ASSESSMENT OF LIVING STANDARD AND SOCIAL EXPENDITURE EFFICIENCY IN THE REGIONS OF UZBEKISTAN USING THE DEA METHOD

Which Uzbek region gets the most poverty reduction per budget dollar? Using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) — the same method the IMF applies to public spending — this study ranks all 14 regions of Uzbekistan on social-spending efficiency for 2024–2025. The winner, Jizzakh region, cut poverty almost without raising spending; Karakalpakstan ranked lowest. The payoff is concrete: the paper calculates exactly how many billion soums could be saved and how many thousand people lifted out of poverty if other regions copied Jizzakh's approach.