The paper deals with the main directions and results of scientific and organizational activities of the Institute of Economics of the Ministry of Education and Science of Kazakhstan for 2018. The material reflects the Institute’s implementation of the grant research and the project of program-targeted research. The main results of the research conducted in 2018 included the following areas: development of the theory, concept, measurement methodology, analysis and evaluation of knowledge-based economy; analysis of the level of digital readiness of science in Kazakhstan, development of information system architecture; development of methods of assessment of intellectual potential and professional image at the level of the country and the region; substantiation of theoretical positions, identification of signs and features of depressive economy of border areas; development of conceptual bases of new policy to improve the competitiveness of national personnel; justification of theoretical bases of strategic management of the metallurgical complex increasing its competitiveness.

This article is devoted to the description of the general characteristics of the elements of the system such as education, science and production. The paper presents statistical data on indicators of the state and development of science in the Republic of Kazakhstan over the past 5 years, examines the experience of foreign countries in financing R & D, as well as the innovative activity of enterprises in Kazakhstan. The results of the study show that education, science and production need to create effective programs and mechanisms to support their interaction, improve the level of the manufacturing industry, and develop an entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The research paper analyses the emergent role of public utility organizations in fostering sustainability and green society and, researches recent innovations and initiatives of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA). The research paper outlines how DEWA has expanded her role as public utility by focusing strongly on the importance and mission of sustainability and differentiated itself from others in the world by benchmarking the best in the world and in many cases, setting new international standards and best practices in sustainable societies and utilities ecospace. In recent years, DEWA has launched a slew of initiatives in sustainability, quality and excellence to launch the Emirate of Dubai into a green orbit. Our research product underlines the mission and vision of DEWA as it relates to the domain of sustainability, how it differentiates form others and measures the impact of two sustainability initiatives on the stakeholders.

In order to study the information digital infrastructure of scientific research, an analysis of modern social research models was carried out. The study found that there are five models of digital infrastructure for social research. Each model is a minimal set of unifying concepts, axioms and relations in the field of social research. The choice of this or that model is determined by various factors. The findings of study results can be used to determine the priority directions for the development of the national model of social research digital infrastructure.

The article investigates the experience of the formation and development of digital platforms in the world. Based on the analysis, the authors highlighted the advantages of digital platform economy, and number of successfully operating digital platforms operating on the basis of the provision of various digital resources.

The article analyzes the tendencies of increasing the influence of external and internal factors on the regional policy of modern states. The main aspects and priorities of the regional government in the Republic of Kazakhstan are identified. At the present stage, they should be built on a multi-level basis. Priority directions for the modernization of public administration at the regional level are proposed.

The article considers the history of formation and approaches to the definition of the «urban agglomeration» concept, and suggests the author’s interpretation of the content of this concept. It provides a clear rationale for the formation and development of urban agglomerations as the points of economic growth and for their effective positioning in accordance with the level and specialization of their development. The role of formation of Almaty and Astana agglomerations as a factor of rational spatial settlement and reduction of territorial heterogeneity of the country’s regions is shown.The authors note the positive aspects of the formation of urban agglomerations, as well as the negative consequences of agglomeration development: reduction of agricultural lands and forests, economic inequality of regions, ecological situation, etc.

The article considers the peculiarities of creation and functioning in Kazakhstan of specialized institutions of public-private partnership - social-entrepreneurial corporations. Based on the study of foreign experience in creating similar organizations, the advantages and problems of their functioning are determined. The Kazakhstan model of a socio-entrepreneurial corporation is created as a corporation of a non-commercial type, but it is designed to solve the problems of extracting profits and investing in the social and economic development of the regions. Based on the generalization of the world experience in the development of regional development institutions, it is determined that the socio-entrepreneurial corporations of Kazakhstan are created in the final form of business partnerships, characteristic of developed countries. This feature on the one hand allows our socially-entrepreneurial corporations to use advanced mechanisms, but on the other hand, a sharp non-evolutionary transition to the final stage is a definite limiter of their operational functionality.

The purpose of this study is to develop recommendations on the formation of a regional network of interaction between Kazakhstan’s small businesses in the field of rural tourism. The analysis of the project “The State Program for the Development of Inbound and Domestic Tourism of the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2019-2023” was conducted. Remarks to the content of the project were justified. Foreign experience in the development of rural tourism is considered. The results of a survey of managers of Kazakhstan tour operators and small businesses in the field of rural tourism are reflected. The main directions for the development of regional network interaction of Kazakhstani small businesses in rural tourism are substantiated.

In the present article, various approaches to the definition of the concept of “competitiveness of national personnel” and its quality in the labor market are investigated the hierarchy of personnel competitiveness is highlighted: global level, national level, corporate and personal level; systematized the factors affecting the competitiveness of personnel; тhe matrix of formation of competitive personnel is presented.

