PhD Candidate and Associate
Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University.

Specializes in public policy evaluation using experimental and quasi-experimental causal inference methods.

Presidential Administration (Executive Office of the President of Kazakhstan)

Center for Strategic Initiatives

Developed methodological frameworks for evaluating government programs in both roles.

Johnson, J.E., Hailemariam, M., Taxman, F., Zhorayev, O. (2026). Strengthening community services to keep individuals with mental illness out of jail: a qualitative analysis of implementation mechanisms in 52 U.S. Counties. Health and Justice, 14(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40352-025-00390-0 Percentile Scopus: 91% Law

Zhorayev, O., Ramezani, N., Johnson, J.E., et al. (2026). County Characteristics Associated with Implementation Strategies to Reform the Use of Jail for People with Behavioral Health Problems. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 53(1), 119–139. https://doi.org/10.1177/00938548251370367 Percentile Scopus: 90% Law

Zhorayev, O., He, H. (2022). Macroeconomic, Political and Institutional Factors of Economic Growth. Economy Strategy and Practice, 17(2), 190–205. https://doi.org/10.51176/1997-9967-2022-2-190-205 Scopus CiteScore 0.5

Pena-Boquete, Y., Samambayeva, A., Zhorayev, O. (2022). Effects of public expenditure assignment by regions in Kazakhstan to reduce infant and child mortality. Cogent Economics and Finance, 10(1), 2103922. https://doi.org/10.1080/23322039.2022.2103922 Percentile Scopus: 68% Economics and Econometrics

Authored and co-authored several peer-reviewed articles and policy papers.

Contributed to policy reports and memos on economic and fiscal policy issues for top government officials.