Folk crafts and socio-economic development of territories: dependency analysis on the example of Uzbekistan

Abstract

The article examines the role of crafts in the socio-economic development of the Uzbekistan territories in the post-Soviet period on the basis of statistical data, field observations and in-depth interviews with craftsmen. It was revealed that the current state of the industry, in particular the features of its specific, organizational and territorial structure, are connected with the change in the economic system of the country, with an increasing role of industry and with the modernization of population’s consumer behavior. In order to explore the relationship between fisheries and the socio-economic development of territories, the role of the industry in the economy and in society was analysed. It was revealed that handicrafts are still an important branch of the local economy of Uzbekistan cities and amount from 1% to 25% of their gross industrial output and employment of working age population. On the basis of a comparative analysis of the structure of the manufacturing industry and the specific structure of crafts, the dependence between the specialization of new manufacturing industries and types of crafts was found. In the final part territories with different significance of folk arts and crafts are designated with recommendations for managing their socio-economic development in accordance with the specifics of the industry.