Assessment and Regulation Mechanism of Inter-Regional Socio-Economic Differentiation: The Case of Uzbekistan

This article assesses the scale and structure of socio-economic differentiation among the regions of Uzbekistan based on statistical and econometric approaches and proposes a regulation mechanism aimed at reducing differentiation. The approach includes measuring inequality depth using the coefficient of variation and Theil index, testing convergence tendencies through β-convergence regressions based on per capita GRP, and constructing an integral index aggregated from four blocks–economy, demography-health, living standards, and infrastructure–to classify regional typologies. Empirical findings reveal that the intra-group component dominates overall inequality and that convergence trends are weak, indicating the need to strengthen sub-regional targeted interventions. The proposed two-tier model of the Regional Development Fund envisions rapid restoration of basic infrastructure for “low” category regions and acceleration of innovation-driven growth in “driver” regions.