Efficiency is one of the key criteria for evaluating the implemented policy, both on the scale of the state strategy as a whole, and within individual areas and industries. The analysis of national policy in terms of its effectiveness is carried out at two levels: from the point of view of central authorities and regional management.

The study identifies the most acute problems and priority goals that are significant for both the state center and regional administrations. However, these priorities do not always coincide, since the interests of the national state, the political elite, and regional authorities may differ significantly.

Efficiency in the field of public administration in various spheres of public life, in contrast to the efficiency of a firm, is more difficult to determine and calculate, since, in addition to achieving the target indicators, the output-cost ratio, political management includes such difficult to formalize characteristics as the legitimacy of power, national interests, fair distribution of public goods, realization of rights and freedoms. human rights, etc.^[62] At the same time, the quantity, quality, timing, and costs of receiving public services can be accounted for and can be represented as digital indicators in absolute or relative terms. It is advisable to study the effectiveness of performing the functions of state power in the context of civil society within the framework of the model of the political system. Easton's theory of public management is the transformation of society's requirements and support into public policies that, through feedback, influence a new cycle of requirements and support^[63].

Based on R. Dahl's concept of the effectiveness of government^[64], we can distinguish a general criterion for assessing the effectiveness of national policy – the well-being of the people or ethnic group. In this case, we are talking about their own attitude to measures to prevent problems and the mechanism for solving them. But this is rather subjective criterion.

According to the Decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated March 19, 2010 «On the System of annual performance evaluation of central state and local executive bodies of region, cities of national significance, and the capital» о, the following provisions are mandatory requirements for operational evaluation criteria and indicators:

- criteria and indicators should be based on official statistics, government data, and other verifiable information;

- the method of collecting and processing the initial information should allow checking the correctness of the received data;

- the definition of the indicator should ensure unambiguous interpretation by both the evaluating and evaluated state bodies;

- obtaining the necessary data should be carried out with the minimum possible expenditure of time and resources;

- criteria and indicators should be determined based on the need for continuous accumulation of data and ensuring their comparability for individual periods;

- criteria and indicators should cover all activities of the state body and focus on the high-quality performance of all state functions.

International criteria and indicators can be used as performance criteria and indicators. Criteria and indicators should reflect directly the activities of the State body^[65].

The following key criteria are used to evaluate public policy:

- efficiency, i.e. the degree of achievement of the set goals and objectives. This criterion evaluates the extent to which the implemented policy meets the initially set goals. For example, under «the Digital Kazakhstan program, the goal was to develop digital infrastructure and increase the share of online services in the public sector. The growth in the number of state online services and the increase in digital literacy of the population confirm the effectiveness of this policy;

- effectiveness, i.e. the ratio of the results achieved with the planned indicators. For example, if the government planned to reduce the unemployment rate by 5% over three years, but the reduction was only 2%, the policy may be considered partially effective. In Kazakhstan, one of the performance indicators is the achievement of goals under the National Development Plan;

- economic feasibility, i.e. rational use of budgetary funds and resources. It assesses how efficiently public finances and resources are spent. For example, in an expressway construction project, the economic feasibility assessment includes an analysis of payback, impact on regional development, and road maintenance costs.

- social significance, i.e. the impact of policies on the well-being of the population. This criterion is particularly important in the areas of health, education, and social protection. For example, the Affordable Housing program is aimed at improving the housing conditions of low-income citizens, and its effectiveness is measured by the number of families who have received housing, as well as the level of satisfaction of the population.

- political legitimacy, i.e. the level of support from society and elites. Political reform, such as the election of district mayors, is assessed by the level of public confidence in the new electoral mechanism. If the reform is accompanied by a high turnout and active participation of citizens, this indicates its legitimacy;

- flexibility and adaptability, i.e. the ability of policies to change depending on the internal and external environment. In crisis situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Kazakhstan adapted social support by launching an online benefits system, which demonstrated a high level of adaptability of government decisions;

- transparency and accountability, i.e. openness of the decision-making process and accessibility of information to citizens. For example, the implementation of the «Open Government» system allows citizens to monitor the expenditure of budget funds, make proposals on legislative initiatives, and evaluate the activities of state-owned bodies.

