Socioeconomic and Political Causes of Youth Radicalization during the January 2022 Events in Kazakhstan

The transition of power in many countries undergoing the shift from totalitarianism to democracy often goes through authoritarianism. In this regard, the political processes in the post-Soviet societies of Central Asia are experiencing similar trends, manifested in political radicalization in the context of a crisis of political participation. The relevance of the study is conditioned by the need to analyze the political radicalization of young people due to the economic downturn, unemployment, and lack of channels of political interaction in Kazakhstan. The purpose of the paper is to identify the economic, political, and institutional causes of youth radicalization in Kazakhstan. To achieve this goal, theoretical and empirical research methods were used. Theoretical methods consist in analyzing the institutional causes of the crisis of political participation, and the decline in the socio-economic situation in the country. The empirical method of research consists in the use of expert survey data and numerous statistical data. The study found that the younger generation of Kazakhs is susceptible to radicalization due to economic reasons, including neocolonial economic policy, a decline in gross domestic product growth, rising inflation, and increased youth unemployment. And political reasons include the blocking of channels of interaction between society and the authorities, the underdevelopment of the electoral system and multiparty systems, and a crisis of political participation in general. The conclusion of this study is the statement that without cardinal economic reforms in the field of de-oligopolization and de-oligarchization of the economy and effective political reforms aimed at the development of the electoral system, civil society, and multiparty system, the trend toward the growth of radical political sentiments in Kazakhstan will continue.