STRUCTURAL TRANSFORMATION AND REGIONAL ENTREPRENEURIAL EFFICIENCY IN UZBEKISTAN: EVIDENCE FROM SECTORAL DYNAMICS AND PANEL DATA

This study investigates the relationship between structural transformation and regional entrepreneurial efficiency in Uzbekistan by combining sectoral dynamics with panel-data evidence. The research addresses an important gap in the entrepreneurship literature: while studies increasingly emphasize entrepreneurial ecosystems and regional heterogeneity, relatively limited empirical evidence is available for the transition economies of Central Asia. The study employs two complementary analytical approaches. First, structural shifts in the contribution of small entrepreneurship to gross domestic product (GDP), retail trade, and industrial production are examined over the period 2010–2025. Second, a balanced panel covering 14 territorial units of Uzbekistan over the period 2015–2024, comprising 140 observations, is analyzed using a fixed-effects regression model.