Paper take attention and make accent to the importance of labor migration in the sphere of national and international labor markets formation. Article shows the practical reflection of gravity laws in case of analysis of official labor migration in Kazakhstan. Creation of international system of social insurance of labor migrants under frame of Eurasia economic union is explained. And the main cause of its creation would be not only social protection of labor migrants but legalization of their informal employment.

The purpose of the article is to conduct a selective review of the principles of empirical analysis, which helps to identify factors affecting the level of wages; to assess the differences in wages, taking into account the gender aspect and territorial position. Methodology - correlation-regression analysis for building models of wage formation using fictitious variables as factor attributes. Novelty - an analysis of factors affecting wages not only at the national level but also at the regional and sectorial levels, with an assessment of the impact of education and professional experience. Results - it is determined that the rate of return on education in Kazakhstan is 8.9%. However, this indicator is not the same for individuals of male and female sex, and varies with respect to the branches of the economy and the regions of residence. Conclusions - the proposed models allow obtaining an overall picture of the factors of salary formation in the Republic of Kazakhstan, and describing the trend characteristic for the domestic labor market.

Paper discusses the importance and role of innovations in healthcare system, the ways of managing innovative activities in healthcare industries. Moreover, authors present the evaluation methods of innovative activities` efficiency in healthcare system.Healthcare system of Kazakhstan identified by authors as one of the drivers of domestic socio-economic grow and as industry which has high level of innovative attractiveness. Study found that healthcare system supported by government and attracts a lot of investment, therefore there are launched big amount of innovations, but they doesn`t managed efficiently. Authors found some disadvantages related to managing innovations in healthcare system. Precisely, there are lack of methods, which can measure efficiency of innovations in healthcare system. Study supports unique formula which help to reveal is your investment was successful or no and identify the helpfulness of interbedded innovations in healthcare system.

In this article proposed to the formation of innovative platforms, which combine elements of the development of new industries with the use of digital technologies in the interests of the transition to Industry 4.0. Four types of strategic competencies and mechanisms for realizing the potential of Industry 4.0 are proposed, which accelerate the process of development of global trends in “highway” technologies in Kazakhstan.

Today, Kazakhstan strives to develop innovative activities based on the introduction of new ideas, scientific knowledge, technologies and types of products in various areas of production and management of society. Foreign experience shows that tax incentives for such activities significantly increase their level. Therefore, this article examines the problems of tax incentives for innovation activities in Kazakhstan. The lack of tax incentives for the introduction of investments specifically to support the company’s innovation activity makes the level of innovation development in the country weak.The choice of tax incentives depends on the strategic certainty of economic activities supported by the state. In this regard, the article discusses the state of Japan and the tax benefits applied in this country, as an example for Kazakhstan tax policy.The article also provides statistical data on the state of innovation activities in Kazakhstan, their problems and causes.

The article discusses the role of innovative entrepreneurship in the global transformation of the economy and society. A comparison is made of market and innovative entrepreneurship and an assessment is made of the role of the state, which is the main regulator of innovation activity and science-production-society relations. Innovative activity of domestic entrepreneurs is extremely low compared to their foreign counterparts. The article describes the main business development trends in the regional the economy and identified reasons for restraining innovative activity business structures.Innovative entrepreneurship is an actively developing topic not only at the level of managerial decisions, but also in the scientific sphere. The article reveals the main components of innovation in terms of the structural problems of the economy and searches for the main ways of developing innovations in the domestic economy.

The article is devoted to the formation of FEZs, their classification and criteria for the need for their functioning. It is proved that modern FEZs, absorbed a long way of development of their predecessors, no doubt, filled with the latest export-production content and business experience. Their creation and establishment is aimed at liberalization and active foreign economic activity. The economies of such zones are highly open to the world market, and customs and tax regimes are favourable to domestic and foreign investment. International corporations in search of favorable conditions for their commercial activities consider FEZs as profitable economic structures and associate with them the most important areas of their activities. The relevance of the study is associated with the progressive dynamics of this process in Kazakhstan. The use of FEZs should provide favorable opportunities for the development of the national economy and export-oriented production, providing a full cycle of production of high-tech finished products of strategically important sectors of the national economy with high added value. It is noted that at the present moment the FEZ is a phenomenal formation that in the beginning of XXI century became an important factor of the world economy and represent a kind of “commercial centers” that accelerate global trade and stimulating foreign trade.

The aim of the work is to determine the role of the agro-industrial complex in the economic development of the country. The article gives a description of the agro-industrial complex of the Republic of Kazakhstan, its main directions are considered, and the most developed branches are identified. The analysis of the state policy in the field of development of the country’s agro-industrial complex is carried out. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the development of agriculture, namely, livestock and crop production. In the context of the complex branches, a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the development indices of the agroindustrial complex was carried out. The main problems that need to be solved have been identified, and the potential for further agro-industrial complex growth has also been determined.