Svante E. Cornell, ed

Digitalization of Government Services and its impact on the rule of law

The pandemic, in spite of all its negative impact, also led to positive improvements. Institutions experiencing improvements include the Ministry of Justice, followed by the Tax Office and many other state institutions. Simplifying access to state services saved time and efforts for citizens. Instead of standing in line for long hours, being exposed to the whims of low-level officials, citizens are now able to resolve many of their issues digitally. This was an improvement that was well received by the population and all legal entities. It resulted in enormous savings of citizens’ time, no more standing in long lines, abolishing tons of useless paperwork and resulting in substantial savings for the national budget. It was also a big step forward for transparency, as it did away with corruption opportunities for local officials. These reforms were quickly adopted by most government institutions and by businesses and citizens.
For instance, the Ministry of Justice took the lead in modernizing its operations. It digitalized communications with non-governmental organizations, which led to considerable improvements although restrictive regulations remain.
Digitalization brought many positive steps, and slowly other institutions are focusing on internal reforms to bring their work to the same level, starting with the presidential administration, parliament, law enforcement agencies, courts, local governments etc. At the same time, the pandemic
encouraged Uzbek institutions to be more open, to reach out also to the international community, to communicate with local and foreign interlocutors, officially and informally also through social media. An explosion of bloggers is a new phenomenon, and Uzbek media almost completely switched to digital operations. This created more normal conditions expected in modern times.
The challenge now remains for those less computer savvy, especially among older or less educated citizens who now must turn to the younger population to assist them in keeping up with the progress. It also led to establishment of different legal clinics, set up either by the state or by civil society that help citizens accessing governmental portals when needed.