
Speaker: Oyuna Baldakova, (Research Associate at the KCL DIGISILK Project)
Drawing on "globalisation from below," which emphasises grassroots, localised, and often informal processes of global interconnectedness, this talk examines the evolving dynamics of formal and informal trade in Kazakhstan. It focuses on traders who source goods from China and sell them locally through marketplaces like Kaspi and digital platforms such as Instagram. Based on fieldwork interviews conducted in 2022 and 2023 with local traders, Kaspi developers, and logistics experts in Kazakhstan, I examine how traders leverage Kazakhstani diasporas and personal networks abroad and combine technological infrastructures originating from China, Russia, the USA, and Kazakhstan to navigate regulatory frameworks and sustain their sales operations.
The article explores how small- and medium-scale traders employ global and local platforms, including apps like WeChat, AliExpress, Pinduoduo and 1688 for procurement, and Yandex, Kaspi, and Instagram for sales. These platforms enable traders to source goods from international markets and sell locally, operating across a spectrum of formality and informality. The findings reveal varied levels of (in)formality: some traders adhere to regulatory frameworks by using formal logistics routes and marketplaces, while others leverage the flexibility of informal channels such as “cargo” transportation and social media to bypass bureaucratic constraints. This variety highlights the fluidity between formal and informal economies, which are being reshaped by digital transformation.
Bio
Oyuna Baldakova is an associate researcher on the ERC-funded DIGISILK project in the Digital Humanities Department at King’s College London. Her research focuses on various aspects of the Digital Silk Road and its diverse actors in Kazakhstan, including telecom infrastructure development and the role of Huawei, as well as domestic electronics production and its connections to Chinese suppliers. She is also finishing her PhD studies at the Free University of Berlin, where her dissertation examines the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative infrastructure and industrial projects in Kazakhstan.
Oyuna holds a Master’s degree in Modern East Asian Studies from Goethe University Frankfurt and has a diverse background in international development, including experience with EU International Partnerships and UNESCO Bangkok. She has conducted research and written for several organizations, including the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Carnegie Endowment, Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS), International Transport Workers’ Federation, and Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).