Белорусская экономика: тише едешь, дальше будешь

The Belarusian Economy: The Slower You Go, the Farther You Are From the Destination By Yelena Rakava Experience of the 1990s gives researchers an opportunity to study comprehensively market-oriented reforms carried out by countries in Central and Eastern Europe and the Baltic states. At the start, many of these countries had similar conditions inherited from the Soviet system – the lack of a natural production structure, false costs, state sector predominance and a distorted system of incentives. Although the countries launched political and economic reform almost simultaneously in the early 1990s, they now differ in economic development, investment environment and living standards. Belarus, which is about to begin a market-oriented reform, has a unique opportunity to take advantage of the neighbors' experience to avoid their mistakes. The research focuses on various models of socioeconomic development, the economy of freedom and prosperity, market-building strategies, Belarus' monetary, budget, tax and social policies, private sector formation, privatization and restructuring and Belarus' foreign economic ties.