- social justice, i.e. equal distribution of benefits and opportunities among different segments of the population. For example, education reform aimed at equalizing access to quality education between urban and rural regions is assessed by the level of access to educational services and reducing the gap in the quality of education.

- resilience, i.e. the ability of a policy to deliver long-term effects without compromising future generations. For example, in the field of ecology, assessing the sustainability of public policies includes analyzing the transition to renewable energy sources, reducing harmful emissions, and developing green technologies.

Both quantitative and qualitative indicators are used to analyze the effectiveness of public policy.

Quantitative indicators.

Macroeconomic indicators:

- GDP growth trends reflect the overall level of economic development of the country, assess the dynamics of economic growth and the level of well-being. GDP (gross domestic product) –is the total monetary value of all final goods and services produced and sold by a country over a given period of time^[66].

- thelevel of inflation shows the stability of the national currency and the purchasing power of the population. Inflation is the process of depreciation of paper money, a drop in its purchasing power due to excessive issuance (issue) or a reduction in the mass of goods in circulation with the same amount of money issued^[67].

- thelevel of unemployment is an indicator of the state of the labor market, reflecting the level of economic activity of the population;

- the volume ofinvestment in key industries measures the degree of development of key sectors of the economy and the investment attractiveness of the country.

Social indicators:

- the level of poverty and social inequality characterizes the distribution of income among the population and the availability of economic opportunities for various social groups;

- and the Human Development Index (HDI) takes into account the level of education, life expectancy and per capita income;

- the population's coverage of basic social services measures the availability of health care, education, and social protection, and evaluates the effectiveness of the state's social policy.

Institutional indicators:

- and the corruption perception index assesses the level of corruption in state structures and the degree of transparency of management;

- assessment of the level of trust in state institutions is carried out on the basis of public opinion polls, analyzes the public's perception of the work of state bodies;

- The public administration quality assessment includes indicators of the effectiveness of state regulation, the rule of law, and the quality of services provided (according to international organizations such as the World Bank and the OECD).

Quality indicators:

- the level of public satisfaction with state policy is assessed on the basisof social surveys and citizen satisfaction indices;

- assessment of the work of state bodies by the expert community includes the opinions of analysts, researchers and specialists in the field of public administration;

- an analysis of law enforcement practices and the availability of public services reveals the barriers that citizens face when interacting with government agencies.

Thus, an effective assessment of public policy in Kazakhstan requires a comprehensive approach that includes both quantitative and qualitative methods of analysis. Improving the monitoring and evaluation system will improve the efficiency of public administration, improve the quality of life of the population and strengthen confidence in State institutions. The development of public control and transparency mechanisms is an important area for further reforms.

---

^[62] Akhremenko A. S. Evaluation of the Efficiency of the State in the Production of Public Services: Theoretical Model and Measurement Methodology. Polis. Political Studies. – 2012;(1):113–119.

^[63] Easton D. A Systems Analysis of Political Life. – New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.; 1965:72–73.

^[64] Dahl R. On Democracy. http://www.twirpx.com/file/135113/. Accessed March 17, 2025.

^[65] Decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated March 19, 2010, “On the System of Annual Evaluation of the Efficiency of Central State and Local Executive Bodies of Regions, Cities of Republican Significance, and the Capital.” https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/U100000954. Accessed March 17, 2025.

^[66] RBC Electronic Resource. GDP: What It Is, How to Determine It, and What It Affects. https://www.rbc.ru/quote/news/article/6273353d9a7947534ca8d991. Accessed March 18, 2025.

^[67] Political Science: Dictionary-Reference. https://znachenie-slova.ru/%D0%B8%D0%BD%D1%84%D0%BB%D1%8F%D1%86%D0%B8%D1%8F. Accessed March 18, 2025.