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Photo of Rustam

Rustamjon Urinboyev

Associate professor

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Mahalla in Post-Soviet Uzbekistan

Author

  • Rustamjon Urinboyev

Summary, in English

This article examines the validity of international reports and policy analyses on Uzbekistan, and possibly on other Central Asian countries, regarding informal economic practices as a social evil that undermines the legitimacy and efficiency of public policies. The research presented is based on three periods of fieldwork between 2009 and 2012 in rural Fergana, Uzbekistan, and uses the case of mahalla institutions. The results show that informal economic practices are not automatically negative; rather, they may serve as equitable and efficient alternatives to the formal economy when the state fails to secure the basic needs of its citizens.

Department/s

  • Department of Sociology of Law

Publishing year

2013

Language

English

Publication/Series

working paper

Document type

Journal article

Topic

  • Law and Society

Keywords

  • informal economy
  • sociology of law
  • corruption
  • Central Asia
  • Uzbekistan
  • welfare
  • state-society relations

Status

Submitted