Word "liberalization" inserted in old programs
This is how this country's leading economists describe the state anti-crisis program. The government of Belarus has approved an anti-crisis program, but the text is kept secret for the public. The European Radio for Belarus has asked the country's leading economists to evaluate the efficiency of this program and to propose their first step to overcome the crisis.
The program has no understanding what should be done. It reflects yesterday's problems, while the situation is different today, believes Pavel Daneika, the chancellor of the Moscow Business School:
"We have so far used yesterday's notions to understand today. Therefore, all those measures are outdated. The crisis is the birth of the new. One should understand what economy will look like tomorrow and help it get born. This must be the logic of anti-crisis measures".
Economist Siarhei Chaly does not see anything new in this program, either:
"They were told to write about liberalization. They just pick the old programs and insert the word "liberalization". There is a paradox here. The presidential administration is interested in the program and demands it. But people have long since been unable to write doable programs. The economy ministry has a program to attract foreign investments, but it has not changed for 10 years".
Leanid Zaika, an economist and a member of the public and consultative council under the presidential administration, reckons that the staff of the government is unable to write a decent program, because many people there do not understand the situation as they have technical educational background.
What step should be taken, in the view of our economists?
In the view of Siarhei Chaly, the elements of the old system should be rid of in order to generate anti-crisis measures:
"There has been an attempt to converge capitalism and socialism. Since this system did not operate properly, it had to be supported all the time through the regulation of prices and subsidies for enterprises. Today, this should be stopped. The state regulation of costs and wages should be removed".
If subsidies for enterprises are abolished and all of them are in the same conditions, it will become clear right away who will survive, who should be supported and who should be closed down, adds Siarhei Chaly.
Leanid Zaika has proposed 5 first anti-crisis steps, including the resignation of the government.
"Firstly, a thorough evaluation and analysis of the Belarusian economic performance indicators should be carried out.
Secondly, these parameters should be used to determine the weak points and development vectors to influence on the situation.
Thirdly, there should be a thorough selection of specialists to work at ministries and government agencies.
Fourthly, there will be a need to set up a national committee that will be able to develop a program of actions. Otherwise, everything that has been prepared by the government is nothing but a list of measures proposed by various ministries and agencies. There is no systemic approach".
Finally, Zaika proposes the government to resign so that the head of the state could employ a good anti-crisis team to run the economy at the time of the anti-crisis measures.
Photo: ICS-Новини
The program has no understanding what should be done. It reflects yesterday's problems, while the situation is different today, believes Pavel Daneika, the chancellor of the Moscow Business School:
"We have so far used yesterday's notions to understand today. Therefore, all those measures are outdated. The crisis is the birth of the new. One should understand what economy will look like tomorrow and help it get born. This must be the logic of anti-crisis measures".
Economist Siarhei Chaly does not see anything new in this program, either:
"They were told to write about liberalization. They just pick the old programs and insert the word "liberalization". There is a paradox here. The presidential administration is interested in the program and demands it. But people have long since been unable to write doable programs. The economy ministry has a program to attract foreign investments, but it has not changed for 10 years".
Leanid Zaika, an economist and a member of the public and consultative council under the presidential administration, reckons that the staff of the government is unable to write a decent program, because many people there do not understand the situation as they have technical educational background.
What step should be taken, in the view of our economists?
In the view of Siarhei Chaly, the elements of the old system should be rid of in order to generate anti-crisis measures:
"There has been an attempt to converge capitalism and socialism. Since this system did not operate properly, it had to be supported all the time through the regulation of prices and subsidies for enterprises. Today, this should be stopped. The state regulation of costs and wages should be removed".
If subsidies for enterprises are abolished and all of them are in the same conditions, it will become clear right away who will survive, who should be supported and who should be closed down, adds Siarhei Chaly.
Leanid Zaika has proposed 5 first anti-crisis steps, including the resignation of the government.
"Firstly, a thorough evaluation and analysis of the Belarusian economic performance indicators should be carried out.
Secondly, these parameters should be used to determine the weak points and development vectors to influence on the situation.
Thirdly, there should be a thorough selection of specialists to work at ministries and government agencies.
Fourthly, there will be a need to set up a national committee that will be able to develop a program of actions. Otherwise, everything that has been prepared by the government is nothing but a list of measures proposed by various ministries and agencies. There is no systemic approach".
Finally, Zaika proposes the government to resign so that the head of the state could employ a good anti-crisis team to run the economy at the time of the anti-crisis measures.
Photo: ICS-Новини
