FY16 Uzbekistan Country Opinion Survey Report

The Country Opinion Survey in Uzbekistan assists the World Bank Group (WBG) in gaining a better understanding of how stakeholders in Uzbekistan perceive the WBG. It provides the WBG with systematic feedback from national and local governments, multilateral/bilateral agencies, media, academia, the private sector, and civil society in Uzbekistan on 1) their views regarding the general environment in Uzbekistan; 2) their overall attitudes toward the WBG in Uzbekistan; 3) overall impressions of the WBG’s effectiveness and results, knowledge work and activities, and communication and information sharing in Uzbekistan; and 4) their perceptions of the WBG’s future role in Uzbekistan.


I. Objectives
This survey was designed to assist the World Bank Group (WBG) in gaining a better understanding of how stakeholders in Uzbekistan perceive the WBG.

II. Methodology
From April through May 2019, 1,110 stakeholders of the WBG in Uzbekistan were invited to provide their opinions on the WBG's work in the country by participating in a Country Opinion Survey (COS). Participants were drawn from the office of the President/Prime Minister, office of a Minister, office of a Parliamentarian, employees of ministries/ministerial departments/ implementation agencies, Project Management Units (PMUs) overseeing implementation of projects or consultants/contractors working on WBG-supported projects/programs, local government officials or staff, bilateral agencies, multilateral agencies, private sector organizations, the financial sector/private banks, private foundations, NGOs/community-based organizations (CBOs), the media, independent government institutions, trade unions, faith-based groups, youth groups, academia/research institutes/think tanks, and the judiciary branch.
A total of 352 stakeholders participated in the survey (32% response rate). Respondents received an invitation via email and completed the questionnaire online (N=231) or received the questionnaire via post and returned it accordingly (N=121).
Every country that engages in the Country Opinion Survey must include specific indicator questions that will be aggregated for the WBG's annual Corporate Scorecard. These questions are identified throughout the survey report.
The results of this year's Country Survey were compared to those of the Country Survey conducted in FY '16 (response rate was 56%, N = 102). The data were weighted to reach similar stakeholder compositions across both survey years, allowing for more statistically reliable comparisons. Note, there were too few respondents from the office of the President/Prime Minister, the office of Minister, or local government in FY '16 for these groups to be included, nor were stakeholders who identified themselves as "Other" in the stakeholder category options included in these comparisons. As a result, mean ratings, percentages of respondents, and the total number of respondents in both years are slightly different from those of the original data reported in the FY '16 COS report and the non-weighted data presented in this report. For the weighted stakeholder breakdown and year comparison results, please refer to Appendix E (see page 93).

Current Position
▪ For all further analyses, the few respondents from the office of the President/Prime Minister were combined with those from the office of a Minister; respondents from multilateral agencies were combined with those from bilateral agencies; respondents from the financial sector/ private banks were combined with those from the private sector; respondents from private foundations, trade unions, faith-based groups, and youth groups were combined with those from NGOs/CBOs into a "Civil Society" category; and the few respondents from independent government institutions and the judiciary branch were combined into the Other category. For a complete breakdown of survey questions by stakeholder group, see Appendix B (page 59).

Geographic Locations
▪ For all further analyses, the few respondents residing the regions of Uzbekistan or outside of Uzbekistan were combined into one "Other Area" category. Geographic location comparisons of indicator questions can be found in Appendix C (page 84).

Exposure to Agencies within the World Bank Group
▪ Respondents who indicated that they professionally collaborate with the WBG were asked which agencies they primarily collaborated with in Uzbekistan. Comparisons between those who collaborate with the WBG and those who do not can be found in Appendix D (page 87).

Familiarity with the World Bank Group
▪ Year comparison: Respondents in this year's Country Survey indicated statistically similar levels of familiarity with the WBG (weighted mean rating = 6.6) compared to respondents from the FY '16 Country Survey (weighted mean rating = 6.5).
▪ Stakeholders: Respondents from PMUs/Consultants on WBG-supported projects indicated the highest levels of familiarity with the WBG whereas respondents from the media indicated significantly lower levels of familiarity.
▪ Collaboration: Respondents who said that they collaborate with the WBG indicated significantly higher levels of familiarity with the WBG (mean rating = 7.3) compared to those who said that they do not collaborate with the WBG (mean rating = 5.7).
▪ Impact of Familiarity: Respondents' ratings of familiarity with the WBG were strongly, significantly correlated with their ratings for the WBG's overall effectiveness in Uzbekistan and moderately, significantly correlated with their ratings for the extent to which the WBG's work achieves development results and their agreement that the WBG plays a relevant role in Uzbekistan's development.

