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  <record>
    <language>eng</language>
    <publisher>ERSA</publisher>
    <journalTitle>REGION</journalTitle>
    <eissn>2409-5370</eissn>
    <publicationDate>2026-08-06</publicationDate>
    <volume>13</volume>
    <issue>2</issue>
    <startPage>33</startPage>
    <endPage>52</endPage>
    <doi>10.18335/region.v13i2.645</doi>
    <publisherRecordId>776</publisherRecordId>
    <title language="eng">Regional foresight and scenario modeling of socio-economic transformation: The case of the Kostanay Region, Kazakhstan</title>
    <authors>
      <author>
        <name>Aigul Sergeyeva</name>
        <email>sergeyeva.aigul@gmail.com</email>
        <affiliationId>0</affiliationId>
      </author>
      <author>
        <name>Murat Makhambetov</name>
        <email>murat.makhambetov@zhubanov.edu.kz</email>
        <affiliationId>1</affiliationId>
      </author>
      <author>
        <name>Gaukhar Keubasova</name>
        <email>keubasova@mail.ru</email>
        <affiliationId>2</affiliationId>
      </author>
      <author>
        <name>Shynar Mendaliyeva</name>
        <email>shynar.mendaliyeva@yu.edu.kz</email>
        <affiliationId>3</affiliationId>
      </author>
      <author>
        <name>Raibek Sagadatov</name>
        <email>raibek.sagadatov.94@gmail.com</email>
        <affiliationId>4</affiliationId>
      </author>
      <author>
        <name>Anatoly Stepanov</name>
        <email>av.stepanov@urfu.ru</email>
        <affiliationId>5</affiliationId>
      </author>
      <author>
        <name>Miroslava Omirzakova</name>
        <email>omirzakovamiroslava@gmail.com</email>
        <affiliationId>6</affiliationId>
      </author>
    </authors>
    <affiliationsList>
      <affiliationName affiliationId="0">L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University</affiliationName>
      <affiliationName affiliationId="1">K. Zhubanov Aktobe regional university</affiliationName>
      <affiliationName affiliationId="2">K. Zhubanov Aktobe regional university</affiliationName>
      <affiliationName affiliationId="3">Caspian University of Technology and Engineering named after Sh. Yesenov</affiliationName>
      <affiliationName affiliationId="4">K. Zhubanov Aktobe regional university</affiliationName>
      <affiliationName affiliationId="5">Ural Federal University named after the First President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin</affiliationName>
      <affiliationName affiliationId="6">K. Zhubanov Aktobe regional university</affiliationName>
    </affiliationsList>
<abstract language="eng"><p>This study investigates the spatial and socio-economic 
          transformation of the labour market in the Kostanay 
          Region of Kazakhstan through the application of 
          foresight and scenario modelling. The research 
          aims to construct a conceptual and predictive framework 
          of regional employment transformation that integrates 
          statistical indicators, expert judgments, and 
          technological trajectories within a spatial foresight 
          perspective. A mixed quantitative–qualitative 
          design was employed, combining regression modelling, 
          SWOT analysis, and expert foresight sessions. Empirical 
          data were derived from official statistics for 2018–2023 
          and complemented by ILO, OECD, and WEF reports. Expert 
          panels (n = 42) from academia, business, and public 
          administration contributed to validating the scenario 
          assumptions. Multiple regression analysis revealed 
          that Gross Regional Product, investment in fixed 
          assets, and digitalization exert positive effects 
          on employment, whereas migration balance negatively 
          influences labour potential. Three alternative 
          development scenarios were modelled up to 2039: 
          Baseline, Innovation-Driven, and Green Growth. 
          The innovation-driven trajectory ensures the highest 
          productivity and export potential through technological 
          modernization, while the green scenario emphasizes 
          ecological efficiency and sustainability. The 
          findings underscore that the integration of investment, 
          technological, and human capital policies is critical 
          for enhancing regional competitiveness and achieving 
          sustainable socio-economic development under 
          demographic constraints.</p> </abstract>
<fullTextUrl format="html">https://openjournals.wu.ac.at/ojs/index.php/region/article/view/645/version/776</fullTextUrl>
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