ECONOMIC DIPLOMACY AS THE EXTERNAL TIER OF INVESTMENT GOVERNANCE: INSTITUTIONAL DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION GAPS IN UZBEKISTAN
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23329753Abstract
Trade and economic counsellors at embassies, trade representations abroad, and deputy ministers responsible for groups of countries constitute the external tier of trade and investment governance in Uzbekistan. This tier facilitates investment agreements and export opportunities, while their implementation depends on coordination with regional and sectoral governance tiers. The study aims to analyse the institutional structure of the external tier and assess the relationship between investment agreements and their implementation. The research employs documentary analysis of legal acts and official records covering 2017–2026, comparative analysis of trade and investment promotion systems in the Republic of Korea and Ireland, and quantitative assessment using implementation indicators derived from official statistics. The findings indicate that the external tier has evolved through successive institutional stages and that trade and economic counsellors are accountable to at least four supervisory authorities. Agreements concluded during 52 high-level visits encompass 1,617 projects valued at USD 213 billion, representing approximately 1.7 times the total foreign investment and credits recorded during 2017–2025. Even under the most favourable assumption, the estimated implementation ratio does not exceed 58%. The study proposes assigning a single responsible authority to each country portfolio, introducing project-pipeline-based performance indicators for counsellors, and strengthening institutional coordination between diplomatic missions and regional authorities.Keywords
economic diplomacy, commercial diplomacy, trade and economic counsellor, investment promotion, export promotion, roadmap, principal–agent relationships, UzbekistanReferences
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