IV. General Issues Facing Uzbekistan
Optimism for the Future of Uzbekistan

Development Priority
▪ Year comparison: Respondents in the FY ' 16 Country Survey indicated that the most important development priorities in Uzbekistan were education (percentage of respondents = 28%), private sector development (26%), public sector development/reform (23%), and job creation/employment (21%).

Factors Contributing to Poverty Reduction
▪ Year comparison: Respondents in the FY ' 16 Country Survey indicated that the areas that would contribute most to poverty reduction in Uzbekistan were job creation/ employment (percentage of respondents = 42%), private sector development (37%), economic growth (34%), and education (25%).

IV. General Issues Facing Uzbekistan (continued)
The Impact of Global Challenges on Uzbekistan

Trust in the Private Sector
Civil Society Engagement

Attributions for Slow/Failed Reform Efforts
▪ Year comparison: Respondents in the FY '16 Country Survey indicated that, when reform efforts fail or are slow to take place in Uzbekistan, they attribute it to the WBG not being sensitive enough to political/social realities on the ground (percentage of respondents = 52%), followed by reforms not being well thought out in light of Uzbekistan's challenges (30%).

Greatest Weakness
▪ Year comparison: Respondents in the FY ' 16 Country Survey indicated that the WBG's greatest weaknesses in its work in Uzbekistan were the WBG's processes being too slow (percentage of respondents = 18%), not collaborating enough with stakeholders outside the Government (16%), not being adequately sensitive to political/social realities (16%), the WBG's processes being too complex (15%), being too influenced by developed countries (14%), and not enough public disclosure of its work (14%); however, 22% of respondents indicated that they didn't know.

The WBG's Human Capital Investment
Helping the Poorest

VII. How the World Bank Group Operates
The World Bank Group's Work in Uzbekistan ▪ Year comparison: Respondents in this year's Country Survey had statistically similar levels of agreement for these aspects of the WBG's work in Uzbekistan as respondents from the FY '16 Country Survey (see Appendix E, page 93).
▪ Stakeholders: Respondents from PMUs/Consultants on WBG-supported projects had the highest levels of agreement that the WBG plays a relevant role in development whereas respondents from the private sector/financial sector/private banks had significantly lower levels of agreement. For a complete breakdown by stakeholder group, see Appendix B (page 59).

The WBG as an Effective Development Partner: Collaboration Comparison
▪ Stakeholders: Respondents from PMUs/Consultants on WBG-sponsored projects and local government gave the highest ratings for the WBG's responsiveness to needs whereas respondents from the private sector/financial sector/private banks and academia gave significantly lower ratings. For a complete breakdown see Appendix B (page 59). ▪ Location: Respondents from Other Areas gave significantly higher ratings for the WBG's responsiveness to needs (mean rating = 7.2) compared to those from Tashkent City (mean rating = 6.5).

VII. How the World Bank Group Operates (continued)
The WBG's Reimbursable Advisory Services (RAS)

Frequency of Consulting WBG Knowledge Work and Activities
▪ Year comparison: Compared to respondents in this year's Country Survey, respondents in the FY '16 Country Survey indicated statistically similar frequencies of consulting the WBG's knowledge work and activities.

Meeting Uzbekistan's Knowledge Needs (Indicator Question)
▪ Year comparison: Respondents in this year's Country Survey had statistically similar levels of agreement that the WBG meets the country's needs for knowledge services (weighted mean rating = 6.7) compared to respondents from the FY '16 Country Survey (weighted mean rating = 6.5).

Contribution of the WBG's Knowledge Work and Activities (Indicator Question)
▪ Year comparison: Respondents in this year's Country Survey gave statistically similar ratings for the significance of the contribution of the WBG's knowledge work and activities (weighted mean rating = 7.9) compared to respondents from the FY '16 Country Survey (weighted mean rating = 8.0).
▪ Collaboration: Respondents who said that they collaborate with the WBG gave significantly higher ratings for the significance of the contribution of the WBG's knowledge work and activities (mean rating = 8.3) compared to those who said that they do not collaborate with the WBG (mean rating = 7.6).

