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UZBEKISTAN AS A SOCIAL STATE: REFORMS AND PROMISING
DIRECTIONS IN THE SOCIAL SPHERE
Turaev O.B.
DSc Researcher of the National University of Uzbekistan,
associate professor
218xona@gmail.com
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15022973
Uzbekistan is located at the crossroads of cultures and civilizations, having
shaped its social structure over centuries through unique traditions and values. In
the era of globalization and rapid development of the market economy,
Uzbekistan’s primary strategic aim – the construction of a social state is reflected in
the first article of the new version of the Constitution. According to the principles of
a welfare state, a range of measures to strengthen the country’s social protection
system and expand the volume of social services provided to citizens have been
implemented.
In particular, large-scale reforms are being carried out to improve the
well-being of the population by ensuring employment and increasing incomes,
reducing unemployment and poverty. For instance, a system of support for
families, women, and youth in need of social assistance has been established
across the country through programs such as the “Unified social protection
register”, “Temir daftar”, “Ayollar daftari”, “Yoshlar daftari” and “Mahallabay”.
It should be noted that as part of the social reforms being carried out in
Uzbekistan, preschool education coverage is increasing. As of January 2024, more
than 2 million children aged 3-7 or 74 percent, are enrolled in primary education.
The priority goal is to increase this figure to 80 percent by 2026 and to 100
percent by 2030. At the same time, against the backdrop of a 2.5-fold increase in
enrollment of higher education institutions, their number has reached 213. This
has created a foundation for increasing the level of higher education coverage
from 38 to 42 percent compared to 2022. In the healthcare sector, the full
implementation of the “State medical insurance” system in Tashkent city and
Syrdarya region by the end of 2024 reflects a characteristic feature of developed
social states in government policy.
In addition, with the aim of supporting the younger generation and
providing them with employment, 5.2 thousand young people are being trained
in IT professions within the framework of the projects “Future Skills Uzbekistan”
and “Bir million dasturchi”, while 6.4 thousand women are acquiring
entrepreneurial skills through the projects “Yoshlar 1+1” and “Tadbirkor ayol”.
Within the “Ishga marhamat” and “Monocenter” systems, young people and
women are being trained in 30 different professions and gradually provided
with employment
1
.
1
https://uzbekembassy.com.my/uzb/news_press/jamiyat/ozbekiston_ijtimoiy_davlat.html
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It is known that the development of the first modern welfare state began
about 125 years ago with the development of state social security systems in
Western Europe. In particular, in conservative countries such as Germany,
France, and Austria, social insurance benefits play a significant role. Therefore,
in these countries, financial claims are closely tied to wages. Scandinavian
countries, such as Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland, in contrast to the
insurance system, have a system of high taxes that benefit the public based on
civil rights. However, in liberal countries such as the United States, Great Britain,
Australia, and Chile, social policy emphasizes the free market and the family. If
we look at the history of modern ideal welfare states, we see that they adhere to
one of three major models that existed previously, and whose theoretical
foundations have been confirmed. Table 1 presents models of the welfare state
2
.
Table 1
Comparative analysis of social state models
Regime Type
Liberal
Conservative
Social
Democratic
Central Regulatory
Idea
Individual
Responsibility
Status-Hierarchy
Universalism
Decommodification
(= Protection
against dependence
from the labor
Market)
Minimal
High (for
“breadwinner”)
Maximum
Dominant Principle
of the Social
Security System
Care
Insurance
Provision
Dominant Value
Orientation
Freedom
Security
Equality
Essential Social
Structuring Effect
Exclusion
Segmentation
Inclusion
Country Groups
Anglo-Saxon
Countries
Continental
European
Countries
Scandinavian
Countries
Assigned Countries
USA, Australia,
Great Britain,
Switzerland, Japan
Germany, Austria,
France, Belgium
Sweden,
Norway,
Denmark,
Finland,
Netherlands
However, the criteria for an ideal welfare state are difficult to express in
exact numerical terms, as such indicators vary between states and countries.
These indicators can also change over time. Therefore, a prosperous state is a
2
Bodo L. “Klare Mehrheiten für den Wohlfahrtsstaat\\Gesellschaftliche Wertorientierungen im internationalen
Vergleich”, Bonn, 2008, S-7.
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comprehensive concept, and modern scientific literature notes the presence of
its five important pillars. It means that certain social services and citizens' rights
should be financed from general tax revenues. Below, in table 2, the list of the
primary social services of a prosperous state is presented
3
.
Table 2
Main social spheres in the social state
According to the table above, Uzbekistan is also conducting significant
reforms in primary, secondary, and secondary specialized education as part of
its social state system. In particular, as a result of these reforms, in the 2022-
2023 academic year, 100 billion sums were allocated from the state budget for
free meals for primary school students in the Republic of Karakalpakistan and
Khorezm Region. In the near future, it is planned to introduce this positive
practice in all schools in other regions and the city of Tashkent.
