The paper presents a study of waste statistics in Belarus based on the examination of Belarusian and European legislation, statistical reporting forms, and databases. The study reveals that the Belarusian statistics on waste faces three types of problems: those associated with the methodology, recording and coverage, and insufficient degree of international comparability of data, in particular, with the European Union countries.

This policy paper looks at who are women in Belarus’ business, are there any gender differences that impact on the effectiveness and successfulness of business. The study also analyses the external and internal factors that impede business development and motives to enter business. The main barriers that face women entrepreneurs are related to the quality of the functioning entrepreneurial ecosystem. However, equally important role is played by the preservation of the traditional division of social roles in terms of household work and childcare sharing. As the results show, the majority of female business owners no longer perceive as a norm the current state of affairs.

The quality of institutions is a major factor in the success or failure of nations and a fundamental source of differences in per capita income between countries. This work is devoted to the analysis of the definition of institutions and studies their impact on the economic development of developed and developing countries. The state of institutional development in Belarus for 1996-2015 is assessed, and the directions of further development of institutions based on the experience of other countries are considered.

This study estimates the number of the working-age population, unemployed in the economy, in the Belarusian regions for 2007-2015 covered by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus from 2 April 2015 №3 "On the prevention of social dependency". The paper analyzes the relationship between the number of this group of population and regional economic development of Belarus. The results show that the presence of the working-age population, unemployed in the economy, is mostly an economic phenomenon related to the level of economic development of a certain region, district or city of Belarus.

Trust in the society promotes cooperative behavior outside inner circle and can be associated with socio-economic development. This paper considers the current level and dynamics of trust in Belarusian society, the interaction of trust and the quality of institutions, and the role of trust in achieving economic growth. A number of mechanisms promoting the development of trust are presented.

Although the government’s plans to raise foreign financing were fulfilled, the results of 2017 were ambiguous in this respect. The private sector and, especially, hi-tech startups generated investors’ profound interest. Investments in the public sector were provided by the state through external borrowing and redistribution of funds raised this way. The public sector thus remains unattractive for investors, but, in fact, it seeks state subsides, rather than investments. In 2017, the government took a number of important steps to improve the regulatory framework for investment and to stimulate business ventures.

Foreign Investment: Startups and Innovations or Loans