What happened to the Second World? Earthquakes and postsocialism in Kazakhstan

There is an assumption that with the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the Second World ceased to exist. Yet the demise of the Communist bloc as a geopolitical reality did not mean that it stopped exerting a defining influence over how people think and behave. This article examines how the postsocialist state in Kazakhstan deals with potential crises such as earthquakes and the extent to which the Soviet legacy still shapes intellectual debates, state structures, and civil society organisations in in that country. Drawing on fieldwork and interviews, this paper re-examines the Second World in its historical context and re-establishes it as a conceptual framework for considering disaster risk reduction in the former Soviet bloc. It argues that it is essential to pay attention to this legacy in Kazakhstan both in policy and practice if earthquake risk reduction is to be made more effective.     

基于能值的哈萨克斯坦可持续发展评价

运用能值方法分析2014—2018年哈萨克斯坦的资源利用和可持续发展状况。结果表明：哈萨克斯坦的总能值使用量约有89.94%依赖于本土不可更新资源,且直接出口大量粗加工原材料（如石油、矿产、金属等）。该国能值货币比率较低（9.50×10¹¹~1.22×10¹² sej/$）,单位货币所购买能值量较小;能值产出率在16.87~26.11范围内波动,从基于能值的可持续发展指数来看,2014年该指数为0.90,系统发展缺乏可持续性;2015—2018年,该指数高于1,系统发展是可持续的。此外,哈萨克斯坦环境负荷较高,主要由于对本土不可更新资源的开采及利用效率较低。对此,提出了加强可再生资源开发力度、提升资源利用效率、改善对外贸易结构等建议,以期为促进哈萨克斯坦的可持续发展提供科学依据。     

哈萨克斯坦粮食生产效率动态演进及区域差异

曾为苏联粮仓的哈萨克斯坦是粮食生产大国,对于粮食生产效率问题的研究可以评价其未来粮食生产潜力和粮食生产水平,为推进中哈粮食合作提供参考。基于2005—2017年哈萨克斯坦州际数据,采用三阶段DEA-Windows方法,在控制环境因素基础上测算了该国的粮食生产效率,分析了其动态演变和区域差异。结果发现：剔除外生环境因素后,除北部地区,哈萨克斯坦其他地区粮食生产效率大幅度下降,全国效率均值从0.755下降到0.286;哈萨克斯坦粮食生产效率地区分异显著,北部为0.857,西部仅有0.112,粮食生产效率提升空间很大;调整后全国和各地区的粮食生产效率都呈上升趋势,但与北部的效率差距不断增大,地区内各州粮食效率变化趋于一致。     

Energy wealth and tax reform in Russia and Kazakhstan

Resource-rich states throughout the developing world are prone to rent-seeking, excessive borrowing, wasteful spending, and unbalanced growth as well as states with weak institutions and authoritarian regimes. Are the five energy-rich Soviet successor states necessarily doomed to repeat this experience, often referred to as the “resource curse”? This paper advances and tests the hypothesis that Russia and Kazakhstan are more likely to avoid the “resource curse” than Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan because they privatized their energy sectors. Specifically, we find that privatization offers a potential path out of the “resource curse” when it involves a transfer of ownership to domestic actors. Although Kazakhstan initially appeared to be developing a viable tax regime in response to foreign investors, over the long term Kazakhstan’s tax regime has become increasingly volatile and dependent upon these foreign investors. In contrast, domestic oil companies are helping to foster the development of an increasingly viable tax regime in Russia.     

“一带一路”倡议背景下哈萨克斯坦地区综合脆弱性的空间分异特征分析

系统评估沿线国家环境社会系统的发展状态,识别典型地区的脆弱性特征,对于绿色"一带一路"建设至关重要。本文集成了脆弱性与恢复力的概念内涵,构建了综合脆弱性评价指标体系,利用TOPSIS法和障碍度模型对哈萨克斯坦各州的综合脆弱性进行系统评价,分析其空间分异特征和影响因素。结果显示:(1)哈萨克斯坦综合脆弱性总体上处于中度水平,空间上呈现西高东低的特点,西部各要素脆弱性均处于中高位,东部整体脆弱性相对较低,中部则呈现多样性特征;(2)要素间关系复杂,脆弱性降低的瓶颈因素主要集中在资源使用和保障、社会系统保障等方面;(3)系统提升哈萨克斯坦环境社会系统的韧性,需要强化产业结构转型、基础设施建设与生态环境保护,在这些方面中国可以提供强有力的合作条件与经验。     

Human Settlements on the Northern Shores of Lake Aral and Water Level Changes

The shore of Lake Aral in Kazakhstan is a perfect area for studying the human adaptation strategy to past climate changes. New archaeological material, gathered along the northern shores during the expedition of the INTAS project CLIMAN, is briefly presented. Changes in settlement activity during the Atlantic and Subboreal are related to lake level changes of the Aral Sea. A previ-ously proposed lake level maximum needs to be revised. In particular the lake level stand at 72/73 m, with an assumed age of 5000 BP is definitely refused. Based on the presented data the maximum lake level most probably never reached beyond 57/58 mean average sea level (masl). Furthermore the regression during the 15^th–16^th centuries has been underestimated. It may have been lower than the present day level. Thus the present desiccation of the Aral Sea is historically not unique, as a similar regression, probably induced by man as well, has occurred at least once during history. A readjustment of the water level is, therefore, possible at any time.     