Also, within the framework of the “Uzbekistan-2030” Strategy, the
education system occupies a special place as a key goal for the development of
New Uzbekistan. By 2030, it is planned to establish free buses for students of
715 secondary schools located in remote and out-of-the-way areas, fully provide
them with clean drinking water and modern sanitary and hygienic
infrastructure. In addition, by 2026, the share of qualified teachers with higher
education in schools will be increased from 81.8 to 87.8 percent. To ensure the
quality of education for children with disabilities, there are 90 specialized
schools and boarding schools in the republic, where 21,447 children study.
In recent years, Uzbekistan has set a goal of further developing the health
care sector and achieving 100% digitalization of medical institutions. In particular,
in August 2022, Uzbekistan and the German bank KfW signed a loan agreement for
45 million euros and a grant agreement for 5.5 million euros for the “Support for
digital health reforms” project. According to the agreement, a plan of measures for
the digitalization of the healthcare system in 2023-2025 was approved, and the
3
Köhler G., Is There an “Asian Welfare State Model?”, East and South Asian Trajectories and Approaches to the
Welfare State, organized by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) in Tutzing, Germany, 2014.
Education
at least primary and secondary education
Health care
health care access for all, in terms of services and
funding mechanisms
Social protection
of social welfare and social security financed by tax-
funded social assistance
Labor market
active labor market policies to generate
employment, as well as microcredit and insurance
provisions for the enterprise sector
Family policy
such as child-related policies and welfare services
SOLUTION OF SOCIAL PROBLEMS IN
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development of the “Elektron retsept” (reimbursement), “Elektron sanatoriya” and
“Cancer-registr” platforms was planned. Currently, the “Elektron poliklinika” and
“Elektron shifoxona” systems have been launched in many regions of the republic,
and a mechanism has been established to provide access to quality medical
services for all
4
.
At the same time, it is important to double the amount of funds allocated
to the country's healthcare system and to widely attract foreign investment. In
particular, in the first quarter of 2024, the volume of healthcare services
amounted to 2250.4 billion sums, and we see that the total volume of services in
the sector has increased by 1.8 percent. This means that compared to the
corresponding period of 2023, the growth rate of services reached 114.2
percent.
It should be noted that Uzbekistan pays special attention to supporting
vulnerable segments of the population by expanding social protection programs
and digitalizing them. According to him, the funds allocated to social protection
programs have increased significantly. As a result of the reforms carried out in
the field, it is also planned to increase the income of more than 4 million people
who are at risk of poverty in the country.
In particular, in order to provide quality social services and assistance to
the population, in accordance with the decree of the President of the Republic of
Uzbekistan dated June 1, 2023, the “National agency for social protection” was
established, which has been assigned a number of tasks. An information
platform “Unified register of social protection” has been introduced under the
Agency, which is a system for the transparent and effective implementation of
targeted state support for the needy part of the population. In order to improve
the living conditions of citizens included in this register, the “State social
protection fund” has been launched. The fund’s activities consist in directly
assisting 30 categories of the population in need of social protection in finding
their place in society.
Uzbekistan is also paying special attention to further improving the
employment system and the labor market. In particular, as of January 2024,
employment and labor market indicators in the Republic of Uzbekistan showed
positive growth, along with a decrease in the unemployment rate, new jobs were
created. In order to improve the mechanisms for including low-income,
vulnerable segments of the population in the social assistance system and
expanding their participation in the labor market, the organizations under the
Ministry of Employment and Poverty Reduction have introduced a program to
promote the employment of more than 180 thousand people with disabilities in
permanent jobs. The republic plans to take measures to employ people from
socially vulnerable groups in reserve (quota) jobs and attract 50.2 thousand
unemployed citizens to paid public works. At the same time, measures are being
4
https://www.spot.uz/oz/2023/05/02/healthcare-system/
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taken to provide subsidies to the unemployed and employers to stimulate
employment.
Moreover, Uzbekistan, as a social state, is positively addressing issues
related to families in society, ensuring the well-being of the population and
strengthening social protection. As a result of fruitful work in this area in recent
years, 250 thousand young families have been provided with new housing. 45
thousand young families with low incomes have been provided with subsidies of
2.4 trillion sums for a down payment and interest payments. Also, 85 thousand
houses have been built for low-income families, and mortgage loans of 17 trillion
sums have been allocated
5
.
A key priority in building a prosperous state in Uzbekistan is the social
protection of children. In particular, young people make up more than 55
percent of our country’s population. This is important for ensuring the rights of
children in the country and creating the necessary opportunities for them.
Therefore, today, based on the needs and desires of children, entertainment
venues, IT parks, and “Children’s creative unions” have been created in all
regional and district centers of the republic. These created opportunities are
part of the effective work aimed at raising a healthy generation.
In conclusion, Uzbekistan as a social state is taking consistent measures to
ensure the well-being of the population and strengthen social protection. The
funds allocated to the social sphere in our country make up a significant portion
of the state budget. This will ensure the well-being of the country and the
achievement of high indicators in such areas as education, healthcare, social
protection, and employment. All reforms carried out within the framework of
the social state program are aimed at improving the living standards of citizens
and creating all the conveniences necessary for their prosperous life based on
the principle of “Person, society, state”.
5
https://parliament.gov.uz/articles/2062
