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Influence of public administration reforms on the prestige
of Uzbekistan in the international arena
Dilafruz YUSUPOVA
1
Institute for legal policy under the Ministry of Justice
ARTICLE INFO
ABSTRACT
Article history:
Received April 2021
Received in revised form
28 April 2022
Accepted 20 May 2022
Available online
10 June 2022
This article provides a brief overview of the reforms carried
out in the state governance system, analyzes changes in the field
of governance, new approaches to management, the quality and
volume of public services provided, the prospects for its
development in our country, and also examines the current
plans for the development of the public administration system,
problems and shortcomings that still exist in this area today. At
the same time, the place of the country in the most important
ratings and indices in this area is discussed, referring to
international sources, and proposals are made for the further
development of the public administration system and raising
the country
’
s authority in the international arena.
2181-
1415/©
2022 in Science LLC.
https://doi.org/10.47689/2181-1415-vol3-iss5/S-pp294-299
This is an open access article under the Attribution 4.0 International
(CC BY 4.0) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.ru)
Keywords:
governance,
public administration
reforms,
public policy,
digitalization,
power optimization,
Development Strategy,
public services,
concept,
decentralization of power.
Davlat
boshqaruvi
sohasidagi
islohotlarning
Oʻzbekistonning xalqaro maydondagi nufuziga ta’siri
ANNOTATSIYA
Kalit so‘zlar
:
davlat boshqaruvi
islohotlari,
davlat siyosati,
raqamlashtirish,
quvvatni optimallashtirish,
rivojlanish strategiyasi,
davlat xizmatlari,
konsepsiya,
hokimiyatni
markazsizlantirish.
Mazkur maqolada davlat boshqaruvi tizimida amalga
oshirilayotgan islohotlar haqida qisqacha ma’lumot berilgan,
boshqaruv sohasidagi o‘zgarishlar, boshqaruvga yangicha
yondashuvlar, ko‘rsatilayotgan davlat xizmatlari sifati va hajmi,
mamlakatimizda uni rivojlantirish istiqbollari tahlil qilingan,
shuningdek, davlat boshqaruvi tizimini rivojlantirishning joriy
rejalari, ushbu sohada bugunda ham mavjud muammo va
kamchiliklar o‘rganilgan. Shu bilan birga, mamlakatimizning
mazkur yo‘nalishdagi eng muhim reyting va indekslardagi o‘rni
xalqaro manbalarga tayangan holda muhokama qilinib, davlat
1
Lead consultant of Research institute for legal policy under the Ministry of Justice. Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
E-mail: dilhusain1@gmail.com, d.yusupova@hsti.uz.
Жамият
ва
инновациялар
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Общество
и
инновации
–
Society and innovations
Special Issue
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05 (2022) / ISSN 2181-1415
295
boshqaruvi tizimini yanada rivojlantirish, mamlakatimizning
xalqaro maydonda bu boradagi nufuzini oshirish bo‘yicha
takliflar berilgan.
Влияние реформ государственного управления на
престиж Узбекистана на международной арене
АННОТАЦИЯ
Ключевые слова:
реформы
государственного
управления,
государственная
политика,
цифровизация,
оптимизация власти,
Стратегия развития,
государственные услуги,
концепция,
децентрализация власти.
В данной статье дается краткий обзор проведенных
реформ
в
системе
государственного
управления,
анализируется изменения в сфере управления, новые
подходы к регулированию, качество и объем оказанных
государственных услуг, перспективы его развития в нашей
стране. В ней также рассматриваются текущие планы
развития
системы
государственного
управления,
проблемы и недостатки, которые на сегодняшний день все
еще существуют в данной сфере. Ссылаясь на
международные источники, обсуждается место страны в
наиболее важных рейтингах и индексах по данной сфере, а
также предлагаются предложения по дальнейшему
развитию системы государственного управления и
повышению авторитета страны на международной арене.
Over the past 6 years, the reform of the public administration system, revision of
the legal framework of this system, the establishment of a new level of executive
discipline, optimization of the system, radical change in the field of public services, as
well as Systematic and targeted plans are being identified and implemented in the
digitization of projects.
In particular, work on new policies in the field of state development, i.e.
development strategies focused on specific goals, clearly defining the relevant measures,
concepts for reforming sectors based on the strategy, action plans and programs to
ensure their effective implementation has begun. In total, more than 300 laws and more
than 4,000 by-laws were adopted.
They include the Development Strategy for 2017
–
2021, one of the main directions of
which is the improvement of the system of state and public construction,
according to
which, over the past 4 years, the following has been achieved:
The Concept of Administrative Reforms has been adopted in the Republic of
Uzbekistan. In the period from 1991 to 2016, no documents were adopted in this regard.
As a result:
110 inefficient interdepartmental collegial bodies were liquidated;
6 public functions were transferred to private sector entities;
A system of corporate governance and financial audit has been introduced in
39 state-owned enterprises.
As a result of the work carried out,
a qualitatively new communication system with
the people, and a positive and rapid solution to their problems has been created.
