The work develops and investigates a mathematical model for evolution of the technological structure of an economic system where different technologies compete for the common essential resources. The model is represented by a system of consumer–resource rate equations. Consumers are technologies formalized as populations of weakly differentiated firms producing a similar commodity with like average output. Firms are characterized by the Leontief–Liebig production function in stock-flow representation. Firms self-replicate with a rate proportional to production output of the respective technology and dissolve with a constant rate of decay. The resources are supplied to the system from outside and consumed by concerned technologies; the unutilized resource amounts are removed elsewhere. The inverse of a per firm break-even resource availability is proposed to serve as a measure for competitiveness towards a given resource. The necessary conditions for coexistence of different technologies are derived, according to which each contender must be a superior competitor for one specific resource and an inferior competitor for the others. The model yields a version of the principle of competitive exclusion: in a steady state, the number of competing technologies cannot exceed the number of limiting resources. Competitive outcomes (either dominance or coexistence) in the general system of multiple technologies feeding on multiple essential resources are shown to be predictable from knowledge of the resource-dependent consumption and growth rates of each technological population taken alone. The proposed model of exploitative competition with explicit resource dynamics enables more profound insight into the patterns of technological change as opposed to conventional mainstream models of innovation diffusion.

The paper attempts to reconstruct what goes on inside the black box of the fixed proportions production function underlying the matrix of technical coefficients in the famous Leontief's input–output analysis. The approach is based on an idea that the conversion of inputs to outputs in industrial supply chains occurs in much the same manner as does the conversion of substrates into different molecules in enzyme-catalyzed biochemical reactions. A bottleneck principle is derived according to which at any moment the steady-state output of a multi-resource, one-product supply chain is completely controlled by a sole, most deficient, factor of production. This dramatic shrinkage of complexity is made possible owing to two key features of the input–output production units comprising the chain: saturated response of the output to the inventory level and weak buffer inventory leakage.

A new model of economic production process is proposed (in the form of a set of ODEs) based on an idea that nonconsumable factors of production facilitate the conversion of inputs to output in much the same catalytic way as do enzymes in living cells when transforming substrates into different chemical compounds. The output of a converging, multi-resource, single-product supply chain network is shown to depend on the minimum of its inputs in the form of the Leontief--Liebig production function, providing the validity of the clearing function approximation. In turn use of the clearing function is legitimate when the machine processing time is much shorter than the machine loading time.

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The paper summarises recent developments occurred in Kazakstan while transition to the marked-oriented economy, especially in the industrial sector. The cemparative analysis of various options for solution of problem of Kazak crude oil exports from landlocked Central Asia to global markets is given. The JapaneseSociety forSlavic and East European Studies KANI:ARB,AIYE]LQdL ET AL. extremely rich oil and gas resources in the Caspian basin. Second, the geographical contiguity of Central Asia with the Middle East and Southwest Asian regions has automatically enhanced its geopolitical significance afid sensitivity to both regional (i.e. IraR, Turkey, Russia, China) and extra-regional (i.e. the United States, Western Europe and Japan) players. This once obscure and isolated heartland part of Eurasia now constitutes a new bridge between Middle East and Far East. Third, the significance of this geographical contiguity has been complemented and magnified by the region's "natural" cultural, ethnic, linguistic and religious confiuence with Southwest Asia from one side, and with Russiafrom another side. It is just the characteristic, which may, at least for the immediate future, give such prominence to Central Asian geopolitical considerations. Finally, it seems that Sub-Caspian region will be a major test site for the ultimate shape which Russian foreign policy will take in the post-Soviet period. Relations with the new independent states in Central Asia will not only be an indication of Moscow's general attitude towards the other states of FSU, but will also refiect Russia's selfperception of her magnitude and proper place in the post-Soviet space. Analysis has been carried out on the base of ayailable information sources ef Ministry of Economy, State Statistical Committee, and various academic and business periodic of Kazakstan, Central Asia, Russia, other countries of the former Soviet Union (FSU) and the world. Outline of Econorrnic Pembrinance The deep depression of output in Kazakstan as well as in the other CIS countries continued in 1995, but the fa11 in output slowed considerably, and there are expectations of an upturn beginning to emerge in more in 1996. Such a possibility, howeyer, will very much depend on what happens in Russia with which economic links are still very close for many Kazakstan industries. Kazakstan's GDP fe11 by 8.9% in 1995 (comparing with 25.4% in 1994), and this was no more than government expected at the beginning of that year. There are hopes that if the slight progress made with economic stabilisation last year can be maintained, Kazakstan's output might stabilise in the course of 1996. But it must be stressed that the uncertainties are considerable and that the range of forecasts for 1996 also includes a further decline in output. The JapaneseSociety forSlavic and East European Studies OIL SECTOR OF KAZAKS[[AN The JapaneseSociety forSlavic and East European Studies KAN[IIARBAYEXieL ET AL. ago. Annual inflation is proving to be 60.9%, as compared with 1,258% in 1994. Since inflation appear...