Technical Quality of the WBG's Knowledge Work and Activities (Indicator Question)
▪ Year comparison: Respondents in this year's Country Survey gave statistically similar ratings for the technical quality of the WBG's knowledge work and activities (weighted mean rating = 7.2) compared to respondents from the FY '16 Country Survey (weighted mean rating = 7.4).
▪ Stakeholders: Respondents from PMUs/Consultants on WBG-sponsored projects gave the highest ratings for the technical quality of the WBG's knowledge work and activities whereas respondents from academia and civil society gave significantly lower ratings. For a complete breakdown see Appendix B (page 59).
▪ Collaboration: Respondents who said that they collaborate with the WBG gave significantly higher ratings for the technical quality of the WBG's knowledge work and activities (mean rating = 7.6) compared to those who said that they do not collaborate with the WBG (mean rating = 7.0).

Qualities of the WBG's Knowledge Work and Activities: Collaboration
▪ Stakeholders: Respondents from the office of a Parliamentarian gave the highest ratings for the WBG's knowledge work and activities being adequately disseminated and for it being a source of relevant information on global good practices whereas respondents from civil society gave significantly lower ratings. For a complete breakdown by stakeholder group see Appendix B (page 59).
▪ Location: Respondents from Other Areas gave significantly higher ratings for the WBG's knowledge work and activities being adaptable to Uzbekistan's specific development challenges and circumstances (mean rating = 7.6) compared to those from Tashkent City (mean rating = 6.8).

Information Sources
▪ Year comparison: Respondents in the FY '16 Country Survey indicated that they got most of their information about economic and social development issues from the Internet (percentage of respondents = 69%), followed by local television (27%), periodicals (19%), and social media (18%).

How EFFECTIVE do you believe the World Bank Group is in terms of the work it does in the following areas of development in Uzbekistan?
(

E. Working with the World Bank Group
To what extent do you agree/disagree with the following statements?

Percentage of Respondents (Responses Combined; N=302)
Engage more effectively with private sector 22.8% Increase the level of capacity development in the country 20.5% Offer more innovative knowledge services 18.9% Collaborate more effectively with Government clients (e.g., national, state, local) 18.2% Reduce the complexity of obtaining World Bank Group financing 18.2% Engage more effectively with civil society (e.g., NGOs, CBOs) 17.9% Offer more innovative financial products 14.9% Engage more effectively with partners such as bilaterals, multilaterals, trust funds, UN 11.9% Help to bring discipline/effective supervision to implementation of World Bank Group projects 9.9% Engage more directly with beneficiaries 9.9% Provide more adequate data/knowledge/statistics/figures on Uzbekistan's economy 9.3% Work faster 7.9% Improve the quality of its experts as related to Uzbekistan's specific challenges 7.6% Increase availability of Reimbursable Advisory Services (RAS) 2.3% Other 1.7% Ensure greater selectivity in its work 0.7%

A. General Issues Facing Uzbekistan
When you think about the future in Uzbekistan, are you … ?

Do you think that economic opportunity for citizens in Uzbekistan is … ?
1 Note, only 341 respondents indicated their current affiliation (H1). For these analyses, the few respondents from the office of the President/Prime Minister were combined with those from the office of a Minister, respondents from multilateral agencies were combined with those from bilateral agencies, respondents from the financial sector/private banks were combined with those from the private sector, respondents from private foundations, trade unions, faith-based groups, and youth groups were combined with those from NGOs/CBOs into a "Civil Society" category, and the few respondents from independent government institutions and the judiciary branch were combined into the Other category.

A. General Issues Facing Uzbekistan (continued)
When World Bank Group assisted reform efforts fail or are slow to take place, which of the following would you attribute this to? (Choose no more than TWO)

B. Overall Attitudes toward the World Bank Group
(

To what extent do you believe that the World Bank Group's work and support help the poorest in Uzbekistan? (Select only ONE response)
From your perspective, which of the following best describes the World Bank Group's current emphasis on investing in human capital (e.g., education, health, social protection)?

