Uzbekistan: the silk road to nowhere?

Abstract

The Central Asian country of Uzbekistan has adopted a unique transition strategy of gradual, state-guided development in which stability and equality are principal objectives and in which growth is sought for now by exporting staple raw materials and importing capital equipment to assure energy independence and to invest in backward-linkages into cotton fabricating, chemicals, and other manufacturing branches. Sharp criticisms of the'Uzbek Road'by multinational agencies unfairly neglect positive aspects of the transition record to date in comparison with other post-Soviet states of the area. Copyright 2000 Western Economic Association International.

Economic development strategies in Central Asia since 1991

“…10 Taube and Zettelmeyer (1998) and Zettelmeyer (1998) analyse the Uzbek puzzle and conclude that data deficiencies and favourable initial conditions and exogenous events only explain part of Uzbekistan's relatively good 1992±96 output performance, and policy must be given some of the credit. Spechler (1999) and Pomfret (2000) also analyse Uzbekistan's policies and performance. 11 The EU-Tacis publication Uzbekistan Economic Trends (July±December 1999), based on official national statistics, reports GDP growth rates of 1.7 per cent (1996), 5.2 per cent (1997), 4.4 per cent (1998) and 4.4 per cent (1999), although it is unclear whether these are nominal or real (compare pp.…”

Business and society on the transitional periphery: Comparative perspectives

“…In turn, politicians have been ambivalent, and sometimes contradictory, in driving economic reform agendas. To further complicate things, there appears to be little direct connection between the speed and nature of liberalization and economic growth, at least in the first decade of independence (Pomfret 2000;Spechler 2004). In some instances, the leadership has been dominated by Soviet era politicians (Murphy 2006) and, in others, placed firmly under the sway of quasi-criminal oligarchs.…”

The Uzbek Model of Economic Development, 1991–91

“…Wolf (1999, p.5) lists Belarus, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as examples of formerly centrally-planned economies which 'have barely commenced the transition'. Spechler (1999) largely accepts this generalization, although he views Uzbekistan's performance more favourably. the remainder of the decade, the government continued to develop a market economy, but was seriously impeded by the lack of market-determined interest and exchange rate.…”