Kazakhstan has been included for the first time in the global network of public sector organisations applying behavioural insights to improve policymaking and public services.
In June, the Centre for Public Governance and Behavioural Public Policy, established within the National Analytical Centre (NAC) at NU, was added to the international database of the OECD Observatory of Public Sector Innovation (OPSI). The OECD’s global map features nearly 300 organisations across 63 countries that use behavioural approaches to design more effective public policies and citizen-centred public services.
The Centre is the first specialised institution in Kazakhstan dedicated to advancing and applying behavioural science in public governance.
As part of building national expertise, NAC works closely with the UK-based Behavioural Insights Team (BIT), one of the world’s leading organisations in behavioural policy and evidence-based public sector innovation.
Over the past decade, governments around the world have increasingly turned to behavioural science to address policy challenges in more adaptive and effective ways. Rather than relying solely on regulation and administrative controls, behavioural approaches focus on improving decision-making environments and making beneficial choices easier for citizens — while preserving freedom of choice.
Kazakhstan has already begun testing these methods in practice. In partnership with BIT experts and a national retail chain, NAC conducted a pilot project aimed at encouraging “economic patriotism” through consumer choice. During March–April 2026, eight supermarkets in Astana tested different behavioural interventions (“nudges”) using “Made in Kazakhstan” product labelling for locally produced cheese.
The pilot became the foundation for scaling behavioural tools across all regions of Kazakhstan as part of an initiative led by the Ministry of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan, implemented together with QazTrade and regional trade and consumer protection authorities. NAC provides scientific and methodological support for this work.
The OECD Observatory of Public Sector Innovation serves as a global platform for documenting and sharing innovative practices in government. Inclusion of NAC’s Centre on the OECD global map strengthens Kazakhstan’s position as a regional leader in innovative public governance and creates new opportunities for international knowledge exchange and collaboration.
