Publication Details
Abstract
Services now generate almost half of the gross value added in Uzbekistan, yet the conceptual tools used to steer innovation were designed mainly for manufacturing. This article develops a conceptual model of the innovative development of the service sector and formulates the methodological principles on which such development should rest. The study is conceptual in nature and draws on an integrative review of 25 sources, including international theoretical work on service innovation, studies by Uzbek scholars, and national legal and statistical documents. Five theoretical streams – the technology-centred view, the characteristics-based approach, service-dominant logic, dynamic capabilities, and the open and systemic view of innovation – are compared, and the element that each contributes to an integrated model is identified. The resulting model consists of six interrelated components: drivers, ecosystem actors, resources and capabilities, the innovation process, multi-level outcomes, and a monitoring and learning loop, all embedded in an institutional and policy environment. Seven methodological principles are derived from the model, and four research propositions are put forward for empirical testing. The model can serve as a framework for sector development programmes, for the design of support instruments, and for the selection of indicators used to monitor innovation in services.