REDUCING REGIONAL POVERTY THROUGH GREEN AND INCLUSIVE INFRASTRUCTURE: THE “5I” MODEL IN THE CASE OF BUKHARA REGION
Abstract
The article examines the development of green and inclusive infrastructure as the principal socio-economic mechanism for reducing poverty at the regional level, using Bukhara region as a case study. The author’s “5I” model (Investments - Infrastructure - Inclusion - Innovation - Income) integrates public and private investment; transport, energy, water and digital infrastructure; inclusion of low-income groups; green and digital innovation; and sustainable income sources into a single framework. Regression analysis of 2019-2024 data for the region’s 11 districts shows that each 1 per cent increase in infrastructure investment reduces the poverty rate by 0.34 per cent (R² = 0.776). Infrastructure gaps (rural access to safe drinking water 71 per cent, 28 per cent of district roads in need of repair, electricity network losses 13.2 per cent) were identified as a structural driver of inter-district inequality. A four-level (mega-macromeso-micro) poverty-reduction model was developed, with a cumulative effect of 11.0 percentage points, including a synergy effect of 2.4 percentage points. Recommendations are substantiated on the targeted, poverty-map-based location of green infrastructure projects, a five-source financing model and the integration of circular bioeconomy principles into rural infrastructure.Keywords
regional economy, poverty reduction, green infrastructure, inclusive development, 5I model, inter-district inequality, public-private partnership, circular bioeconomy, Bukhara region
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