State Programs in Belarus - Improving Design and Implementation
This Policy Paper analyses the new approach to the development and implementation of State Programs in Belarus. State Programs are adopted for a five-year period, and the current 5-year cycle covering the period from 2016 to 2020 is based on a new legislative framework, which shall improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Programs. State Programs provide for a significant share of government support to the real economy through budget subsidies for the purchase of equipment, or loans to support the introduction of innovative technologies. In the past, this state support has taken a range of other forms, including tax exemptions, discounted prices, or direct financial support. The Policy Paper concludes that a number of questions still need to be answered, and past patterns of government’s involvement in the economy need to be overturned in order to reach the objective of im-proved efficiency and effectiveness of public finance.