Executive summary

At the dawn of its independence, Kazakhstan had a highly centralized administrative system inherited from the Soviet period. This system was characterized by strict control of the central level over the resources, decisions, and responsibilities of the local government. Later, as economic reforms progressed, the country saw the need to grant more autonomy and flexibility to the local level in order to increase transparency and responsiveness to citizen needs. These efforts took place as part of a set of public governance reforms in Kazakhstan to streamline the public administration and budgeting systems, apply the principles of the rule of law and a regulatory state, and modernise public institutions.