Analysis of governance in Belarus: new working papers
The team of the research project “Investigating Good Governance in the Context of Authoritarian Consolidation: The Case of Belarus” (InGAC), which examines governance dynamics in Belarus between 2014 and 2025, has released a series of working papers presenting the main findings of the study. The papers focus on three areas: public administration, public finance, and environmental governance. They analyse how these areas have evolved following the 2020 political crisis and Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s support for Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The studies reveal that Belarusian authorities selectively applied certain good governance principles in policy design without explicitly adopting the concept. During the relatively liberal period of 2014 to 2020, international cooperation created limited opportunities for reform-oriented ministries and officials. When political and geopolitical crises led most international actors to withdraw from Belarus, some organisations, mainly UN agencies, remained and adapted to the new environment, continuing to work closely with the government. Several interviewees also noted that Russia has taken the place of many previously active international actors. The regime continues to use cooperation with international organisations in areas such as environmental governance as a tool for external legitimacy.
The InGAC project used a mixed-method approach that combined analysis of international governance indicators, a newly compiled database of 89 international projects on good governance implemented in Belarus, and 39 qualitative interviews with experts, former civil servants, and civil society representatives. The team has also prepared a methodological explainer describing the data and methods used in the research.
You may find all 3 working papers and the methodology explainer here:
- Working paper “Good governance and public administration in Belarus in 2014-2025”;
- Working paper “Environmental governance in Belarus: developments between 2014 and 2025”;
- Working paper “Public finance and good governance in Belarus, 2014–2025”;
- Project “Investigating good governance in the context of authoritarian consolidation: the case of Belarus” (InGAC) Methodology explainer.
These working papers and the methodology explainer are part of a project (“Investigating Good Governance in the Context of Authoritarian Consolidation: The Case of Belarus (InGAC)”, Grant Agreement No. NDICI-GEO-NEAR/2022/434-092-0063) that has received co-funding by the European Union under the EU4Belarus – Support for Advanced Learning and Training (EUSALT II) programme. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the researchers only and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency.
