ICMA recently hosted a group of 10 visitors from Kazakhstan interested in learning more about local government in the United States. World Learning, an international nonprofit focused on international development, education, and exchange programs, facilitated their three-week training program titled “State Services Evaluation and Effective Quality Control.” One of the goals of the program was for the group to meet with and learn from organizations engaged in designing methodologies for public services quality control and delivery assessment.

Eager to learn how partnerships between organizations are established and supported, the types of services that are provided, how public services delivery is monitored and evaluated, as well as effective instruments for public and media engagement in this process, the group met with ICMA’s Director of New Initiatives Judit Deilinger and Hannah Wolford from ICMA’s Center for Performance Measurement (CPM).

Ms. Deilinger provided a brief overview of ICMA, the benefits offered to its members, including training opportunities and professional development, and the significant role of professional local government  managers. The visitors were particularly interested in the respective roles of the elected leaders and the appointed manager. Adding to her presentation, Ms. Wolford described the role of the Center for Performance Measurement. CPM assists local governments in improving the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of public services through the collection, reporting, analysis, and application of performance information. Participating jurisdictions complete survey questions on topics such as solid waste, human resources, sustainability, and information technology.

Past ICMA Projects in Kazakhstan

In 2000, ICMA facilitated two Resource Cities partnerships between cities in Kazakhstan and Helena, Montana, and Tucson, Arizona. At that time, Pavlodar, Kazakhstan, was at the forefront of a decentralization initiative led by the government of Kazakhstan. Reforms at the oblast and city level were thrown into disarray after Governor Galymzhan Zhakyanov was arrested and imprisoned. The constraints caused by this political turmoil moderated the results of the partnership between Helena and Pavlodar. Inspired by Helena’s community-level efforts to solve social issues, such as its successful drug rehabilitation and prevention program, Pavlodar established its own drug prevention center with trained staff and a functioning Alcoholics Anonymous program.

Well known as a promoter of innovative municipal practices and a champion of business attraction, Tucson assisted Almaty, Kazakhstan, with economic development and solid waste management. Some results of the partnership include technical assistance to the Almaty Small Business Department in micro-credit and business incubator management, and drafting a plan for the operations department of the Almaty Solid Waste Authority.

Furthermore, with funds from the United States Agency for International Development, ICMA initiated the Local Government Initiative project in 2000 to develop more effective, responsive, and accountable local governments in Kazakhstan. Under this project, ICMA trained more than 2,000 local government officials to better define the role of their local governments, deliver services, and implement steps to improve transparency in public management and citizen participation in local decision-making. To support municipal efforts in economic development, ICMA established four pilot community councils for economic development composed of representatives from the city council, business, non-governmental organizations, and citizens. These councils identified priority projects for their local governments, which were then incorporated into the budget process. In addition, ICMA provided technical assistance in program budgeting to the municipality of Pavlodar to encourage transparency and accountability in the local-level budget process. With ICMA’s help, Pavlodar adopted the first program-based budget in Kazakhstan, and set a standard for other oblasts throughout the country.

To learn more about these projects, please visit the Kazakhstan country page. For additional information about ICMA’s other international programs, visit the ICMA International website and the International Development topic area in the Knowledge Network, or e-mail international@icma.org.