Our regional research explores the flows, of goods, data, and ideas, that shape Central Asia’s future. We publish in-depth analyses of trade trends, barriers, and emerging opportunities across the region. We also examine digital connectivity, including Kazakhstan’s dependence on external internet routes and its implications for neighboring states. Beyond data, we serve as an intellectual bridge through the Central Asian Think Tanks Forum, which brings together research institutions to collaborate, exchange insight, and tackle shared policy challenges across borders.
Related work:
Kazakhstan’s Internet Landscape
Central Asian Think Tanks Forum
We champion new ways of thinking and teaching about climate change in Central Asia. Our Turn It Around initiative brings together youth across the region to create a policy-relevant, culturally rooted climate education toolkit. We also expand local access to global ideas, including our 2024 translation of The Earth Transformed by Peter Frankopan into Kazakh and Russian. Environmental thinking runs through all our work, shaping not only dedicated projects but also our broader outlook on regional development, risk, and resilience.
Related work:
Central Asia is no longer positioned simply between East and West; it is becoming an increasingly active part of a more connected Asia. Through our East–East program, CAPS Unlock examines how the region’s relationships with China and other Asian partners are reshaping trade, critical minerals development, investment, technology, governance, and migration. The East-East program also studies how Central Asian societies and institutions participate in, and help shape, new patterns of cooperation and integration across Asia, with a particular focus on China. We conduct locally grounded research, support emerging scholars, connect experts across borders and bring fresh evidence into public and policy debate.
Related work:
Beyond the Silk Road: Navigating the Complexities of Central Asia’s Public Opinion on China
