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A workshop organised by the ÐÂÏã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûCentre for Comparative Study of the Emerging Economies

at ÐÂÏã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûSchool of Slavonic and East European StudiesÌý

Background and rationale:

‘Twenty-five years after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Belarus stands out as a special case in transition blending, on the one hand, signs of relative prosperity, socially oriented policies and sprouts of entrepreneurships and, on the other hand, remnants of the communist past. The core of the Belarusian economic model throughout most of this period was a combination of external rents and soft budget constraints on the state-owned part of the economy backed by a strong system of administrative control. In periods of favourable external conditions this mix provided for relatively high rates of economic growth and allowed the authorities to maintain a ‘social contract’ with the population targeting close to full employment. But this model also led to the persistent accumulation of a quasi-fiscal deficit which time and again came to the surface, and its subsequent monetisation provoked macroeconomic and currency turmoil. At present, Belarus’ economic model has run up against its limits and policy changes seem inevitable’.

Source: Rumen Dobrinsky (editor), Amat Adarov, Kateryna Bornukova, Peter Havlik, Gábor Hunya, Dzmitry Kruk, Olga Pindyuk, ‘Belarus Economy: the Challenges of Stalled Reforms’, Study of the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (WIIW).

This workshop aims to take stock of these developments in Belarus and discuss Belarusian economic challenges in a comparative perspective. It is organised around 2 key documents: (i) the WIIW study cited above and (ii) the 2016 National Innovation for Sustainable Development Review of Belarus (formerly Innovation Performance Reviews) which is undertaken for the Belarussian government by a team of experts under the auspices of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (forthcoming).

PROGRAMME

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Participants:

Elodie Douarin, Director of ÐÂÏã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûCentre for Comparative Study of Emerging Economies and Lecturer in Economics at ÐÂÏã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûSSEES.

, Research Associate at the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw) and Director for Strategy, European Alliance for Innovation, Belgium

,ÌýEconomist, Central and Eastern Europe,ÌýOxford Economics, London

Dzmitry Kruk, Researcher, Belarusian Economic Research and Outreach Center, MinskÌý

, Professor at School of Arts and Social Sciences, Department of International Politics City University of London, Director, City Political Economy Research Centre (CITYPERC), MA Global Political Economy and BSc IPEÌý

Professor of Industry and Innovation Studies, ÐÂÏã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûSchool of Slavonic and East European Studies, Special Advisor to EC Commissioner for Regional Policy, Research Director of ÐÂÏã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûCentre for Comparative Study of Emerging Economies, Research Professor at St Petersbourg Higher School of EconomicsÌý

Julia Korosteleva, Senior Lecturer in Business Economics, ÐÂÏã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûSSEES and the Programme Coordinator for the International Masters in Economics, State and Society (IMESS) Programme.

Professor of Economics at the Johannes Kepler University Linz, WIIW Senior Research Associate, Scientific Director of WIIW (1996-2016)

Registration is free, but essential. To book a ticket please visit the Eventbrite page:

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