This new series will be highlighting the most interesting blogs in Kazakhstan.

A new research organization has been created in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The Competitiveness Research Center is a noncommercial, nongovernmental and non-partisan research organization that aims to study social and institutional aspects of competitiveness of the society, business and governance in Kazakhstan.

The Center is conducting a continuous monitoring of the country’s performance in various ratings and rankings, published by the foreign and international oganizations, covering social, political, infrastructural and other aspects of competitiveness. Besides, it aims to conduct its own research projects into social and political factors of the country’s competitiveness, according to the criteria of World Economic Forum, IMD and other authoritative international institutions.

Interestingly, it has launched a website (currently updated only in Russian), built on the WordPress platform.