Working Papers
The Impact of the Russian crisis on the Belarusian economy: the trade channel
A chapter by Kateryna Bornukova and Igor Livshits titled The Impact of the Russian crisis on the Belarusian economy: the trade channel is published in a book The Russian Economy under Putin edited by Torbjörn Becker and Susanne Oxenstierna.
Abstract: The recession in Russia in 2015 had a profound effect on the Belarusian economy. The Russian market is the main destination for Belarusian exports. We focus on the contribution of the trade as a major shock transmission mechanism. We find that the decline in exports to Russia explains about two-thirds of the GDP drop in Belarus in 2015. Despite the decline in the Russian market and the large devaluation of the Belarusian rouble, most Belarusian exporters failed to find new markets for their goods. We complement our macro-level analysis based on trade data and national accounts with industry-level case studies highlighting the key transmission mechanisms at play.