Published: 25 August 2014 г.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) and the University of Central Asia’s Institute of Public Policy and Administration (UCA IPPA) conducted a summer school on Labour Markets in Central Asia from 13 to 25 July 2014 in Issyk Kul, Kyrgyz Republic.
The intensive two-week programme was part of the Gender and Labour Markets in Central Asia research project funded by the Institute for the Study of Labor (Bonn, Germany) and the United Kingdom Government Department for International Development through the Growth and Labour Markets in Low Income Countries Programme (GLM | LIC). The curriculum was developed in collaboration with GLM/LIC project partners. Data from the Life in Kyrgyzstan survey was provided to participants to promote applied research and teaching.
“This summer school was the perfect occasion to highlight the importance of labour market analysis and policies in Central Asia. We are happy to promote microeconomic empirical research, and hope that the distribution of the Life in Kyrgyzstan survey data will produce interesting research papers,” said Dr Damir Esenaliev, Summer School Coordinator, “I would like to thank our project partners and emphasise the important intellectual and organisational role UCA played in making this event a success.”
In his remarks, IPPA Research Fellow Dr Kanat Tilekeyev encouraged participants to work hard, exchange knowledge and build networks for future cooperation, saying, “IPPA is committed to building the capacity of Central Asian researchers and policy-makers to generate and apply knowledge. This summer school is an important step, taken in partnership with SIPRI, to build a network of young professionals in the region.”
Twenty Central Asian researchers, young professors, doctoral students and government officials participated in the summer school. They learned key themes of labour economics, discussed a range of labour market issues in Central Asia and beyond, and were introduced to relevant research and policy analysis methods. Sessions included lectures, class discussions, group work and data analysis exercises.
“This summer school – even the application process - was a high quality experience for me. Not only did we gain theoretical and technical knowledge, but we also experienced cultural exchange through our interactions with participants from other countries,” said participant Indira Aitbai.
Regional and international experts delivered lectures and facilitated sessions, including Alisher Aldashev of Kazakh-British Technical University, Armando Barrientos of Manchester University, Kathryn Anderson of Vanderbilt University, Luksina Tekeeva, Deputy Chairman of the National Statistical Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic, Akylay Muktarbek of American University of Central Asia, Tilman Brueck and Damir Esenaliev of SIPRI and Roman Mogilevskii of IPPA.