Key Impacts of Economic Integration of Kazakhstan on Spatial Development of Its Settlements

摘要

This paper aims to show any specific impacts of economic integration of Kazakhstan on its border settlements. Addressing this issue is certainly indicated in view of the potential development of the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC). Over the last few years the EurAsEC member countries have decided on the formation of a Customs Union and a Single Transport Space as parts of the future establishment of a "common economic space" - a single market for goods, investment, and labour. Economic integration of Kazakhstan might change the distribution of available resources (especially cross-border natural resources) within a country as well as between neighbouring countries, which has positive as well as negative impacts on the development of border settlements. The positive impact of integration is linked to better access to foreign demand, market potential and development of cross-border network infrastructure. However most of the settlements are still based on an industrial economy of raw-materials and current economic development trends are too remote from being able to satisfy world demands of hi-tech goods. Thus it is difficult to assess which urban and rural market areas of the country could benefit from the Eurasian integration. The task of planners is to prepare basic spatial models for all settlements' benefits, taking into account key impacts of economic integration.