Assistant Professor of Economics at SDU University (Kaskelen, Kazakhstan) and affiliated Senior Research Associate at the International Center for Public Policy, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University, USA. Field coordinator and evaluation specialist on the largest randomized controlled trial (RCT) implemented in Kazakhstan, conducted with World Bank support. First and only Invited Researcher from Central Asia at J-PAL (Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab).

Public economics and development economics, with a focus on fiscal decentralization, taxation, and their implications for economic development, inequality, and institutional quality. Research combines rigorous empirical methods with policy-oriented analysis, including field experiments and causal inference approaches.

Canavire-Bacarreza, G., Martinez-Vazquez, J., & Yedgenov, B. (2020). Identifying and disentangling the impact of fiscal decentralization on economic growth. World Development, 127, 104742. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2019.104742

Bhanot, S. P., Crost, B., Leight, J., Mvukiyehe, E., & Yedgenov, B. (2021). Can community service grants foster social and economic integration for youth? A randomized trial in Kazakhstan. Journal of Development Economics, 153, 102718. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2021.102718

Akalbeo, B., Martinez-Vazquez, J., & Yedgenov, B. (2023). Fiscal decentralization and structural versus cyclical unemployment levels. European Journal of Political Economy, 80, 102477. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpoleco.2023.102477

Gooch, E., Martinez-Vazquez, J., & Yedgenov, B. (2023). Role of historical malaria in institutions and contemporary economic development. Studies in Comparative International Development, 58(2), 252–279. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12116-022-09370-z

Canavire-Bacarreza, G., Martinez-Vazquez, J., & Yedgenov, B. (2017). Reexamining the determinants of fiscal decentralization: What is the role of geography? Journal of Economic Geography, 17(6), 1209–1249. https://doi.org/10.1093/jeg/lbw032

Dr. Yedgenov’s notable work includes studying the impact of fiscal decentralization on economic growth by employing geography indicators as instrumental variables to establish causality. His publications have been co-authored with prominent economists such as Dr. Gustavo Canavire-Bacarreza from the World Bank and Dr. Jorge Martinez-Vazquez from Georgia State University.