Academic literature on the topic 'Belarus – Economic conditions – 1991-2007'

W prezentowanym artykule przedstawiono zarys analizy rozwoju Białorusi po uzyskaniu suwerenności państwowej. Po ostatecznym rozpadzie ZSRR (XII 1991) Białoruś miała możliwość samodzielnego kształtowania swojej polityki wewnętrznej i zagranicznej. Młode państwo, zyskując szybkie międzynarodowe uznanie, zaczęło realizować zasadę trójpodziału władzy, angażować aktywnych obywateli w dyskusję na temat perspektyw rozwoju kraju. Autor podejmuje próbę wyjaśnienia przyczyn transformacji Białorusi z republiki parlamentarnej w państwo autorytarne. W przedstawionych rozważaniach stwierdza się, że stopniowe wprowadzanie autorytarnych metod rządzenia na początkowym etapie było popierane przez znaczną część społeczeństwa. W warunkach niskiej kultury politycznej w kraju, niepokojące procesy autorytaryzmu uznawane były za czasowe trudności etapu przejściowego od spadku totalitarnego do demokracji. Ustanowienie na Białorusi dyktatury osobistej doprowadziło do stopniowej degradacji wiodących struktur państwowych. Spośród przyczyn chęci przywrócenia sowieckiego ustroju przez liczną część społeczeństwa białoruskiego wyróżnić należy słabe zaangażowanie Białorusinów w odbudowę państwa narodowego, podziały tożsamościowe, brak strategii jednoczącej społeczeństwo przed współczesnymi wyzwaniami. W artykule postawiono tezę, że negatywną rolę w rozwoju Białorusi odgrywały rosyjskie elity polityczne, które w rzeczywistości nie uznawały suwerenności państwa białoruskiego, negowały tożsamość Białorusinów, języka białoruskiego, kultury i narracje historyczne. Prosowieckie i prorosyjskie poglądy Łukaszenki zachęcały Kreml do ustanowienia kontroli nad państwem białoruskim. W lutym 2022 r. Moskwa wykorzystała terytorium Białorusi do inwazji na Ukrainę, kwestionując niepodległość państwa ościennego. Masowe protesty na Białorusi przeciwko rażącemu fałszowaniu wyborów prezydenckich (VIII 2020) pokazały, że białoruskie społeczeństwo odrzuca autorytarny reżim, a także prowadzoną dotychczas politykę wewnętrzną i zagraniczną. Władza Łukaszenki dążąc do wyjścia z głębokiego kryzysu, położyła główny nacisk na brutalne represje wobec protestujących obywateli. Obecna strategia władz naraża państwo białoruskie na całkowitą utratę suwerenności. Three decades of sovereignty of the Republic of Belarus (1991–2021): the point of no return not passed The presented publication provides a brief analysis of the development of Belarus after the gaining of state sovereignty. After the final collapse of the USSR (XII 1991), Belarus had the opportunity to independently shape its domestic and foreign policy. The young state, having received rapid international recognition, began to put into practice the division of branches of government, to involve active citizens in a discussion about the prospects for the the country. The author tries to find out the reasons for the transformation of Belarus from a parliamentary republic to an authoritarian state that began after the first presidential elections (VII 1994). It is argued that this transition at the initial stage enjoyed the support of the majority of the population, who, in conditions of low political culture, associated the socio-economic difficulties of the transition stage with democratic transformations. The establishment of a personal dictatorship in Belarus has led to the gradual degradation of the main state structures. The researcher sees the main reason for the desire of many Belarusians to return to the Soviet order in the incompleteness of the Belarusian nation-building, in the split of society into several identity groups, in the absence of a collective strategy for finding answers to the challenges of the time. The article emphasizes the thesis that the Russian leadership played a negative role in the development of Belarus, which in practice did not recognize the independence of the post-Soviet state, denied the uniqueness of the Belarusian language, culture and historical narratives. Lukashenko’s pro-Soviet and pro-Russian views were supported by the Kremlin, which, under the guise of various support, sought to establish control over the Belarusian regime. In February 2022, Moscow used the territory of Belarus to invade Ukraine, greatly questioning the sovereignty of the neighboring country. Mass protests in Belarus against the gross falsification of the presidential elections (VIII 2020) demonstrated that the Belarusian society rejects the authoritarian regime, its domestic and foreign policy. The regime, in its actions to get out of the deep crisis, placed the main emphasis on brutal repression against dissent. This makes the future of the Belarusian state poorly predictable, makes it dependent on many internal and external circumstances.

