Abstract

By its thirtieth anniversary, the maslikhats institute is experiencing a new round of renewal initiated by the political reforms of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan K.K.Tokayev. A draft law on local self-government is in the works, it is expected to create an analogue of maslikhats at the lower levels of government, and make changes to the functional duties of maslikhat officials. To build the logic of the institute’s evolution, this publication highlights the main stages and key events in the history of maslikhats.
The changes being implemented are aimed at increasing the efficiency of maslikhats, enhancing their interaction with local residents. The achievement of these goals and the success of reforms in the state as a whole depend on the trust of citizens. To assess this indicator in relation to maslikhats, the results of a mass survey by the Institute for Public Policy of the «AMANAT» Party are presented. According to the results of a sociological study, approximately an equal number of citizens (almost one in three) declared their trust in maslikhats and a neutral position towards them. A neutral assessment is a major groundwork for the growth of trusting relationships, in connection with which recommendations are presented on measures to increase the confidence of local representative authorities on the part of the population. The study revealed significant regional differences in this indicator, also determining the socio-demographic characteristics of citizens with the highest level of trust.