KIMEP University

About: KIMEP University is a education organization based out in Almaty, Kazakhstan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Corporate governance & Government. The organization has 185 authors who have published 426 publications receiving 5098 citations.

Reckoning Electronic Government Progress in Bangladesh

Abstract: In the context of the recent interest and enthusiasm regarding e-government, this article proffers an overview of e-government by focusing on its conceptual development and experimental practices with a particular focus on Bangladesh. The study primarily draws on an extensive review of the secondary literature together with personal insights of the authors gained in the course of engagements with selected e-government related projects in Bangladesh. It explores, inter alia, the conceptual setting by examining the key definitional issues and models of e-government; reviews e-government as a practice at the global and developing country contexts; and examines the policy frame and infrastructural status of e-government in Bangladesh. Major challenges and constraints on wider application of e-government in Bangladesh are identified and some clues on possible improvement of the situation are also explored. Despite many constraints, a degree of positive change is already noticeable in reducing the digital divid...

Family Medicine as a Model of Primary Health Services Delivery: A Pilot Study in Almaty, Kazakhstan

Abstract: Introduction. Advanced models of delivering primary health care are being implemented in various countries of the world. This is especially true for countries undergoing a healthcare transition in Central Asia, such as Kazakhstan, which obtained independence from Soviet Union in 1991. The Kazakhstan National Program of Health Reform, implemented between 2005-2010, aimed to create an effective system of primary care. One of the key directions of healthcare reform implemented in Kazakhstan included the development of family medicine, which has become cutting-edge agenda for Kazakhstan Health Ministry over the past 10 years. While many papers have been published about the importance of family medicine and primary healthcare models, few have focused on analyzing family medicine effectiveness in Kazakhstan and its impact on access to family doctor services and patient satisfaction. The key aims of this pilot investigation were 1) to assess the model’s impact on access to primary care and patients’ satisfaction, and 2) to explore the model’s effectiveness in some Central Asian and transitional countries in the literature. Methods. This pilot study was based on semi-structured interviews and questionnaires about the perception and impact of the primary care model to 86 respondents aged 19-51 (54% females, 46% males). The majority of respondents were Almaty city residents (71%), while the rest were Almaty Province rural residents (22%) and residents of other Kazakhstan regions (7%). Results. Respondents from rural areas associated general practitioners, or family doctors, with community clinics (also referred to as feldsher posts). Even though urban area respondents use family doctor services, they were more likely to get those services in private rather than public clinics. Rural residents appear to have better access to primary care providers than urban residents participating in our study. Also, respondents from rural areas were more satisfied with services provided by family doctors than respondents from urban areas. Conclusions. This pilot study helped to improve our understanding of primary health care reforms implemented in Kazakhstan, a topic that is not traditionally covered in international literature. This pilot study suggests that primary care is more effectively implemented in rural areas of Kazakhstan (Almaty Province); however, future full-scale research in this area is needed to fully understand the complexity of primary healthcare access in Kazakhstan.

Explaining China's Lancang-Mekong cooperation as an institutional balancing strategy: dragon guarding the water

Abstract: This article examines the China-led Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) as an institutional balancing strategy against the external pressures from other existing mechanisms, such as the US-Mekong Partnership (UMP), the Mekong-River Commission (MRC), and the Mekong-Japan Cooperation (MJC). In contrast to another China-led multilateral initiative (i.e. the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank), the LMC has received significantly less attention by the media, scholars, and state actors, as the LMC is limited to five states in Southeast Asia that are often not viewed as major players in world politics. Because our main focus is examining the institutional competition that exists in the Mekong, we explain this competition in the region, with China’s LMC being our main focus. By drawing on the concept of institutional balancing, we explain both why China is doing this and the pattern of great powers that are engaged in institutional competition in the Mekong. The article’s findings indicate that China has yet to achieve its balancing objective, as most LMC members are not willing to exclusively side with China.

Publish or Perish? The Steep, Steep Path for Central Asia Journalism and Mass Communication Faculty:

Abstract: Journalism and mass communication faculty in Central Asian countries face increased institution and government pressure to produce research that appears in Scopus-indexed publications. This study i...