Abstract

This Author-Critic Forum proposes a discussion of the manuscript ‘Political Economy of Kazakhstan: From Neoliberal Dogma to Social Catastrophe’, a book-length study (published in Almaty in 2025) that critically examines Kazakhstan’s post-Soviet development trajectory through the lens of political economy. The book argues that three decades of neoliberal reforms, implemented through market liberalization, privatization, and technocratic governance, have produced not modernization and prosperity, but structural dependence and deepening inequality. By situating Kazakhstan within broader global and regional dynamics, the manuscript challenges dominant narratives of ‘successful transition’ and resource-led development. The project is highly relevant to the conference theme as it reconceptualizes Central Eurasia not as a passive periphery or exceptional space, but as an active site where global neoliberal doctrines intersect with local political power, historical legacies, and social structures. The book analyzes how economic policies have reshaped state-society relations, labor regimes, welfare systems, and patterns of exclusion, thereby contributing to ongoing debates about power, governance, and social transformation in the region. Methodologically, the manuscript combines political economy analysis, institutional critique, and discourse analysis. A distinctive feature of the book is its glossary of neoliberal euphemisms and postmodernist concepts, which deconstructs the language used by policymakers, international institutions, and local elites to legitimize reform agendas and depoliticize social outcomes. This component is intended not only as an analytical tool but also as a pedagogical intervention, making the book relevant to scholars, students, and policy critics alike.

The Author-Critic Forum format is particularly well suited for this project, as the manuscript is published and engagement from discussants with expertise in Central Eurasian studies, political economy, development studies, and post-socialist transformations would provide valuable critical feedback on the book’s theoretical framing, empirical scope, and comparative positioning. Panelists with regional expertise can assess the manuscript’s contribution to Central Eurasian scholarship, while those working on neoliberalism, state power, and social inequality can help situate the book within wider interdisciplinary debates. Overall, the forum aims to generate a constructive dialogue that advances both the manuscript and broader conversations on how power, ideology, and economic governance continue to shape societies across Central Eurasia.