SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF FOREIGN ECONOMIC ACTIVITY OF BUSINESS ENTITIES UNDER GLOBALIZATION: EVIDENCE FROM NAMANGAN REGION, UZBEKISTAN

Аннотация

This study aims to assess whether the foreign economic activity of business entities in Namangan region is developing sustainably in terms of volume and structure under globalization. The study seeks answers to two questions: whether the commodity composition of exports and imports has diversified or become concentrated, and whether foreign trade has become increasingly tied to a single trading partner. A descriptive-analytical approach utilized six official tables from the Namangan Regional Department of Statistics for the years 2010–2024. Concentration at the country and commodity levels was assessed using the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI), growth through the Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR), and annual stability was assessed through the coefficient of variation. The results showed that foreign trade turnover grew steadily, but this growth was uneven: imports expanded faster than exports, resulting in a negative trade balance since 2011. Geographically, export concentration increased – the HHI rose from 2,744 to 3,541–3,812, and dependence on the Russian Federation increased from 46.3% to 58.0%. At the same time, the opposite picture was observed in terms of commodity composition: the commodity concentration of exports dropped from 3,218 to 1,242. Imports did not show such deep dependence, as the leading partner changed regularly. In conclusion, the foreign economic activity of Namangan region is developing steadily in terms of volume and commodity composition, but geographically, particularly in exports, stability is still insufficient. Theoretically, the study combines HHI at the country and commodity levels, showing that the two dimensions can move in opposite directions within the same region.