Concept of Local Self-Government

'The Concept of Local Self-Government' is a platform for collecting proposals on developing local government and self-government in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Participants were presented with specific questions on key areas: the division of powers between levels of public administration (central, regional, cities of republican significance and the capital, district, and rural), the phased delineation of powers between local government and local self-government bodies, the effectiveness of local budget formation, the financial capacity of local self-government (including 'participatory budgets'), strengthening maslikhats (local councils) at all levels, raising the status of local self-government bodies, assemblies, and meetings, strengthening audit commissions, developing the model of regional budget financing and inter-budgetary relations, and the electability of akims (village and district heads).

The work format combined research and structured discussion through a questionnaire and an electronic board of proposals. In addition to government agencies and independent experts, the World Bank participated in the work — the platform separately featured World Bank materials on the topic, as well as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The initiative complements TransforNATION's line of public administration reform, focusing on decentralization and strengthening the local level — alongside the concept of public administration and the reform of the quasi-state sector.