ANTI-CORRUPTION REFORMS AND THEIR IMPACT ON FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT IN UZBEKISTAN

Since the 2017 transition, Uzbekistan has pivoted from a closed, corruption-plagued economy toward a modernized, investment-friendly landscape. Driven by the Mirziyoyev administration’s legislative overhaul, most notably the Law on Combating Corruption (2017) and the Law on Anti-Corruption Examination (2023) – the nation has seen Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows double to $7.2 billion by 2023. While digital initiatives like the “E-IJRO AUKSION” platform have significantly reduced petty bureaucratic friction, systemic hurdles remain. Recent data from 2024 and 2025 indicate a plateauing in Transparency International’s CPI scores, suggesting that the "low-hanging fruit" of reform has been harvested. This article analyzes the correlation between legal transparency and capital inflows, arguing that for Uzbekistan to evolve into a sustainable regional hub, it must transition from formal legislative compliance to substantive judicial independence and rigorous enforcement.