Abstract:

Doctoral education (DE) plays a crucial role in building research capacity, fostering innovation, and educating future generations, making it central to national science, technology, and innovation policies. This study analyses the recent DE reforms in Uzbekistan, the most populous country in post-Soviet Central Asia. Following independence in 1991, Uzbekistan adopted a unique approach to economic and educational reforms, prioritising its own pace and sequence, including in higher education. While not formally joining the Bologna Process, Uzbekistan adopted its three-cycle structure, including a single-tier Doctor of Science (DSc) degree in 2012. However, in a surprising policy reversal, the government reintroduced a two-tier system with Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and DSc degrees in 2016.

The study aims to systematically analyse the underlying causes behind the policy reversal in 2016, and, more importantly, to provide a critical assessment of the 2012 and 2016 DE reforms in Uzbekistan. Drawing on institutional economics, the study examines how incentive structures, including formal rules, informal practices, and established norms of behaviour, shape DE policy outcomes. We argue that effective DE reform requires not only well-defined rules but also credible enforcement mechanisms and supportive norms of behaviour. We also demonstrate that path dependence can hinder change as incumbent actors resist reforms that threaten their rent seeking power.

The study employs a mixed-methods approach, analysing relevant national regulations, secondary data, and primary data collected through semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, including policymakers, university senior managers, academics with supervisory experience, and doctoral students. Our findings will provide valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities of reforming DE in Uzbekistan and other emerging economies. The paper calls for a nuanced understanding of national contexts and constraints when designing DE policy in emerging economies. It emphasises the need for reforms to address incentive structures, build trust in institutions, and navigate path dependence challenges to unlock the full potential of DE for frontier knowledge creation.

Abstract:

The article presents a comparative analysis of the regulation of anti-corruption examination of legislative acts using the cases of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Anti-corruption examination plays an important role in ensuring transparency and effectiveness in combating corruption; however, its effectiveness significantly depend on the legislative and institutional context. The paper examines normative legislative acts which establish the legal framework for conducting anti-corruption examination, as well as institutional mechanisms for its implementation in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Special attention is paid to the independence of experts, the decision-making process based on the results of the examination, as well as mechanisms ensuring transparency and public control over the conduct of anti-corruption examination. Based on the conducted comparative analysis, the main similarities and differences in approaches to regulating anti-corruption examination in both countries are identified. In addition to examining legislative acts and institutional mechanisms, this article delves into the practical application of anti-corruption examination in both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. It explores case studies and real examples to provide a comprehensive understanding of how anti-corruption examination operates within the legal and political frameworks of each country. Furthermore, the article evaluates the effectiveness of anti-corruption examination in identifying and addressing instances of corruption, as well as its impact on promoting accountability and integrity in public institutions. Overall, this article aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the regulation and practice of anti-corruption examination in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, contextualized within broader global trends and challenges. By examining legislative frameworks, institutional mechanisms, practical applications, international influences, and emerging trends, it seeks to offer valuable insights into the complexities of addressing corruption in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

Abstract:

This article presents the results of a comprehensive sociological study on the relationship between corruption and access to infrastructure in Kazakhstan. Infrastructure development is a significant aspect of the socio-economic development of a country, ensuring the functioning of various sectors of the economy, facilitating business, and improving the quality of living standards. However, the prevalence of corruption in accessing these vital resources exacerbates inequality and slows down the country's sustainable growth and development. Therefore, this study aims to identify the forms and reveal the mechanisms of corruption in Kazakhstan's infrastructure. A differentiated approach combining qualitative interviews, quantitative surveys, and data analytics is used to explore the extent and nature of corruption.

The findings reveal a complex interaction between different institutional structures (state, business, civil society) due to the established corrupt practices and their negative impact on the country's socio-economic indicators. In addition, the study shows how corruption distorts the mechanisms of resource allocation in the development of infrastructure projects in Kazakhstan, emphasizing systemic problems and shortcomings in their management. In addition, weak legal and regulatory frameworks, lack of transparency, and limited accountability mechanisms contribute to the persistence of corruption, perpetuating the practice in the country's infrastructure sector. By shedding light on the link between corruption and access to infrastructure in Kazakhstan, this study provides valuable information for policymakers, businesses, civil society, and international stakeholders seeking to address these pressing issues. It emphasizes the importance of fighting corruption and increasing transparency in infrastructure management to ensure equitable development and sustainable growth in the well-being of the people of Kazakhstan.

Keywords: Kazakhstan, infrastructure, corruption, sociological survey, transparency, institutions, accountability, sustainable development, socio-economic factors.

Abstract:

Title: Corruption and Social Norms in Central Asia

Patrik Olsson, Department of Sociology of Law

Abstract

The proposed study concerns the existence of corruption from a socio-legal point of departure with an in-depth analysis of its prevalence and growth in our societies. Law is an essential form of social control in every social system, and we find law and legal requirements everywhere we look, considering that law covers a large spectrum of our lives, anything from insignificant matters to profound parts. Exploring corruption from a sociology of law perspective is particularly intriguing given that it enables us to study extra-legal practices regarding the legal system and its possibilities/limitations and dependence on the surrounding community. Particularly, it enables us to examine conformity, deviance, crime and social control functions where the study of corruption becomes noteworthy.

To study corruption, we suggest the need to focus on the relationship between law and social norms, asking questions such as what happens when crime and/or corruption become an integral part of everyday life. Should we understand corruption as a normative and social construction that is part of human nature and inevitable in our daily interactions? These processes will be explored in the context of Central Asia, namely in Uzbekistan, and we will rely on an ethnographic study of informality conducted in the Fergana region and Tashkent city.