A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF INNOVATION EFFICIENCY IN UZBEKISTAN
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60078/3060-4842-2025-vol2-iss6-pp175-187Abstract
This study assesses Uzbekistan’s innovation efficiency from 2020 to 2025 using Global Innovation Index (GII) data and compares it with global leaders (Switzerland, Sweden, USA), top overperformers (India, Vietnam, Morocco), and regional peers (Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan). Although Uzbekistan’s overall GII rank improved to 79th in 2025, its innovation outputs remain far below inputs, resulting in an average efficiency gap of 23 ranks. The three countries of India, Vietnam, and Morocco achieve better results than expected based on their input levels, but Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan produce outcomes that fall short of their potential. The main challenge for Uzbekistan is not investment levels but weak conversion of inputs into outputs, due to limited R&D commercialization, weak industry–research linkages, and low high-tech exports. The research suggests Uzbekistan should improve its national innovation system coordination through targeted foreign investment and venture financing for selected sectors to build an innovation-based economy
Keywords:
innovation efficiency Global Innovation Index (GII) Uzbekistan comparative analysis innovation policy R&D commercialization national innovation systemReferences
Bakari, S. (2024) ‘The Impact of Innovation and Economic Growth: Evidence from Developed and Developing Countries’, International Journal of Economics and Finance, 14(1), pp. 32–54. Available at: https://ideas.repec.org/a/wei/journl/v14y2024i1p32-54.html (Accessed: 17 October 2025).
BIAC/OECD (2023) Competition and innovation – Note by BIAC. OECD Competition Committee Discussion Paper, DAF/COMP/WD(2023)55. Paris: OECD. Available at: https://one.oecd.org/document/DAF/COMP/WD(2023)55/en/pdf (Accessed: 4 October 2025).
Cornell University, INSEAD and WIPO (2024) Global Innovation Index 2024: Unlocking the Promise of Social Innovation. Geneva: World Intellectual Property Organization. Available at: https://www.wipo.int/global_innovation_index/en/2024/ (Accessed: 14 September 2025).
Cornell University, INSEAD and WIPO (2025) Global Innovation Index 2025: Innovation in the Face of Uncertainty. Geneva: World Intellectual Property Organization. Available at: https://www.wipo.int/global_innovation_index/en/2025/ (Accessed: 14 September 2025).
Freeman, C. (1987) Technology policy and economic performance: Lessons from Japan. London: Pinter Publishers.
Guan, J. and Chen, K. (2012) ‘Modeling the relative efficiency of national innovation systems’, Research Policy, 41(1), pp. 102–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2011.07.001
Kim, L. and Nelson, R.R. (eds.) (2000) Technology, learning, and innovation: Experiences of newly industrializing economies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Lema, R., Kraemer-Mbula, E. and Rakas, M. (2021) ‘Innovation in developing countries: Examining two decades of research’, Innovation and Development, 11(2–3), pp. 189–210. https://doi.org/10.1080/2157930X.2021.1989647.
Morocco World News (2025) ‘Morocco secures record 57th ranking in Global Innovation Index’, Morocco World News, 16 September. Available at: https://www.moroccoworldnews.com (Accessed: 4 October 2025).
Nasierowski, W. and Arcelus, F.J. (2003) ‘On the efficiency of national innovation systems’, Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, 37(3), pp. 215–234. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0038-0121(02)00046-0.
OECD (2023) Competition, innovation and productivity. Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs, Committee on Competition, DAF/COMP/WD(2023)56. Paris: OECD. Available at: https://one.oecd.org/document/DAF/COMP/WD(2023)56/en/pdf (Accessed: 4 October 2025).
PatentRenewal.com (2024) ‘Which countries are driving global innovation in 2024?’, PatentRenewal Blog, October. Available at: https://www.patentrenewal.com/post/the-worlds-most-innovative-countries-in-2024 (Accessed: 14 September 2025).
Romer, P.M. (1990) ‘Endogenous technological change’, Journal of Political Economy, 98(5, Part 2), pp. S71–S102. https://doi.org/10.1086/261725.
Tziogkidis, P., Papadimitriou, P. and Dergiades, T. (2018) Innovation efficiency ratio: Measuring the effectiveness of R&D expenditures. Working Paper. Houston: Rice University Department of Economics. Available at: https://economics.rice.edu/sites/g/files/bxs4046/files/2020-10/Tziogkidis et al. 2018.pdf (Accessed: 14 September 2025).
Tziogkidis, P., Philippas, D., Leontitsis, A., & Sickles, R. C. (2020). A data envelopment analysis and local partial least squares approach for identifying the optimal innovation policy direction. European Journal of Operational Research, 285(3), 1011–1024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2020.02.023
UNESCO (2024) Mapping research and innovation in the Republic of Uzbekistan. Paris: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Available at: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000374566 (Accessed: 14 September 2025).
WIPO (2019) Global Innovation Index 2019: Creating healthy lives – The future of medical innovation. Geneva: World Intellectual Property Organization. Available at: https://www.wipo.int/global_innovation_index/en/2019/ (Accessed: 14 September 2025).
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