Mapping non-conventional atmospheric drinking-water harvesting opportunities in Central Eurasia: The case of Kazakhstan

Drinking water scarcity is becoming an urgent problem worldwide, and it affects developing and developed countries alike. Kazakhstan is not an exception and has its primary sources of drinking water (groundwater, rivers, and lakes) continuously depleted and polluted; moreover, the country will be close to its exploitation limits within the following decades. However, modern technologies allow us to harvest drinking water from unintegrated sources, like the atmosphere. Therefore, it is crucial to research which non-conventional technologies can be used to obtain drinking water from unintegrated sources for the country, considering the cost, viability of use through the year, and local climate conditions. Thus, the present assessment was performed for the 14 demographic regions in Kazakhstan and two city-states, and a map depicting the most feasible technology for each region is presented, including their levelized cost per liter. Seven mature technologies were found to be feasible in Kazakhstani year-round climates. However, Air AW₃ technology and Artificial Glaciers (AG) were the most cost-effective for family-size and village-size solutions, respectively. The water provided via utility pipelines proved to be the most cost-effective manner, when available, to supply drinking water at a family-size scale, but found a less expensive competitor in the AG technology for village-size solutions. Moreover, the lack of utility water pipelines in some Kazakhstani regions, principally countryside rural areas, makes it vital to deploy and implement these alternative water-harvesting technologies to guarantee the future water security of these regions.     

An evaluation of adaptation options for climate change impacts on agriculture in Kazakhstan

Agriculture in Kazakhstan is sensitive to climate, and wheat yields could be reduced up to 70% under climate change. With the transition from a socialist economy to a free market economy, decisions are being made now that will affect Kazakhstan's ability to cope with climate change. A team of Kazakh and American researchers examined the cost-effectiveness and barriers to implementations of adaptation options for climate change. Twelve adaptation options that increase flexibility to respond to climate change were identified using a screening matrix. Four options, forecasting pest outbreaks, developing regional centers for preserving genetic diversity of seeds, supporting a transition to a free market, and reducing soil erosion through the use of changed farming practices, were examined. The Adaptation Decision Matrix (ADM) was then applied to estimate benefits using expert judgment (using an arbitrary numerical scale, not monetary values) and benefits estimates were compared to costs to determine cost-effectiveness. The ADM uses subjective measures of how well adaptation options meet policy objectives. Controlling soil erosion was estimated to have the highest benefits, but the high costs of implementation appears to make it relatively cost-ineffective. Supporting a transition to a free market was ranked as the most cost-effective measure, with regional centers second. However, use of different scales to quantify benefits or different weights can result in regional centers being more cost-effective than the transition to a free market. Regional centers was also judged to have fewer barriers to implementation than a transition to a free market. These results will be incorporated in Kazakhstan's National Action Plan. The ADM and other tools are relatively easy to apply, but are quite subjective and difficult to evaluate. The tools can be quite useful by decision makers to analyze advantages and disadvantages between different adaptation options, but should be supplemented with additional, particularly quantitative analysis.     

哈萨克斯坦东部土壤元素组成及其空间影响因素分析

本文对哈萨克斯坦东部地区地表82个采样点土壤样品进行经典统计学及地统计分析,探讨了表层土壤元素组成特征及其空间影响因素。首先对土壤元素含量平均值、变异系数等特征进行了计算,比较了土壤元素含量特征。哈萨克斯坦东部地区表层土壤样品中Co、Be、K、Mg、Na、Ca、Zn等元素的含量偏高,而Al、Fe等其余元素含量偏低。使用SPSS 20.0对元素含量进行聚类分析,通过聚类分析可将20种元素分成2大类,每一类又分为两组。第一大类为Ca、Sr、K、Na、Be、Ba,为表生环境下活泼性较强的元素,其中Ca、Sr为一组,K、Na、Be、Ba 为一组。另外一类为Pb、Zn、P、Fe、V、Al、Co、Ti、Mn、Cr、Ni、Cu、Li、Mg,为活动性相对较差的元素,其中Pb、Zn、P为一组,其他元素为另一组。在此基础之上,采用地统计学方法对这些土壤元素的空间格局及其影响因素进行了研究,并计算了分维数,其大小依次为：Zn>Al>Mg>Li>Be>Ca>P> Pb>Sr>Na>Ti>Co>Cr>Cu(Fe)>Ni>V>Mn>K。Co、Cr、Cu、Fe、K、Mn、Ni、Ti、V在采样尺度下均具有空间相关性,相关程度中等或较强,虽然受到一些随机因素的影响（如区域人类活动等）,但其结构特征并未被破坏。Pb、P空间结构特征不明显,Zn已无空间结构特征,该类元素受到一定程度的人为污染影响,随机因素特别是人为因素如耕作、采矿等方面对其空间分布特征造成破坏。而Al、Li、Na、Be、Mg这些元素在研究尺度上空间结构性差或不存在,影响因素复杂。活动性元素Ca在一个相对较小的范围内存在相关关系,Sr空间相关性较差。最后通过对该区重金属污染状况进行初步评价,发现Zn污染程度为轻度-偏重污染。