A Regional Conditions Index for Family Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise Density: Evidence From Uzbekistan's Regions, Including Samarkand Region

This article identifies key areas for improving the organizational-economic mechanism for the development of family entrepreneurship in the service sector, focusing on institutional, financial, infrastructural, and digital aspects, and examines whether regional economic conditions explain variations in the density of family enterprises. A Regional Conditions Index for Family Entrepreneurship (OTHSI) is calculated for 14 regions of Uzbekistan over the period 2023- 2025 using nine official indicators grouped into four blocks. The index is constructed through min–max normalization based on a common dataset of 42 observations (14 regions × 3 years) with equal weights, and its robustness is assessed using three alternative specifications. The relationship between the index and the density of active family enterprises (per 10,000 inhabitants) is then examined using Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients. Additionally, the 16 administrative units of Samarkand Region are classified into four categories based on family enterprise density.