The potential for developing smart cities in Kazakhstan is evaluated using cluster analysis. Built on previous research focused on clustering the regions of Kazakhstan, this study applies the same method to the cities of the country. The analysis uses indicators related to human capital, infrastructure, education, information technology, production, and other factors to assess the potential of each city. The clustering is performed using Single Linkage, Complete Linkage, and Ward’s methods. The results show that Almaty and Astana are the cities with the highest potential for becoming smart cities. Aktobe is identified as a city with distinctive features that may help or hinder its development as a smart city. The remaining cities are clustered into two groups, with one group having the potential to catch up and maintain the trend of developing smart cities, while the other group is less suitable for starting smart city projects and may require more investment per capita. The study highlights the deep regional inequality affecting the potential to successfully develop and manage smart cities in Kazakhstan. The analysis also reveals some limitations and challenges in the data and variables used, including the lack of data for some variables and the difficulties in "translating" some factors and indicators into quantitative variables for clustering. The study concludes that future research should address these challenges and consider clustering inside certain regions to focus on their unique features. The study recommends launching pilot projects in small cities, with the most successful practices then scaled and implemented in the core smart cities and possibly Aktobe, if it manages to use its advantages to compensate for risks. Overall, this study provides insights into the potential of smart city development in Kazakhstan and can inform policymakers in their efforts to support smart city projects in the country.

Emotional intelligence (EI) shapes students’ academic success and life satisfaction, influencing broader educational outcomes. This study assesses EI and life attitudes among students in Kazakhstan and explores the relationship between these variables, providing policy recommendations for integrating emotional skills development into higher education. Using the Big-Five, the Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory, and the Lüscher color test, data were collected from 2019 to 2023. In the first stage (2019–2021), a pilot study was conducted with 504 participants, followed by the main study (2021–2023)which involved 4,027 participants. The results indicate that EI significantly correlates with life satisfaction, stress management, and leadership behavior, while age and gender show varying impacts. No direct correlation was found between year of study and EI. These findings suggest that policymakers should consider incorporating EI development into educational programs across all levels of higher education in Kazakhstan to enhance students’ academic and personal outcomes. Future research could explore the role of targeted educational interventions in improving long-term student success and professional development, with potential applications in other contexts.

The methodology for sampling vulnerable regions in Kazakhstan has not been fully developed. This finding highlights the need for further research in this area. The best adaptability to the current economic system is found in urban agglomerations, city centres, and regions with raw material extraction industries and goods in high demand in the global market. However, Kazakhstan's most vulnerable regions are less developed and competitive. Furthermore, these settlements have become impoverished and are currently on the verge of extinction. Additionally, the pandemic has profoundly changed the structure and level of its development, triggering potential vulnera-bility issues, particularly in small settlements where resources and supplies are in short supply. The data analysis pinpointed Kazakhstan's most vulnerable regions, which have a deteriorating environmental status and a lack of social and transportation infra-structure. For the last ten years, these regions have been particularly vulnerable. Data analysis indicated that Kazakhstan's most vulnerable regions have a deteriorating environmental status and lack social and transportation infrastructure. These regions have been particularly vulnerable over the last ten years. The solutions to these challenges lie outside the purview of both the urban and rural levels of government and, therefore, necessitate active government involvement.

In the last decade, ICT has significantly impacted economic growth in many developing countries, such as Kazakhstan. In addition, there is practically no analysis of the level of interconnections between the communication infrastructure and economic growth in the regional context. This article will consider the impact on GRP per capita of the following ICT factors: volume of communication services, number of fixed telephone lines, enterprises using computers, enterprises using the Internet, internal costs for R&D by regions, the number of organizations that have created and use new technologies and equipment. The data for the article were collected over ten years, from 2010 to 2020 as part of the dynamic panel data approach, which includes 14 regions and two cities. The initial data were taken from the statistical data of the Bureau of National Statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The methodology used in the article includes the study of the proposed indicators and conducting correlation and regression analysis in the STATA program. The conclusions presented in our work showed that the ICT infrastructure has a significant positive impact on regional development, and the coefficient of elasticity of the ICT infrastructure to regional development is greater than the coefficient of elasticity of the degree of integration. The government can use the results of this study to develop programs to improve regional development.

This research focuses on an analytical review of the scientific literature to select appropriate methods and evaluate the impact of financial technologies on economic growth. Since non-cash payments can be affected by various factors, there is a great variety of studies relating to them in the scientific literature. However, existing scientific papers reflecting on the economic growth and non-cash payments do not determine the cause-effect relationship trends in different periods. Current study intends to fill this gap. Using an original method based on correlation analysis, the relationship of indicators in different periods is calculated with the use of the SPSS software. The data is collected for period of 2004-2019, during which the reviewed countries were actively developing and increasing their financial and technological capacities. Analysis results largely indicate an increase in the number of bank branches in many of the reviewed countries. Further, we consider the correlation between economic growth (expressed by indicators such as GDP), financial technologies (number of ATMs, user access to internet, and number of users of mobile communications) and gender indicators. The conclusions show a correlation between economic growth and financial technologies.