Journal of Central Asia Economy

The article discusses various problems of digital technology development in Uzbekistan and factors of digital transformation of the economy during COVID-19. The analysis revealed the possibilities of digital technology, which proved to be promising organizational solutions during COVID-19 coronavirus infection. Digital technology has opened up new opportunities for managing economic and social processes and increasing the adaptability of the studied systems to increased workload. The author, based on the world experience in the digitalization development, compared the growing needs, as well as the development opportunities of the industry under study in Uzbekistan. The study of the experience of using computer technology in a complex epidemiological situation has become necessary to identify the main directions of digitalization not only during the pandemic, but also in the subsequent development of Uzbekistan.

Taking into account the uniqueness of each section of the Russian-Kazakh cross-border area, the authors test two hypotheses. First, under the new economic and political conditions, the cooling of relations observed at the intergovernmental level is directly manifested at the level of municipalities in the cross-border regions. Secondly, the strengthening of the barrier function of the border determines the positioning of the studied region of the Russian-Kazakh cross-border area in the group of coexisting cross-border territories.The study is based on empirical data obtained through a sociological survey on the territory of the Bolshechenigovsky municipal district of the Samara region of the Russian Federation, bordering the Bayterek district of the West Kazakhstan region of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Special attention is paid to the interpretation of the comparative results of the survey of two groups of respondents: the population and experts.As a result, the assessment of changes cross-border cooperation in the new geopolitical conditions was carried out. The authors identifies the causes and factors hindering the development of cooperation of cross-border territories, various aspects of the attitude of residents to the territory on the other side of the border.The authors identified opportunities and challenges for the development of cross-border cooperation, as well as priority areas of cooperation at present and in the future. Conclusions about the need to form an integral ecosystem of cross-border cooperation in order to strengthen friendly relations between Russia and Kazakhstan are drawn.Acknowledgments: The reported study was funded by RFBR and FRLC, project number 21-510-23002.