Abstract

This study examines the extent to which local executive bodies in Kazakhstan comply with legal and normative requirements related to informing citizens about participatory mechanisms of local self-governance, and what explains variation in these practices across localities. It focuses on communication between local executive bodies (Akimats) and residents at the third sub-national administrative level, particularly in Cities of District Significance (CDS) and Settlements. In these types of localities, participatory mechanisms include local community gatherings and local community meetings, where Akimats are legally required to announce upcoming sessions in advance and provide follow-up information on decisions made. We evaluate these informing practices in accordance with both legal requirements and commonly recognized standards of public communication.

The scope of this study covers all CDS (48) and Settlements (69) across Kazakhstan, and is based on the originally collected dataset of announcement and follow-up posts published by Akimats in 2025, from across official government and social media platforms. Using text-to-code approach and double-blind coding, the study employs descriptive and exploratory quantitative analysis to identify patterns of legal compliance and variation in informing performance.

Our main findings reveal that (1) there is a substantial noncompliance with the legal requirements for timely notification (~44%) and informing residents of the decisions made (~45%), (2) there is geographical heterogeneity in activity of participatory mechanisms, with the highest levels observed in the North-East region, followed by Central and South-West regions, and (3) notably, there is a negative and significant association between higher per capita local budget levels and timely notification practice. By evaluating the alignment between de jure legal frameworks and de facto implementation, we observe that while formal requirements for public informing exist, their application is inconsistent across administrative units, pointing towards one of the core indicators of bad governance – the fragmented application of the Rule of Law.

This study contributes to the emerging literature on local self-governance in Kazakhstan by providing one of, if not, the first systematic assessment of how local executive bodies manage communication regarding participatory mechanisms. By providing a data-driven evaluation of local informing practices, it moves beyond theoretical discussions of decentralization and offers an empirical baseline for understanding the implementation of transparency and public informing practices at the sub-national level.