A number
of normative and legal documents have been adopted on the priorities of improving the
system of state and society building, and the problems that have accumulated over the
years have been resolved, and the sector has been fully regulated.
Жамият
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инновациялар
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Общество
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инновации
–
Society and innovations
Special Issue
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05 (2022) / ISSN 2181-1415
296
In the system of Public Administration, it was achieved that the principle of checks
and balances (scales) was practically reflected.
The procedure for the approval of
candidates for Deputy Prime Ministers, ministers and chairmen of state committees by
the Legislative Chamber upon nomination by the Prime Minister, and approval by the
President is established. Cooperation between the parliament and the executive power
has been strengthened. For example, the post of Permanent Representative of the Cabinet
of Ministers to the Oliy Majlis has been established. The system of hearing reports from
local government leaders has been redesigned. The role of local Councils of People
’
s
Deputies in solving urgent problems in the regions has been increased.
In accordance with the policy of decentralization, the institutional system of the state
apparatus was revised and significant reforms were carried out to streamline and increase
its efficiency. 26 centralized functions have been transferred to territorial bodies and local
self-government bodies.
Including:
–
governors were given 6 important functions in the areas of budget, investment
and construction;
–
2 important functions in the field of taxation and investment were transferred to
local councils;
–
18 important functions in the field of tourism, education, housing, small
industrial zones, veterinary medicine, ecology, drinking water, retail trade, public
catering, medicines and real estate activities have been transferred to regional public
administration bodies.
The process of addressing socio-economic issues was overly centralized from
1991 to 2016.
Only, in the judiciary, by 2022, based on the relevant decision, 2 agencies and their
territorial structures were merged into the Ministry of Justice with the transfer of tasks,
functions and powers. The number of management staff was reduced to 110 people.
District (city) centres of legal services, public service centres, as well as civil registry
offices were transferred to the structure and subordination of the district (city)
departments of justice.
In addition, recurring tasks and functions have been revised.
Management structures
were reduced from 666 to 222 (67%), and the number of functions was reduced from
388 to 215 (46%). An integrated approach is being introduced: at the same time, the
procedure for providing interconnected public services will be simplified.
In recent years, the Uzbek government has been paying close attention to the full
digitalization of all sectors. In particular, the Strategy
“
Digital Uzbekistan
–
2030
”
was
approved by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated October 5,
2016. The strategy envisages two programs: digitization of regions and digitization of
networks, and consists of priorities, such as digital infrastructure, e-government, the
national market for digital technologies, and the development of education and training
in the field of information technology. The most important condition for the successful
implementation of the Strategy "Digital Uzbekistan
–
2030" is the financial security of the
industry and increasing the digital literacy of the population.
“Digital Uzbekistan –
2030” will play an important role in achieving the goals set
out in other national strategic documents and programs, in particular, the UN Sustainable
Development Goals for 2030 and the New Uzbekistan Development Strategy for
2022
–
2026.
Жамият
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As a result of the reform of the public service delivery system, more than 160 of
the more than 700 available public services have been provided interactively through the
Centers, and about 270 through the Single interactive public services portal in an
interactive manner.
According to statistics, public service centres have provided more than 40 million
services to the population in the last four years, creating a system that minimizes the
interaction of citizens with government officials. In total, the practice of requiring
73 types of references by government agencies has been abolished, moreover, including
the introduction of a procedure for obtaining 18 types of analyzed data through
electronic collaboration, which has saved about $ 15 million annually.
A single electronic system for the development, approval and registration of
decisions of local executive bodies
“
E-qaror
”
has been launched. This system is an
important factor in ensuring the active participation of our citizens in the process of
creating local norms, transparency of public administration, and the fight against
corruption.
Current activities in the field are reflected in
the New Uzbekistan Development
Strategy for 2022
–
2026, adopted this year and being very relevant
, in which one hundred
strategic goals were identified to be achieved within the framework of 7 priorities for the
next five years. Including, in the reform of public administration:
•
transformation of public administration bodies based on the principle
“
Civil servant
”
, in other words,
a clear procedure for the establishment and abolition of
ministries and departments, development of legal mechanisms providing for criteria that
distinguish them from each other, establish clear criteria for the rational use of human
and material resources, elimination of conflicts of interest in the exercise of state control
over the activities of public administration, involvement of the general public in this
process;
•
introduction of a compact, professional, fair, high-performance public
administration system,
ensuring the necessary conditions for the heads of ministries and
departments to independently address organizational and legal issues, ensuring the
effective implementation of decisions, improving the quality of office work, strengthening
the responsibility and accountability of public administration in resolving territorial
issues and creating a new system for planning their strategic directions.
•
make the administrative apparatus compact and optimize work processes in the
public administration system, in other words, the goal is to triple the number of some public
functions transferred to the private sector, expand public-private partnerships and the
widespread introduction of digital technologies, and organize the effective work of regional
administrations in the development of regions.
