Qashqadaryo Region: Current State and Institutional-Economic Mechanisms for Increasing the Competitiveness of the Services Sector

This article examines the current state of the services sector in Qashqadaryo Region and develops an institutional-economic mechanism for increasing its competitiveness. The study uses official regional statistics for January-October 2025, comparative analysis, structural decomposition, and a mechanism-based approach. The results show that the region’s market services reached 41,670.7 billion soums with a growth rate of 112.7%, while small business generated 73.8% of total services. The main structural drivers are accommodation and food services, trade, transport, financial services, and information and communication. The scientific novelty of the article is the proposed integrated mechanism linking regulation, finance, infrastructure, digitalization, human capital, and local service clusters. Practical recommendations are offered for raising service quality, reducing territorial asymmetry, and strengthening private-sector participation.