No oligarchic system, similar to those in Ukraine or Russia, developed in Belarus after 1991, but the formation of a group of prominent regime-linked businessmen has accelerated in recent years. They owe their influence to informal concessions from the regime to do business in selected sectors of the economy. They often do not take over state property but act as intermediaries, earning a hefty commission for doing so. They also operate in the criminal sphere, primarily involving the large-scale smuggling of goods into Russia and the European Union. This article aims to show the evolution and specifics of big business in Belarus. The growing capital potential of big Belarusian businessmen, estimated at a dozen or so, and their rising influence on the economic decisions made by the authorities while maintaining total political loyalty, make it justified to call at least some of them oligarchs. The system emerging in Belarus bears certain similarities to some post-Soviet oligarchic systems while having its own distinctive features. The accumulated capital and contacts give at least some of the emerging Belarusian oligarchs a good starting position for taking a front seat in a possible future political transformation, should the conditions arise for that to begin.

Statistical series of economic and energy indicators had been made up according to 2017 data. It consisted of three comparable values: population and specific (capita per inhabitant in the year) gross value added (SGVA) and electricity consumption (SEC) for fifty countries, which SGVA are larger or comparable to Belarus values. Using the correlation analysis the presence of strong, positive, reliable relationship between SGVA and SEC was established. It was found, that for the innovative development of Belarusian economy and accelerated growth of SGVA, the installed electric capacities are necessary to increase by 20–25 %. It is pointed that nuclear energy is the main resource of the fifth technological setup. The solving tasks during atomic stations operation promote development of new technology, emergence and insure advanced production methods in various economy sections. It is offered to create microclimate, required by modern technologies, in working zones of plants and at workplaces in institutions by an automated system ASLOTU – the radiant system of insuring technological conditions, which had been created by Belarusian specialists. The structurer of this infrared system, principles of its calculation and specific functioning algorithm are given. The ASLOTU technical and economic indicators have been determined – cost, service life, labor intensity and frequency of maintenance, costs of fuel consumed, period of covering capital outlays. The marked indicators are the result of processing the operation data of ASLOTU, which were implemented in Belarus for the period 1997 to 2007. They formed the basis of the draft ASLOTU introduction plan until 2035. The main planned indicators are given. The results can be used in other countries in which SGVA is 4.0–15.0 thousand dollars per person and they took course toward innovative development of the economy.

The aim of the article is to assess the factors of economic growth of the CEE countries over the 30-year history, the productivity of capital and human resources, the resilience of these countries to the negative impact of the global financial crisis. Methodology. The Solow growth model was used to estimate the growth rates of capital, labor and total factor productivity (TFP). The impact of macroeconomic indicators on GDP and TFP growth is assessed. The group of Central and Eastern European countries that joined the European Union was chosen for the analysis: Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, as well as post-Soviet European countries: Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and Moldova and Albania in the period from 1991 to 2019. Results. TFP makes a significant contribution to the economic growth of CEE countries. During the period of market reforms, TFP significantly decreased, and during the boom of 2000-2008 it fully ensured the growth of the CEE economies, after the crisis of 2008, the contribution of TFP decreased by 2 times. In the conditions of recovery, TFP growth is positively influenced by inflation, negative CA balance, and unemployment reduction. In the post-crisis period, a decrease in inflation, a positive CA balance, and an increase in unemployment had a positive impact on TFP growth. During a depression, the influence of capital becomes dominant. Restrictive monetary policy contributes to the efficiency of CEE economies. In the short run, unemployment increases, but in the long run it decreases significantly due to the growth of investment and exports. Practical implications. The analysis makes it possible to identify effective macroeconomic policies to stimulate the productivity of the economies of Central and Eastern Europe during the period of economic recovery and depression. Value/originality. A long-term study of the economic performance of CEE countries using the Solow methodology has revealed the behavior of total factor productivity in different periods of modern economic history and its contribution to economic growth.

