ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPACT OF BUDGET EXPENDITURES AND QUASIGOVERNMENT FINANCING ON THE LEVEL OF ECONOMIC INEQUALITY IN KAZAKHSTAN

In the context of persistent income inequality in the Republic of Kazakhstan, assessing the effectiveness of public redistribution mechanisms becomes increasingly important. This study aims to quantitatively evaluate the impact of social budget expenditures and quasi-public financing on income inequality indicators. The empirical basis of the study relies on official data from the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Bureau of National Statistics, and the Damu Entrepreneurship Development Fund for the period 2020–2024. The methodology includes a combination of index, correlation, and comparative analysis, as well as the calculation of income differentiation indicators (Gini coefficient, decile and quintile gaps, and decile ratio).

 The results indicate that a sustained reduction in income inequality does not accompany the growth of social expenditures and quasi-public financing. A weak relationship between social expenditures and inequality indicators is observed, while quasi-public instruments demonstrate a limited effect on improving the income position of lower-income groups. At the same time, a strong correlation between budgetary and quasi-public financial flows is identified, which does not translate into an effective redistributive outcome. The findings suggest that the key limitation lies not in the volume of public support, but in its structure, targeting, and institutional design. The scientific contribution of the study consists in the integrated assessment of budgetary and quasi-public financing as interconnected channels influencing income distribution, and in identifying structural constraints that limit their redistributive effectiveness.

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