B. Overall Attitudes toward the World Bank Group (continued)
In addition to the regular relations with the national government, which TWO of the following groups should the World Bank Group collaborate with more in your country? (Choose no more than TWO)

B. Overall Attitudes toward the World Bank Group (continued)
To what extent is the WBG an effective development partner in Uzbekistan, in terms of each of the

C. World Bank Group's Effectiveness and Results (continued)
(1-To no degree at all, 10-To a very significant degree)

(1-To no degree at all, 10-To a very significant degree)
To what extent do you agree with the following statements about the World Bank Group in Uzbekistan? (1-Strongly disagree, 10-Strongly agree) To

C. World Bank Group's Effectiveness and Results (continued)
(1-To no degree at all, 10-To a very significant degree)

D. The World Bank Group's Knowledge Work and Activities (continued)
In

F. The Future Role of the World Bank Group in Uzbekistan
Which of the following SHOULD the World Bank Group do to make itself of greater value in Uzbekistan? (Choose no more than TWO)

G. Communication and Information Sharing
How frequently do you interact with the World Bank Group now in Uzbekistan?*

*Significantly different between stakeholder groups
How would you prefer to receive information from the World Bank Group? (Choose no more than TWO)

*Significantly different between stakeholder groups
Percentage of Respondents (Responses combined)

H. Background Information
Which of the following describes most of your exposure to the World Bank Group in Uzbekistan? (Choose no more than TWO)

*Significantly different between stakeholder groups
Percentage of Respondents (Responses combined)

A. General Issues Facing Uzbekistan
(1-To no degree at all, 10-To a very significant degree)

B. Overall Attitudes toward the World Bank Group
(1-Not familiar at all, 10-Extremely familiar) (1-Not effective at all, 10-Very effective) (1-To no degree at all, 10-To a very significant degree)

To what extent do you agree with the following statements about the World Bank Group's work in Uzbekistan?
(1-Strongly disagree, 10-Strongly agree) 2 Note 341 respondents provided their geographic location (H9). For these analyses the few respondents who indicated that they were outside Uzbekistan were combined with those in one of Uzbekistan's regions to form an "Other Area" category.

B. Overall Attitudes toward the World Bank Group (continued)
To what extent is the World Bank Group an effective development partner in Uzbekistan, in terms of each of the following? (1-To no degree at all, 10-To a very significant degree) *Significantly different between geographic locations

C. World Bank Group's Sectoral Effectiveness and Results
(1-To no degree at all, 10-To a very significant degree) (1-To no degree at all, 10-To a very significant degree)

To what extent do you agree with the following statements about the World Bank Group in Uzbekistan?
(1-Strongly disagree, 10-Strongly agree)

D. The World Bank Group's Knowledge Work and Activities
In Uzbekistan, to what extent do you believe that the World Bank Group's knowledge work and activities: (1-To no degree at all, 10-To a very significant degree) *Significantly different between geographic locations (1-Not significant at all, 10-Very significant; 1-Very low technical quality, 10-Very high technical quality)

E. Working with the World Bank Group
To what extent do you agree/disagree with the following statements? (1-Strongly disagree, 10-Strongly agree)

A. General Issues Facing Uzbekistan
To what extent do you trust each of the following groups to do what is right?
(1-To no degree at all, 10-To a very significant degree) *Significantly different between those who collaborate with the WBG and those who do not

B. Overall Attitudes toward the World Bank Group
(

B. Overall Attitudes toward the World Bank Group (continued)
To what extent do you agree with the following statements about the World Bank Group's work in Uzbekistan? (

C. World Bank Group's Effectiveness and Results (continued)
(1-To no degree at all, 10-To a very significant degree) *Significantly different between those who collaborate with the WBG and those who do not To what extent do you agree with the following statements about the World Bank Group in Uzbekistan?
(1-Strongly disagree, 10-Strongly agree) *Significantly different between those who collaborate with the WBG and those who do not (1-To no degree at all, 10-To a very significant degree)

D. The World Bank Group's Knowledge Work and Activities
In Uzbekistan, to what extent do you believe that the World Bank Group's knowledge work and activities: (

B. Overall Attitudes toward the World Bank Group
(1-Not familiar at all, 10-Extremely familiar) (

B. Overall Attitudes toward the World Bank Group (continued)
To what extent is the World Bank Group an effective development partner in Uzbekistan in terms of each of the

C. World Bank Group's Effectiveness and Results (continued)
To what extent do you agree with the following statements about the World Bank Group in Uzbekistan?

E. Working with the World Bank Group
To what extent do you agree/disagree with the following statements?

F. The Future Role of the World Bank Group in Uzbekistan
When considering the combination of services that the World Bank Group offers in Uzbekistan, and taking into account its limited level of resources, which ONE of the following do you believe the World Bank Group should offer more of in Uzbekistan?    The combination is appropriate for Uzbekistan 6 Don't know