Basic characteristics of African swine fever, being one of the most significant transboundary infections with a devastating potential for pig production, are presented in the paper. It occurred in Georgia for the first time in 2007 and spread among domestic pigs and wild boar in the European part of the Russian Federation. After that, ASF virus was detected in Belarus, Ukraine and since 2014, the disease has been reported in the European countries. Having spread in Europe, African swine fever became an epizooty, caused by ASFV genotype II and exhibiting a deteriorating trend. Modern ASF infected areas in the Russian Federation, Europe, China and Asia are described. Currently the disease is the most serious epidemiological problem due to huge losses (high mortality among susceptible animals); ability to occur and spread in the most unexpected parts of the world and absence of specific prevention tools and means. Russia has developed a high level of expertise in the disease prevention, control and eradication. A scientifically justified set of measures to prevent and eradicate ASF, which has proved its effectiveness in the disease control, was developed and introduced. The core of this set is formed by biosafety assurance along the whole production chain at the establishments of any type of ownership involved into breeding, keeping, slaughter, processing, storage, movement and marketing of live pigs and pig products; by wild boar population control and improvement of waste management approaches. Other ASF infected countries can benefit from the Russian Federation’s experience in ASF control by adapting it to the concrete region with due regard to local social and economic conditions.

Abstract. Introduction. Agriculture plays prominent role to supply people with food and industry with raw. The development of this branch depends on as economic conjuncture as nature conditions. Ukraine agriculture have developed in two directions during the period of 1991-2018. After several years of declining this branch has started reviving since 2009. The question is how successful this process is flowing. Various investigations cover analysis of dynamics, structure, correlations between indicators, forecasting and juxtaposing with other economic branches. Studying experience of other economies that had downs, but then accumulated their strengths and made economical leap, is the example for own start in development. What caused the growth and what made countries prosperous? This experience must be studied and implemented by scientists, government, and farmers. Most nowadays successful countries started from revision of existing styles of agricultural management and farm holding. They initiated reforms and adopted laws that had to support development of farms. Some of countries, that have been under influence of Soviet Union's style of management, being independent now are in the category of countries with middle or high world level of income. In contrary, Ukraine during almost thirty years of independence is fighting problems in economic development caused by negative factors including crises. To study features of countries’ growth and eliminate influence of inflation or incomparable indicators on results of analysis it is reasonable to investigate the same indicators for the similar period in determined currency. This article presents comparison results made for Ukraine Poland, Belarus, Moldova, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia despite their size and political preferences. Information for analysis used in this exploration is on the World Bank official site. Data cover the period of 1995-2019 years. Purpose. The main aim of this article is to compare indicators of agriculture development in Ukraine with other countries in order to find how successful and sufficient economic efforts of Ukraine are to raise agriculture sector on the higher level of development. Results. Conducted analysis revealed that other countries compared with Ukraine get bigger value added per worker or per unit of agriculture land. Moreover, they not only feed own country, but also sell their production abroad. Conclusions. Ukraine has the biggest soils squares to plant crops, vegetable, fruit, but it gets the least amount of profit from land usage. Ukraine has positive tendency in agriculture development, but as comparison with other countries proved the existing way of land using or cultivation, farm holding, and agriculture management is insufficient to become a prosperous country. Crop and livestock production need to be investigated deeper.

