IMPROVING UZBEKISTAN’S BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT THROUGH B-READY INDICATORS: INSTITUTIONAL AND REGULATORY PRIORITIES

Abstract

This thesis examines how the World Bank’s Business Ready (B-READY) indicators can inform priorities for improving Uzbekistan’s business environment. B-READY assesses the regulatory framework, public services, and operational efficiency across ten topics in the life cycle of a firm. This structure makes it possible to distinguish the quality of formal rules from the services and procedures businesses experience in practice.

The study aims to identify institutional and regulatory priorities by examining Uzbekistan’s B-READY results alongside the methodology used to produce them. It applies document analysis and a comparative assessment of the three pillars, with attention to gaps between written requirements, access to public services, and implementation. The proposed approach treats indicator scores as diagnostic evidence rather than as a complete measure of business conditions. It argues that reform priorities should be selected by tracing low-performing indicators to specific procedures and responsible institutions, then assessing whether changes reduce the time, cost, and uncertainty faced by firms. The thesis offers an analytical framework for setting reform priorities; it does not claim that proposed measures have already improved business outcomes.