The Green Growth policy, which is the policy to improve the environment  and to foster economic growth of a country, has earned general acceptance as a policy not only for advanced economies but also among developing economies. Advanced economies have greater opportunities for the development of green industries based on their high technology and large energy consumption. However, developing countries, which have much energy resources, are paying increasing attention to green growth. The reason being that changing their energy dependent economies to industrialized ones with accumulated wealth by energy resource export is one of their economic policy key goals. Green growth policy is being considered as one of the better options for sustainable growth and economic diversification.
Green growth policy is an industrial policy applicable under the WTO regime. However, the green growth policy of developing countries as an industrial policy would be different from that of advanced countries. Developing countries would rather focus on the improvement of their energy efficiency and the development of renewable energies appropriate for their individual circumstances, than the reduction of greenhouse gases. In addition, developing countries must utilize fully the opportunity for industrialization through the green growth policy. To this end, they must establish their master plans for basic infrastructure such as electrical grid installation, reflected in demands of green industries. It will be the ground for industrialization by green industries.
Kazakhstan, an energy-rich developing country, has yet to enact an economic growth policy that includes green growth. However, the industrial diversification program of Kazakhstan, named as ‘the State Program of Forced Industrial and Innovative Development 2010~2014,’ does have elements of green growth policy. It is written in the basic principles of this program that the introduction of a green economy represents the fundamental direction of Kazakhstan's economic growth. And the program includes policies for energy efficiency improvement and for renewable energy development. Actually, the program is for industrialization but not exclusively green growth. So it does not have sufficient instruments for the green growth of Kazakhstan. To stimulate the green growth of Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan has to make the promotion plans for the industries related to green industries and the infrastructure construction plans to create the demand of green industries. The prospective green industries in Kazakhstan include energy saving and efficiency, wind power, and power grid including the smart grid industry.
To reinforce the economic partnership for green growth between Korea and Kazakhstan, cooperation among both governments and both industries is necessary. First, at the government level, Korea needs to designate Kazakhstan, which has a relatively free business environment, as the core partner country for green growth in the CIS region. Second, Korean government should give support to the diplomatic efforts of Kazakh government to take the lead of green economy internationally. Third, the Korean government should combine the green growth cooperation policy with Kazakhstan with the Knowledge Sharing Program of Korea. It will heighten the effectiveness of Korea's green growth cooperation with Kazakhstan. Fourth, Kazakhstan's government partner for green growth should be the Ministry of Industry and New Technology, which oversees the industries of Kazakhstan. Fifth, Korea should earn the designation as a prior partner country in the energy efficiency improvement section of ‘the State Program of Forced Industrial and Innovative Development 2010~2014’ like EU. Sixth, the loans for encouraging Kazakhstan's green growth and the overseas expansion of Korean green industries should be linked strategically. Seventh, it is necessary to cooperate for the nurturing of green technology manpower and for green R&D. Eighth, Korea and Kazakhstan need to make joint efforts to restore ‘Non-actionable Subsidies’ in the WTO regime for the development of the green industries.
At the industry level, both countries need to cooperate in the industries like wind power, LED and smart grids. These industries are the prospective industries for Kazakhstan and among Korea's strategic industries for green growth. In addition, R&D and training of engineers for green industries, the establishment of joint ventures and investment in Kazakhstan, and the development of Kazakhstan as the strategic base for CIS regions' green markets should become the cooperation agenda regarding industries of the two countries. Also, other related industries are to be developed together in wind power, LED and smart grid industries to expand the economic effects of green growth policy. And 'the growth-together strategy' should be used to overcome the disadvantages of Korean green industries by the advantages of its other related industries for the cooperation with Kazakhstan. The other related industries include shipbuilding, materials industry, semi-conductor industry, solar power industry, IT industry and etc.
Finally, this case study about Kazakhstan's green growth identifies implications for the future direction of cooperation with developing countries for green growth. First, potential green markets do exist in energy rich developing countries and these markets need to be developed. Second, the green growth cooperation policy for developing countries may be used as the diplomatic leverage for improving Korea's global position. Also, the green growth cooperation policy needs to be combined with Korea's Knowledge Sharing Program for the effectiveness. Third, it is necessary for Korea to build an effective WTO regime to grow green industries together with the developing countries that pursue green growth. Fourth, Korea's economic cooperation with energy rich developing countries should drive the transition from energy resource development to green industry development for reciprocal economic growth.