The article is devoted to the study of the biggest challenges, threats and dangers for modern Ukrainianness. The issue of challenges, threats and dangers facing Ukraine and Ukrainianness since 1991 is very relevant today. Scientists who work in the field of crisisology distinguish the concepts of «challenges», «threats», «dangers», «crises», «risks», «catastrophes», «collapse», «wreck», etc. The theoretical and methodological basis of our study is a combination of scientific potential of crisisology, conflictology and Ukrainian studies. Crisisology, conflictology and Ukrainian studies face the task of transdisciplinary understanding of the essence and severity of these challenges, threats and dangers, which are relevant in many areas such as military-defense, geopolitical, demographic, state-building, spiritual worldview, ecological, economics, energy, information, cultural and artistic, linguistic, moral and ethical, scientific, nation-building, educational, political and legal, social, territorial, technological, financial, etc. To these are added threats and dangers: 1) large-scale war with Russia; 2) total spread of COVID-19 in Ukraine; 3) the implementation of a new geostrategic course in Russia (called «geopolitical revenge»); 4) spreading the ideology of the «Russian world», intensifying new attempts by the Russian Federation to dismember Ukraine, supporting separatization and federalization of Ukraine; 5) possible escalation of the Russian-Ukrainian and Armenian-Azerbaijani conflicts, which could lead to a new global confrontation and even a world war; 6) ineffective fight against corruption in Ukraine; 7) the lack of a proper response from the authorities to the need to immediately end Russia’s information and psychological war against Ukraine; 8) destruction of small and medium business and further financial and economic stratification of Ukrainian society; 9) procrastination with the solution of the poverty problem (in conditions when about 60% of Ukrainians are below the poverty line); 10) possible man-made disasters in Ukraine; 11) possible transformation of Ukraine from a subject into an object of international relations; 12) possible rejection of European integration; 13) discrediting the Orange Revolution and the Revolution of Dignity, in order to spread Russian narratives about the coup in Ukraine; 14) intensification of interfaith conflicts in Ukraine; 15) inadequate decision-making by incompetent authorities (threat of economic decline and large-scale financial crisis in Ukraine, possible change in Ukraine’s vector of development, threat of capitulation, refusal of the authorities to resolve the «Ukrainian crisis» (which began after Russia’s aggression and has become a factor influencing the security of Europe and the world) from the standpoint of Ukraine as a subject, not an object); 16) refusal to solve the problems of internally displaced persons; 17) possible «freezing» of the Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict in order to further destabilize Ukraine; 18) strengthening of geopolitical and geoeconomic instability, intensification of intercivilizational and geopolitical confrontation in the world; 19) possible decline of democracy and rise of authoritarianism in Ukraine; 20) expansion of the border with Russia (in case of its absorption of Belarus); 21) possible disintegration of Ukrainian society and world Ukrainiannes; 22) further violation of international law by the Russian Federation; 23) exacerbation of the economic and migration crisis in Europe; 24) radicalization of part of the Islamic world; 25) due to the collapse of the USSR. The challenges, threats and dangers facing Ukrainians can unfold at the global, continental and national levels. Ukrainians must find adequate answers to modern challenges and mechanisms to minimize threats and dangers; ensure stable economic growth; to create a powerful system of national security, army and defense-industrial complex; find ways to ensure national interests in the current crisis; to develop optimal models for resolving the Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict, reintegrating the population of the occupied territories and restoring the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

Specifying system transformations of the standard-legal base of market institutions is a purpose of the article, in it in the sphere of attitudes to the work and the employment in the Republic of Belarus, in individual stages of the transformation of the economics of the country after 1991, along with establishing of main forms of the pay and stimulating the work in conditions of construction you with socially informed economics. Analysis of prescriptive acts and literature describing given issues served as research methods.

The aim of the paper is to show the impact of climate factors on the corn yield in Serbia. Contemporary climate reports show that climate is changing, and the emission of greenhouse gases is one of the main causes of climate change. In three different locations (West Bačka District, Šumadija District and Nišava District) different climatic conditions and corn yield were analyzed for the period from 1991 to 2011. In the research process, the model of multiple linear regression and Pearson coefficient of correlation was applied. Obtained results has shown that there is a high correlation between parameters of climate conditions and variance of corn yield. A small amount of precipitation quantity and high maximum values of temperatures in the vegetation period influenced the decrease in yield, which was particularly noticed during the period from 2000 to 2007. A lower yield of corn was established compared to the average yield in all three observed districts, in the Šumadija district, the yield was lower 48% in 2000 and 52% in 2007, in the West Bačka District, a yield was lower 40% in 2000 and 20% in 2007, and in the Nišava District, the yield was lower 65% in 2000 and 49% in 2007. There are perennial variations of climatic factors, especially temperature and precipitation quantity, which affect the realization of the economic profitability of growing agricultural plant species. Losses in agriculture can be higher in conditions of an unstable climate. It is necessary to more precisely predict climate change and create new hybrids and varieties for cultivation that will be adaptable to changed climate conditions. Adaptations of plants to climatic conditions changes will contribute to greater economy of agricultural production, and the provision of food for the world's population.

