THE PARADOX OF PROGRAM-BASED REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN UZBEKISTAN: ANALYSIS OF REGIONAL PROGRAMS EFFECTIVENESS IN THE CONTEXT OF «UZBEKISTAN-2030» STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55640/Keywords:
regional development, strategic planning, «Uzbekistan-2030» Strategy, regional disparities, program effectiveness, territorial development, cluster analysis.Abstract
The article analyzes the effectiveness of 99 regional development programs adopted in the Republic of Uzbekistan during 1992-2025. The study revealed a paradoxical result: a 19.7-fold increase in the number of programs did not lead to a reduction in regional disparities, but rather intensified them. The coefficient of variation of GRP per capita increased from 41.3% in 2010 to 71.0% in 2024, which is 20 percentage points above the critical threshold of 50% established by the OECD. Critical analysis of 138 strategic documents identified systemic problems: 97.8% lack financial calculations, 87.7% have no monitoring system. The example of the Republic of Karakalpakstan is particularly illustrative: with 14 programs, the region remains the least developed. The study substantiates the need for a radical transformation of the regional programming paradigm in the context of implementing the «Uzbekistan-2030» Strategy.
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