Since the death of president Islam Karimov in 2016 and his replacement by Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Uzbekistan’s new government has embarked on a highly public path of economic and political reform. It is, in effect, an attempt to curtail the rampant state corruption that emerged under Karimov’s brutal 27-year rule.
In Uzbekistan, companies have traditionally enjoyed privileges - or relative freedom from extortion - on the basis of the owners’ political reach. While all businesses are ostensibly equal before the market, the invisible (or opaque) hand of the Uzbekistani state has ensured some are more equal than others.
This backstory could have foreboding implications as President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Karimov’s successor, sets a new entrepreneurial tone to life in this Central Asian state.