The implementation of the program of measures developed based on these goals
will certainly contribute to the further development of our country, the quality of life of
the population, as well as the sustainable development of all areas.
As for the policy of governance in the international arena, in recent years
Uzbekistan has improved its efforts to receive and effectively use international support and
assistance.
The results of the reforms carried out under the leadership of the President of our
country have brought the history of our country to a new level, and the confidence of
many foreign agencies, officials and experts in our country has increased. In this regard, it
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is important to further strengthen neighbourly relations, radically improve the
investment climate in our country, and modernize international trade, currency, tax and
other systems.
According to the World Bank
’
s The Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) project
[5],
Uzbekistan ranked 172nd in 2013, but as a result of reforms, it rose to 138th in 2019.
In particular, in the report of
the Transformation Index for 2022, compiled by the
Bertelsmann Foundation,
we have seen that our country has improved its performance
compared to previous years. According to this report, Uzbekistan is up +0.07 points on
the Status index and +0.03 points on the Governance index, as major achievements, the
Governance Index rose to 6 levels compared to 2020, while the Status Index rose to
5 levels. The highest increases were in the Governance index of 2020, from 5.3 points in
the International Relations Indicator to 5.7 points, and from 3.3 points in the Resource
Efficiency Indicator to 3.7 points, as a result, The Governance performance criterion
noted an increase of 7 points compared to the 2020 report.
In particular, the Transformation Index of the Bertelsmann Foundation for
2020 noted a significant increase in the number of indicators in the Republic of
Uzbekistan, which is slightly higher than in 2018. According to the report, the
Governance Index has risen by 9 points compared to the end of 2018, while the Status
Index has risen by an average of 1 level. The largest increase was recorded in the
“International Relations” Indicator of the Governance index, which rose from 3.3 points
in 2018 to 5.3 points.
As a result of the reforms implemented, the international evaluation of the
governance system has shown an upward trend in the ranking indicator, which is
compiled every two years, Uzbekistan ranked
117th in 2018,
110th in 2020
and 104th in
the report for the last 2022.
The Country Report notes that the sector assessed by the Governance Indicator is
changing for the better, but there are still shortcomings.
These include existing structural
constraints on governance, the consensus in the political process, inefficient use of
resources, shortcomings in governance, and untapped prospects for international
cooperation.
Of course, these developments indicate the positive effect of public administration
reform in Uzbekistan. Our brief analysis shows that the systematic implementation of
reforms in the field, based on advanced foreign experience, the capabilities of the state
and the readiness of the population, will have a positive impact on the “image” of
Uzbekistan and increase its authority in the international arena.
In addition to ensuring the effective implementation of the goals outlined in the
Development Strategy and other programs, it is proposed to implement the following:
1.
The executive branch, in particular, should be encouraged to ensure that
ministries achieve their goals in a coordinated manner with the relevant ministry, rather
than in a competitive environment. For example, the Ministry of Economic Development
and Poverty Reduction and the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Education, and the
Ministry of Labor can benefit for the benefit of society if they work at the same time. They
will work together to decide which professions will be in high demand in the future, how
to prepare young people for this, and what types of businesses should be started. There,
the minister allocates funds to the general account for these purposes, and then the
agencies agree on how to spend these funds. This will be an interesting experience for us,
and we can implement innovative approaches to encourage government bodies to adapt
to each other.
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2.
Opportunities for training public administration staff are not yet well
established in Uzbekistan. Health care and economic reform, for example, need cadres
who understand how closely they are intertwined. For example, it is necessary to train
management staff who understand the relationship between agricultural policy,
transport and exports of agricultural products, that is, personnel who can better assess
the situation in terms of public interests. The Academy of Public Administration should
pay enough attention to necessary disciplines, such as “Public Policy”.
3.
The centralization of state functions and powers will continue to reduce the role
of local executive bodies in the implementation of regional development programs and in
solving the most important problems of the population. Ensuring the full implementation
of reforms, further improving the system of public administration and reduction of
repetitive and non-recurring tasks and functions to make a system capable of timely
identification and effective solution of problems of socio-economic development, further
optimization and decentralization of the public administration system should be
achieved through the elimination of redundant powers.
REFERENCES:
1.
Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On the Development
Strategy of the New Uzbekistan for 2022-
2026”, No.
PD-60 dated 28/01/2022.
http://lex.uz//docs/-5841063.
2.
Governance in the BTI. https://bti-project.org/en/index/governance.
3.
Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan on approval of the Strategy
“Digital Uzbekistan
-
2030” and measures for its effective implementation, No.
PD-6079,
dated 05/10/2020. http://lex.uz//ru/docs/-5030957.
4.
Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the Action Strategy for
further development of the Republic of Uzbekistan, No. PF-4947 dated 07/02/2017.
http://lex.uz//docs/-3107036.
5.
Worldwide Governance Indicators report.
http://info.worldbank.org/
governance/wgi/Home/Reports.
6.
https://strategy.uz/index.php?static=vypolnenie_gosprogrammy.
7.
https://strategy.uz/index.php?news=1518.
