The effect of tradition, culture and history on the economic outcomes in Central Asia and Russia

Collaborative Research Program for 2022-2024

The proposed research will examine the effect of tradition, culture, and history on the economic outcomes of women and families in the Central Asian and Russia regions. As the research group is based in Kazakhstan, and the grant is designed to support research with social and economic impacts, it’s important to note that there are no fewer than 30 government initiatives, policies, and councils that focus on the economic well-being and development of women and families in the country and even more in the region’s multiple developing economies. As such this project will support these efforts by providing scientific evidence and reports to develop these critical areas within developing economies.
In brief, there are four primary areas of focus within this grant. One research direction will focus on the determinants of co-residence with mother or mother-in-law and the labor force participation of women. A second research direction will examine the determinants of “ceremonial spending” and the effects of this spending tradition on economic outcomes such as migration, labor force participation and poverty. Third, and more historical in focus, the final direction will explore the effect of a significant famine event on anthropometric measurements on populations. Lastly, we target to administer a Kazakhstan-wide longitudinal population survey and expand our research agenda to the Kazakhstan region. Taken together these areas of research will allow our research team to better understand how tradition, culture, and history converge and influence the economic outcome of women and families.