Public Policy Failure: The Case of Arts and Sports Policy in Kazakhstan

Abstract In his address to the nation on September 1, 2020, Kazakhstani President Kassym- Jomart Tokayev pledged to promote mass sports and arts among youth. To achieve this, the Kazakhstani government launched ArtSport, a nationwide initiative to create new programs from swimming and dancing to sculpture. Nevertheless, the multi-million-dollar initiative was suspended in 2022 due to various problems and scandals. This article aims to understand and explain why ArtSport failed to achieve its policy goals despite the central government’s commitment and enormous investment. This article examines the nationwide initiative from the theoretical lens of the policy cycle to achieve the research aim. Adopting a qualitative approach to a case study, it combines the analysis of official and non-official documentary sources with anonymous elite interviews of senior government officials at the regional Culture and Sports Committees. Tracing the policymaking process from agenda setting to implementation, we argue that although the Government’s intentions were good, the policy design behind ArtSport had critical weaknesses that led to failure in policy implementation. These weaknesses include the initiative’s overly ambitious scope, the technical shortcomings of the ArtSport online platform, and lack of funds. As a result, ArtSport failed to achieve its expected outcomes, andthe initiative was also marked by embezzlement and corruption scandals. Given the Government’s decision to continue with ArtSport through policy changes and additional funding, this article develops practical recommendations to improve the program design and implementation process.