Much politico-economic research on individuals' preferences is cross-sectional and does not model dynamic aspects of preference or attitude formation. I present a Bayesian dynamic panel model, which facilitates the analysis of repeated preferences using individual-level panel data. My model deals with three problems. First, I explicitly include feedback from previous preferences taking into account that available survey measures of preferences are categorical. Second, I model individuals' initial conditions when entering the panel as resulting from observed and unobserved individual attributes. Third, I capture unobserved individual preference heterogeneity both via standard parametric random effects and a robust alternative based on Bayesian nonparametric density estimation. I use this model to analyze the impact of income and wealth on preferences for government intervention using the British Household Panel Study from 1991 to 2007.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study concerned the piratical attacks occurring along the East and West coasts of Africa. Although maritime piracy along the coasts of Africa is not a new phenomenon, recent upsurges in piratical attacks have attracted a great deal of attention. Despite Nigeria being long considered as the hotspot for piratical activity in Africa, the greatest upsurge of piratical activity has been seen in the areas surrounding Somalia, including the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. The primary objective of this study is to identify the main causes of maritime piracy in Somalia and Nigeria. Also the correlation between state capacity (failed or weak) and the motivations for piracy (greed or grievance) is investigated. The secondary objectives of this study are to investigate the direct manifestations of piracy, as well as the current counter piracy initiatives. This is done in order to evaluate the successes and failures of current counter-piracy approaches in order to create more viable and successful counter measures. It is found that historical factors, as well as political, economic, social and environmental factors contribute greatly to the rise of maritime piracy in both Somalia and Nigeria. Furthermore, it has been found that there are numerous direct causes of piracy in these two countries. These differences and similarities have been investigated using a comparative analysis framework.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie het betrekking tot die seerowery wat langs die Oos-en Weskus van Afrika plaasvind. Alhoewel seerowery langs die kus van Afrika nie 'n nuwe verskynsel is nie, het die onlangse oplewing van seerower-aanvalle baie aandag geniet in verskeie oorde. Ten spyte daarvan dat Nigerië lank beskou was as die probleem-area vir seerower aktiwiteit in Afrika, word die grootste toename van seerowery in die gebiede rondom Somalië, insluitend die Golf van Aden en die Indiese Oseaan ervaar. Die primêre doel van hierdie studie is om die oorsake van seerowery in Somalië en Nigerië te identifiseer. Die verband tussen staat-kapasiteit (mislukte of swak) en die motiverings vir seerowery (gierigheid of griewe) word ondersoek. Die sekondêre doelwitte van hierdie studie is om die direkte manifestasies van seerowery te ondersoek, sowel as die huidige teen-seerower inisiatiewe. Dit word gedoen om die suksesse en mislukkings van die huidige teen-seerower benaderings te evalueer ten einde meer lewensvatbare en suksesvolle teenmaatreels te skep. Dit is gevind dat historiese faktore, sowel as die politieke-, ekonomiese-, sosiale- en omgewings- faktore baie bydra tot die ontstaan en opbloei van seerowery in Somalië en Nigerië. Dit is gevind dat daar talle direkte oorsake van seerowery in hierdie twee lande is. Hierdie verskille en ooreenkomste is ondersoek met behulp van vergelykende analises.

Defence date: 14 December 2010
Examining Board: László Bruszt (EUI) (Supervisor); Sven Steinmo (EUI); Terry Lynn Karl (Stanford University); Béla Greskovits (Central European University)
PDF of thesis uploaded from the Library digital archive of EUI PhD theses
This thesis explains the divergent outcomes in the evolution of political and economic institutions in two neighboring countries : Belarus and Ukraine between 1991 and 2007. Beyond the principal focus on these two pathways, the thesis also incorporates the examination of a third one, that of Russia, for various empirical, theoretical and methodological reasons. It explores in detail how the disparity in a quality of domestic political competition (largely determined by the strength of nationalist movements, the constellation of elites, and the European leverage and linkage) together with the variables of the external rent flows (timing of the external rent-expansion, costs, ownership and the perceived stability of rents) set the two countries on divergent paths. Going deeper, it analyses the logic behind both reproduction and change of political and economic institutions in Belarus and Ukraine. The focus on the dimension of external rents is the main added value and that what contributes to the uniqueness of this project, for it explains - why, when, how and in conjunction with what other factors, external economic rents steered the pathways away from autocratic socialism.