ABSTRACT
In chapter 3, I argued that in the first years of independence, Nazarbayev’s regime structured its relationship with various branches of the oil industry through corporatist mechanisms. However, due to attempts at the centre and in the peripheries to seize control over the oil industry from Nazarbayev, he was led to abandon the idea of controlling the Kazakh oil industry through corporatist methods, which led to a gradual move towards patron-client techniques. In this chapter, I argue that the introduction of the patron-client ‘modus operandi’ was accompanied by the gradual Kazakhization of the oil industry, which (intentionally and unintentionally) strengthened the informal ties between Nazarbayev and his clients.
