LEGAL REFORMS IN THE FIELD OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN THE REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN

This article examines the principal legal reforms shaping entrepreneurship in the Republic of Uzbekistan and evaluates their role in the transition toward a more predictable, competitive, and digitally administered business environment. The study applies a doctrinal legal method and document analysis to constitutional provisions, framework statutes, presidential acts, and selected analytical literature adopted or published mainly between 2012 and 2025. The results show five interconnected reform directions: constitutional strengthening of economic freedom and private property; simplification and digitalization of licensing and administrative procedures; institutional protection of entrepreneurs against unlawful state interference; modernization of competition, investment, and insolvency rules; and the formalization of individual entrepreneurship through integrated digital platforms and simplified taxation. The reforms demonstrate a clear movement from discretionary administrative control toward risk-based supervision and service-oriented regulation. At the same time, the effectiveness of the legal framework depends on consistent enforcement, regulatory stability, equal competitive conditions between private and state-linked firms, and accessible judicial protection. The article concludes that Uzbekistan has built a substantially more market-oriented legal architecture for entrepreneurship, while implementation quality remains the decisive factor for the next stage of reform.