From November 2021 to June 2024, BEROC developed academic and applied research on the Belarusian economy while strengthening connections between Belarusian economists and the international academic community.
Research during this period covered economic and structural reforms, macroeconomics and monetary policy, private sector development and entrepreneurship, innovation, socio-economic issues, gender, and the green economy.
BEROC produced 28 working papers and 40 policy papers during the period.
Economic and Structural Reforms
A significant part of BEROC’s research focused on the structural challenges facing the Belarusian economy and possible directions for future economic reforms.
Research examined the pension system and labor market, private sector development, monetary policy frameworks, intersectoral linkages, foreign trade and export diversification, as well as economic values and public attitudes towards economic reforms.
BEROC researchers also contributed to work examining the potential economic reconstruction and transformation of Belarus, including the scale and direction of reforms that could accompany a future transition towards a more efficient market-oriented economy.
Macroeconomics and Finance
BEROC conducted research on longer-term macroeconomic and financial developments affecting Belarus. Key topics included inflation, monetary policy, the financial system, the currency market, foreign trade, and the effects of international sanctions on the Belarusian economy.
Researchers also developed a quarterly projection model for Belarus and examined the country’s changing economic relationship with Russia and the implications of growing external economic dependence.
Private Sector, Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Private sector development remained an important area of BEROC’s research. Following the large-scale relocation of Belarusian businesses after 2020, BEROC studied business migration, the experience of Belarusian entrepreneurs operating in European countries, and the challenges facing Belarusian businesses abroad.
Research also addressed entrepreneurship, innovation, the IT sector, the role of ICT in business performance, investment, competitiveness, small and medium-sized enterprises, and business associations.
During this period, BEROC continued its participation in the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), a major international research initiative on entrepreneurship. BEROC published its second GEM report on Belarus in 2022 and began work on the third report in 2024.
Socio-Economic Research
BEROC’s research examined a range of socio-economic challenges affecting Belarus, including the labor market, pensions, demography, healthcare, poverty, migration, and the socio-economic position of vulnerable groups.
Migration became a particularly important area of research following the large-scale emigration from Belarus after 2020. BEROC produced estimates of migration flows from Belarus to European Union countries and studied their implications for Belarus and the wider region.
Research during the period also covered occupational mobility, demographic change, healthcare, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and perceptions of violence and their socio-economic determinants.
Gender and the Economy
Gender remained an important cross-cutting dimension of BEROC’s research. Dedicated studies examined domestic violence, gender inequality during the COVID-19 pandemic, the effects of stress following the outbreak of Russia’s war against Ukraine, and gender differences in life expectancy.
Green Economy
BEROC continued to develop research on the green economy and sustainable development, examining their implications for Belarus as well as broader questions of sustainable finance and economic transformation.
Research in this area included work on the prospects for a circular economy in Belarus and on the role of public policy in the development of sustainable finance in the European Union.
International Academic Cooperation
International academic cooperation remained an important part of BEROC’s research model. During the period, BEROC collaborated with Belarusian researchers based at universities and research institutions all over the world, including through joint research and co-authored academic publications.
These collaborations supported the application of international research standards and methodologies and helped maintain strong links between Belarusian economic research and the wider international academic community.
Selected academic publications from the period include:
- “Effects of stress on pain in females using a mobile health app in the Russia-Ukraine conflict,” published in npj Mental Health Research;
- “Role of ICT-Related Dynamic Capabilities in SMEs’ Performance,” published in The Journal of Technology Transfer;
- “Gender Inequality Under Laissez-Faire Covid-19: Case of Belarus,” published in Comparative Economic Studies;
- “Assessing the influence of institutions on students’ entrepreneurial dynamics: evidence from European post-socialist and market-oriented economies,” published in Small Business Economics;
- “Development of Sustainable Finance in the European Union: The Role of Public Policy,” published in the Handbook of Environmental and Green Finance: Toward a Sustainable Future;
- “Russian Policy toward Belarus after 2020. At a Turning Point?”, published by Lexington Books.