https://mt.osce-academy.kg/handle/123456789/797 2026-05-11T21:38:53Z https://mt.osce-academy.kg/handle/123456789/818 Title: Assessing gender discrimination in early-career hiring:an industry-specific experimental study in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan Authors: Maratbek kyzy, Zharkynai Abstract: This thesis explores the subject of gender- and family-status-based discrimination in early-career hiring in five industries, including Information Technology, Education, Construction, Finance and Banking, and Accounting, in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Using a correspondence experiment, 510 standardized job applications were sent to 170 employers, all of whom were operating in industries with unique gender compositions. The findings show that no consistent gender discrimination dominates the overall labor market, however, the most significant drawbacks against women can be observed in male-dominated areas where the Information technology and construction can be taken as the most appropriate examples. Family status also conditions hiring results, including married women and married mothers (in that order) are less likely to be called back than their married male counterparts, and married fathers are most likely to be called back. These results present causal evidence of intersectional discrimination of hiring in Kyrgyzstan and prove that combinations of gender, family roles, and industry context together can affect the early-career employment opportunities. 2026-01-08T00:00:00Z https://mt.osce-academy.kg/handle/123456789/817 Title: The Impact of Regulatory Constraints on the Performance of Private Enterprises Across Sectors in Tajikistan Authors: Safarmamadov, Tabrez Abstract: This study seeks to analyze the impact of regulatory constraints on the performance of private companies operating in different industries in Tajikistan. Although the private sector constitutes around 60% of GDP and 80% of employment in Tajikistan, there have been concerns over the complexity or burden caused by regulatory frameworks for private companies. The research will use Institution-Based View Theory in order to analyze how formal and informal institutions influence business performance. Based on firm-level data of the World Bank Enterprise Surveys of 2019 and 2024, the paper will use a pooled cross- sectional regression (OLS) approach to examine the relationship between business regulations and firm outcomes. Further to address endogeneity in firms’ self-reported perceptions of regulatory constraints, the study employs an instrumental variables approach estimated through two-stage least squares (2SLS). Business regulations are measured using both subjective perceptions for companies as well as objective criteria. This research paper contributes to existing literature by exploring sectoral dynamics for companies operating in Tajikistan, with a view to exploring how companies grow while impacted by regulatory conditions. The findings have important implications for policymakers and private sector enterprises who aim to support the development of the private sector and broader economic growth of Tajikistan. 2026-01-08T00:00:00Z https://mt.osce-academy.kg/handle/123456789/816 Title: Socioeconomic determinants of informal financial practices in Afghanistan: barriers to financial inclusion Authors: Hamdard, Shamsurrahman Abstract: While formal finance and financial inclusion have gained increasing importance worldwide, Afghanistan continues to rely heavily on informal financial mechanisms. Understanding the factors that contribute to financial inclusion in such contexts is crucial, as financial inclusion plays a key role in reducing poverty and promoting economic development. This study examines the socioeconomic factors influencing informal finance, formal finance, and financial inclusion in Afghanistan, with a specific focus on informal borrowing, informal savings, formal borrowing, formal savings, and formal account ownership. Using data from the 2021 Global Findex Database, a nationally representative survey of 1,002 adults in Afghanistan, the study employs probit regression models to analyze how key characteristics such as gender, age, education, income, employment status, rural-urban residence, and mobile phone ownership shape financial behavior. The findings indicate that informal finance in Afghanistan is primarily driven by income disparities, employment status, and rural residence, functioning as a safety net for low-income and rural households. In contrast, financial inclusion and formal finance are primarily determined by the same socioeconomic characteristics, including gender, education, age, and rural residence, while income emerges as an additional determinant of formal financial practices. Although mobile phone ownership does not emerge as a key determinant, it may contribute to financial inclusion by facilitating access to digital financial services. Overall, this study contributes to the literature on financial behavior in low-income economies by identifying the specific socioeconomic determinants of informal finance, formal finance, financial inclusion, and barriers to financial inclusion in Afghanistan, and by offering policy-relevant insights aimed at expanding formal finance, digital financial access, and financial inclusion. 2026-01-08T00:00:00Z https://mt.osce-academy.kg/handle/123456789/815 Title: Energy cost burdens and household coping strategies in Fergana Valley Authors: Nazarmamadova, Shahlo Abstract: Energy burden is the situation where the household are not anymore able to afford the high energy costs and use the essential standard of energy to meet essential needs since, everything depends on electricity starting from electronics to household appliances it is almost impossible to imagine a normal life without the usage of electricity especially the needs for food and hygiene. While various studies demonstrate the issue of energy affordability caused mainly by income, this study argues that technological as well as structural indicators are equally important in shaping households energy vulnerability. Focusing on the three areas of Central Asian countries as Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan considering the secondary data of CAREC household survey 2023 on energy access in the Fergana Valley was constructed an energy burden index that not only captures the financial stress but also includes heating related expenditure. Ordinary Least Squares regressions with country fixed effects are utilized to find out the main factors affecting energy cost burden as socioeconomics, housing-related along with demographics while to identify the coping strategies of households descriptive and comparative analysis were used. The results demonstrate that energy burden within the Fergana Valley scope is not determined by income alone, the most robust predictors energy system characteristics along with the housing efficiency indicators. Mudbrick based housing, challenges with heating the dwelling during the winter as well as cooling during hot seasons and experiencing frequent blackouts can lead the households to higher energy burden. Across the three areas of Fergana Valley Uzbekistan encounters the highest burden of energy. When the burden intensifies households start to utilize coping strategies to soften the issue and to fulfill their needs. The most frequently observed strategies are switching to alternatives, borrowing money from friends/ relatives, taking loans, limiting the usage in the peak time and reducing the expenses on other daily needs, increasing households' concerns about long-term welfare. This research paper provides household level evidence that serves as the contribution to the limited empirical literature on the energy cost burden with the emphasis on central Asian countries reframing the issue as structural as well as infrastructural based rather than purely income based problem. This research raises the need for policy interventions on efficient energy upgrades, improvements in housing quality including infrastructure availability that can enhance the energy burden of households in an equitable manner. 2026-01-08T00:00:00Z