This study examines the relationship between regional accessibility and economic potential in Kazakhstan based on empirical data processing. The study shows that transport infrastructure, measured by the length of roads and railways, is one of the decisive factors affecting regional accessibility. The structure of the study consists of four essential stages: data collection; identification of leading directions; correlation and regression analysis; substantiation of conclusions, and recommendations. The variables used in the comparative analysis are the operational length of railway lines, the length of public roads and the gross regional product. The correlation and regression analysis results revealed significant links between the length of railways and highways and the gross regional product (GRP) of the selected regions. The obtained models for South Kazakhstan, North Kazakhstan and Karaganda regions showed high positive relationships based on high values of R-squares. The study results showed that the variables included in these models strongly correlate with the overall regional changes in output and better explain their positive relationships. The study emphasizes the importance of taking into account regional differences in infrastructure development and economic indicators. As a result of the results obtained, conclusions should be drawn, and recommendations should be made policy makers can use that to promote balanced and inclusive regional development by reducing inequality.

Today, many countries in the world are concerned about the well-being of pensioners, as their number is growing every year and pension systems cannot cope with ensuring a decent old age. The well-being of pensioners is part of the well-being of society, and the pension system is an institution for ensuring the well-being of pensioners. Therefore, it is important to understand the relationship between the financial well-being of older people and the country’s pension system. It is also important to understand that the family is an integral part of a person and therefore the well-being of each family member affects family relationships. This article is devoted to the assessment of the financial well-being of pensioners in Kazakhstan as a key factor affecting the family relations of a pensioner with partner, children, and grandchildren. Primary and secondary data were used for this study. The primary data were collected through interviews, which allowed us to obtain a subjective definition of financial well-being on the part of pensioners and its impact on family relations. This data was processed and encoded using the Atlas.ti program. Data from the Bureau of National Statistics made it possible to objectively assess the financial situation of Kazakhstani pensioners. The study found that the concept of financial well-being among Kazakhstani pensioners is more important for men than for women. Pensioners are not happy with their financial well-being, but this does not significantly affect their relationship with their families. The results of the study will allow us to assess the financial well-being of pensioners and can be used in the reform of social policy, pension provision of the country. Through the use of interviews financial literacy has been identified as one of the key factors, which depends on circumstances and the context.

In recent years, economic research has paid great attention to the development of the socio-cultural environment of the regions. In recent years, many countries have begun to invest more financial resources in the social and cultural problems of the country, including its regions. Identifying and considering the peculiarities of the regional socio-cultural environment will allow for the least painless integration into the global system and integration with other more developed countries. From the point of view of the theory of science, the purpose of this article is to reveal the essence of the concepts of "socio-cultural environment", the conditions and factors of its sustainable development, and to conduct a SWOT analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses, advantages and disadvantages of the regions of the Republic of Kazakhstan from the prism of the socio-cultural environment of development. During the literature review, it was found that many research papers cover the problems of socio-cultural development of regions and countries in the areas of economics, management, social sphere, etc. In the course of the study, general scientific and special methods were used, and the course of the study was divided into four stages. The theoretical significance of this study is to generalize and expand the theory of the socio-cultural environment of the development of regions, and practical application can be reflected in use by government agencies of recommendations to improve the socio-cultural environment of the development of regions.

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In the current social conditions, pension systems have become the most important topic on the agenda for many countries. Therefore, governments have started paying attention and should reform their pension systems to guarantee an adequate contribution to pensions. Thus, this study analyzes the impact of investments and social factors on pension savings using Kazakhstan as an example. The paper is based on secondary data from the annual reports of the Unified Accumulative Pension Fund and annual statistical reports of the Bureau of National Statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan from 2014 to 2022. SPSS software was used to analyze the collected data, specifically through correlation and regression analysis, to determine the impact and relationships between selected indicators (i.e., inflation rate, number of contributors, pension contribution, investment income and average wage). To check the reliability of the models, Fisher’s F-test and Student’s t-test were conducted. Therefore, a VIF diagnosis was conducted. The correlation analysis results showed that in the group of investment factors, pension savings are more dependent on pension contributions (,900**), and in social factors, on average wages (1,000**). Based on the results obtained, all factors have a positive impact on pension savings, except inflation. Inflation growth by 1% on average reduces the amount of pension savings by 23% over the nine-year period between 2014 to 2022, which is reflected in the results of Model 2. The study’s results can be applied to managing pension funds and reforms related to the pension system. AcknowledgmentsThis research was funded by the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Grant “Exploring the impact of economic, social, and environmental factors on the relationship between urbanization and greenhouse gas emissions” No. AP19576071).