Analysis of poverty dynamics and poverty reduction in Tajikistan: A Multidimensional Perspective [védés előtt]

Muhayyoi, Rahimzoda

2025

Nemzetközi gazdaság

The doctoral thesis is only available within the university network. The thesis employs a mixed-method research design - historical and institutional analysis (incl. archival research), policy document analysis combined with qualitative interviews, as well as quantitative statistical descriptive methods to explore multidimensional poverty and poverty reduction initiatives aimed at its reduction. Qualitative methods are well-suited to understand social dynamics and contextual factors that impact poverty. The thesis concentrates on Tajikistan as a single-case study to address an empirical gap in the existing literature, as has been mentioned in the previous sections. Although poverty reduction is the prioritized goal in the economic agenda of Tajikistan, there is a noticeable lack of academic research on institutional, political, and economic factors related to poverty in Tajikistan. So far, no studies have posed even the basic questions, such as how effective poverty reduction policies are in Tajikistan and whether they address multidimensional poverty at all. The theoretical framework draws on Amartya Sen´s capability approach and the Alkire-Foster methodology, which underscores not only income but also dimensions such as education, health, and living standards in understanding poverty. Using a multidimensional poverty lens, the author aims to identify the specific dimension - education, health, or standard of living - where targeted interventions can achieve the greatest impact. Considering the lack of multidimensional poverty data and the challenges of accessing recent statistics, the research adopted a triangulation approach to strengthen the validity of findings. Triangulation was applied by cross-checking official datasets with secondary sources, which helped to mitigate data gaps and ensure a more robust analysis of poverty dynamics in Tajikistan. As additional information sources to complement the lack of data or test existing ones, as well as to test assumptions and results of the analysis, semi-structured interviews were conducted with country and regional experts. The interview method, as part of a mixed-method research design, is a common type of qualitative research method used to have access to information on how decisions are taken by the political and economic elites, which is otherwise unavailable. The interviews have helped to reveal and identify challenges and factors that may be case-specific (local, insider knowledge) and may not be visible or obvious to external observers. Primary data has been collected through semi-structured interviews with 14 experts who are involved in development policies and designing and implementing poverty reduction policies in Tajikistan and/or Central Asia. Purposive and snowball sampling methods have been used to identify participants with relevant knowledge and experience concerning poverty dynamics in Tajikistan. The sample included 14 participants, with 7 national experts and 7 international experts. The experts were policymakers, NGO representatives, and scholars with in-depth knowledge of Tajikistan´s poverty dynamics. Although the initial sampling included 30 experts, and all of them were contacted, only 14 participants agreed to take part in the interview. An interview guide in Tajik, Russian, and English was developed based on the study´s research questions and literature review, containing open-ended questions to encourage detailed responses. Data were collected through fieldwork in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, for 2 weeks in November, including 7 face-to-face interviews in Tajik (1), Russian (5), and English (1). The rest of the data were collected through online interviews in English (7) from November 2024 to January 2025. For data analysis, the author used a note-taking approach during the interviews. This method facilitated a faster and more efficient editing process, saving time compared to transcribing notes from recorded sessions. Thematic analysis has been employed to analyse the interview data. Inductive and deductive methods have been employed to capture both emerging themes and those related to the research questions. The aim of the research is to give an analysis of poverty discourse in Tajikistan during the period of post-systematic change from 1991 to 2023. Due to the availability of data, especially the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) for Tajikistan for 2005, 2012, and 2017, the research will focus on these years as longitudinal.

angol

Disszertáció

NonPeerReviewed

Muhayyoi, Rahimzoda (2025) Analysis of poverty dynamics and poverty reduction in Tajikistan: A Multidimensional Perspective [védés előtt]. Szakdolgozat, Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem, Nemzetközi Kapcsolatok és Politikatudomány Doktori Iskola.

https://phd.lib.uni-corvinus.hu/1479/

http://publikaciok.lib.uni-corvinus.hu/egyetemi/Muhayyo_Rahimzoda_den.pdf