Uzbekistan: political and legal priorities of administrative reform and mechanisms of its implementation

Administrative reform is one of the central themes in the discourse of governance, acting as a pivot that seeks to integrate developing legal doctrines with administrative practice. The path to reform, based on historical prerequisites, legal paradigms and socio-economic dynamics, is characterized by both continuity and change. 

Uzbekistan, in its desire for administrative reforms, is evidence of such a complex interaction of the past, present and future. Moving through a turbulent sea of global trends, national imperatives and inherent systemic problems, the country is trying to create a modern, efficient and operational model of "smart" management. 
The importance of making a decision on administrative reform was that the standard of living in the republic directly depends on the quality of public administration and institutions.
At the initiative of the head of state, large-scale administrative reforms were carried out aimed at creating an effective management system, which is considered an important condition for the formation of a New Uzbekistan.
In particular, in accordance with the decree and decree of the President of Uzbekistan "On measures to implement administrative reforms of the New Uzbekistan" and "On measures to effectively organize the activities of republican executive authorities within the framework of administrative reforms of the New Uzbekistan", a number of important tasks have been identified to form a compact system of public administration, simplify decision-making processes, increase the responsibility of managers and ensuring the effectiveness of their activities.
Since January 1, 2023, the number of independently operating republican executive authorities has been reduced from 61 to 28, including the number of ministries from 25 to 21.
The staff of executive authorities, including the leadership, has been reduced by 30 percent, 24 state bodies have changed their organizational subordination.
The proposed reduction in the number of independent executive authorities and ministries indicates the transition to consolidation, emphasizing greater coherence and coordination in management. The decision to completely abolish departments emphasized the desire to get rid of redundancy and ensure a clear, clear and reasoned appointment of each administrative structure.
The planned reduction of staff, especially in the executive authorities, was not done only in order to save money. It was a strategic step aimed at creating a more flexible and maneuverable bureaucracy. In addition, a fair remuneration system has been introduced – an important step indicating that the quality of management is inextricably linked with the motivation, remuneration and morale of administrative staff.
As a result of the reforms, ministers are granted independence and a number of powers for the distribution of state units, the formation of structures and structural divisions, and the implementation of personnel policy in the system.
This means that the responsibility of each manager for the final result increases.
The political responsibility of ministers has been increased, draft Government resolutions, important socio-economic issues related to the life of the country have been transferred to the collegial system with their direct participation.
A system has also been created according to which the heads of the executive power of the republic take responsibility for the effective and targeted use of allocated funds. 
If earlier there were six forms of executive power in the republic, such as the ministry, state committee, committee, agency, inspection, center, now only organizational forms are defined – ministries, committees, agencies and inspections. In addition, for the first time, specific requirements characterizing the legal status of the executive authorities of the republic have been established. 
An online information system "State Functions" has been created, which allows to maintain a unified register of functions of the executive power of the republic. Within its framework, a systematic analysis of the mechanisms for implementing the functions of executive authorities, as well as financial and human resources, was carried out. As a result, it was decided to reduce them by at least 10 percent.
Uniform requirements have been defined for the formation of structural units and the introduction of positions in the executive authorities of the republic – ministries, committees, agencies and inspections.
Administrative reform in Uzbekistan is a complex process that requires an integrated approach and a clear understanding of goals and objectives. Despite the changes that have already been implemented, the work on optimizing the public administration system continues. Only the combination of theoretical foundations and practical experience will allow us to achieve the best results in this direction.
Mukhsina Husanova,
Deputy Head of ARGOS Department