of implementing regulatory legal acts and government programs, suggests adjustments if necessary.

There are many analytical centers in Kazakhstan that contribute to the development of state policy, economy and society. Here are some of them:

Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan (KISI).

A state institution established in 1993, whose main function is –to provide analytical, research and expert support to the President's activities in strategic areas of domestic and foreign policy of the state.

KISI.KZ

Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Higher education institution with a special status that provides training, retraining and advanced training of civil servants, as well as conducts research in the field of public administration.

International Information and Analytical Center (IACC).

An organization that provides analytical services, forms industry registers and creates open information portals aimed at the sustainable development of Kazakhstan.

Center for Analytical Research «Eurasian Monitoring».

A platform for expert discussions and research on cooperation between Central Asian countries and other regions in the context of global instability.

Information and Analytical Center of Karaganda State Technical University.

A structure that collects and submits information at the request of the university administration, as well as conducts analytical research in the field of education and science.

Scientific and Analytical Center MIND in Astana.

It was created to conduct independent applied research in 17 areas, including economics and sociology, using advanced scientific methods and in cooperation with the project office of the Senate of the Parliament. In addition, according to the University of Pennsylvania, 43 analytical centers operated in Kazakhstan in 2020, which indicates the development of expert and analytical activities in the country.

These and other analytical centers play an important role in the formation and implementation of state policy, providing expert assessments and recommendations on various areas of Kazakhstan's development.

For example, according to international ratings, the number one international think tank in Kazakhstan is the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies (KISI), established in 1993 by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Since its establishment, KISI has been engaged in forecasting and analytical support of strategic aspects of Kazakhstan's domestic and foreign policy and has actually turned into a forge of personnel for key state bodies of the republic.

Dozens of different analytical centers have been established in Kazakhstan. Some of them were later closed. All of them were «universal», that is, the range of their activities covered such areas as foreign and domestic policy, economics, sociology and security; there were no specialized analytical centers. Although the ranking of the world think tanks of the University of Pennsylvania especially highlights in Kazakhstan the expertise on security and military issues in the ranks of the same KISI, on the topic of economic policy – the Institute for Economic Research under the Ministry of National Economy (ERI).

Despite the fact that the private sector has been interested in research activities in Kazakhstan for a certain period of time, the main analytical centers in Kazakhstan are funded from the state budget (see the full list of centers below). Most often, these are institutions attached to government agencies, affiliated with government structures, and even private analytical structures that are formally independent and participate in state-funded projects^[49].

Analytical centers and experts help the state in making decisions and developing reforms, inform society and are intellectual outposts, the presence and authority of which indicates the development of the intellectual field in the country.

 

 

Control questions

 

1. What are the key stages of the public policy development process?
2. What factors influence the need to create a new regulatory act?
3. What role does public discussion play in the preparation of regulatory acts?
4. What mechanisms of interagency coordination are used in the development of public policy?
5. What is the function of analytical centers in assessing the consequences of government decisions?
6. 6.What analysis and control tools are used to assess the effectiveness of public policies?
7. How do international experience and state commitments affect the process of public policy formation?
8. What is the impact of expert assessments on political decision-making?
9. What are the key forecasting methods used in public policy development?
10. What is the difference between setting policy goals and setting goals?

 

Questions for discussion

 

1. Reveal the mechanism of planning and implementation of state policy in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
2. Analyze the tools, methods and means of state (public) policy.
3. Highlight public, state and public issues in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

 

Case studies

 

Case 1. Development of environmental legislation.

In response to the worsening environmental situation in the country, the government initiated the development of a law on reducing emissions of harmful substances. During the development process, public discussions were held with environmental activists, business representatives and scientists. After several stages of approval, the law was adopted, but a year later it was necessary to adjust it due to inconsistency with the real capabilities of enterprises.

Questions for analysis.

- what stages of public policy development were involved?

- how did public discussions affect the final version of the law?

- why did you need changes in the regulatory act?

 

Case 2. Introduction of digital identification of citizens.

The Government planned to introduce a digital identification system to simplify citizens ' access to public services. Initially, the project caused protests due to concerns about the leakage of personal data. As a result, additional legal expertise was carried out and data protection mechanisms were developed. This allowed us to successfully implement the project, but with a delay in its implementation.

Questions for analysis.

- how did the approval process affect the time frame for making a decision?

- what mechanisms of legal expertise were used in this case?

- why were public interests taken into account in the final decision?

 

Case 3. Development of transport infrastructure.

The state has adopted a program to build new highways, based on research from think tanks. The initial project caused discontent in the regions due to non-compliance with the needs of the local population. As a result, route planning and funding sources had to be reviewed, which led to a revision of the budget and implementation deadlines.

Questions for analysis.

- how did the analytical centers influence the initial project?

- why did you have problems implementing the policy?

- what corrective measures were taken to reach a compromise?

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^[47] The Role of Expertise in the Decision-Making Process.https://nicbar.ru/politology/study/politicheskie-upravlencheskie-resheniya/lektsiya-7-rol-ekspertizy-v-protsesse-prinyatiya-reshenij/ Date of reference: 01.03.2025

^[48] Think Tanks of Kazakhstan: From the Legitimation of Political Decisions to Constructive Opposition.https://cabar.asia/ru/mozgovye-tsentry-kazahstana-ot-legitimatsii-politicheskih-reshenij-do-konstruktivnoj-oppozitsii-ekspertnoe-intervyu

^[49] Think Tanks of Kazakhstan. https://www.caa-network.org/archives/19807. Date of reference: 02.03.2025