Gulashar Doskeyeva

This study aims to determine the effectiveness of Kazakhstan’s public policy during the pandemic related to healthcare, education, and the financial situation of the population by assessing the population’s quality of life (QoL). The study proceeded from the assumption that the effectiveness of state measures can be assessed through the manifestation of citizens’ reaction to the ongoing public policy, i.e., satisfaction with its results. The source base was the Bureau of National Statistics and the Adilet information and legal base covering 2020–2021. During the pandemic, the population’s satisfaction with their material provision, health, education, and living conditions decreased but not critically. The population’s QoL in Kazakhstan is satisfactory. Satisfaction among rural residents with their life (70.7%) and conditions (63.7%) is higher than among urban residents (56.1% and 49.8%, respectively). One-third of the population reported improved well-being and only 6.5% reported a deterioration. The high number of citizens satisfied with their QoL indicates the effectiveness of Kazakhstani public policy. It is the result not only of the implementation of temporary anti-crisis measures of government through program, organizational, and economic mechanisms during the pandemic but systematic work on modernization of the social, medical, and educational systems from 2019. The practical value of the study is the development of recommendations for the development of public policy in the field of improving QoL and the development of anti-crisis management in Kazakhstan.

Acknowledgments
This study is supported by the Science Committee of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan (targeted funding program BR10965247 “Study of factors, features and dynamics of demographic processes, migration, urbanization in Kazakhstan, development of digital maps and forecasts”).

Type of the article: Research Article

Abstract
The study examines how parallel imports affect company efficiency and consumer satisfaction in Kazakhstan amid shifting global supply chains and trade restrictions. It assesses their impact on business expectations and consumer perceptions by identifying price asymmetries, risks, and cost optimization effects linked to intermediary shipments. A quantitative survey was conducted using purposive sampling of legally registered firms involved in the sourcing and distributing branded goods (n = 50) and urban consumers who regularly purchase such products (n = 51), ensuring respondents’ direct exposure to the relevant market mechanisms. The results confirm significant price asymmetry: consumers tend to perceive domestic prices as inflated, while firms only partially realize cost optimization opportunities through alternative supply channels. Specifically, 80.4% of consumers believe branded goods are more expensive domestically than abroad, whereas 70% of firms report negative economic effects from intermediary-based sourcing. The findings also reveal a substantial risk-reality gap. While 90.2% of consumers report encountering counterfeit goods, only 25% of firms identify counterfeiting as a primary risk. At the same time, evidence of proportional convergence between firm-level cost optimization (55%) and consumer price-oriented purchasing behavior (54.9%) suggests partial cost-price transmission under the current restrictive trademark regime.
This study provides recommendations for improving government policy on trademark regulation and parallel imports, as well as for refining companies’ pricing strategies. The identified price asymmetry and discrepancies in perceived counterfeit risks underscore the need to strengthen consumer protection and optimize supply chains.

Acknowledgments
This research is funded by the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Grant No. AP23489368).