Raising Research Productivity in a Post-Soviet Higher Education System:A Case From Central Asia

To raise university research productivity, the government of Kazakhstan introduced a requirement for university faculty members to publish in journals with a nonzero impact factor in order to qualify for promotion. A survey of faculty members at six universities was conducted to explore their response to the policy. The results suggest that a promotion-linked publication requirement may lift faculty research productivity if it is accompanied by support structures and if universities have control over the promotion process.