Ranking Belarus on competitiveness and economic freedom

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide primary data so that Belarus can be incorporated into existing Global Performance Indicators (GPIs).

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a survey following World Economic Forum (WEF) methods and combined our data with publicly available information.

Findings

The authors find that Belarus would have risen from 61st in the 2012/2013 Global Competitiveness Index to 55th in 2013/2014. The authors also estimate a position of 125th on the 2018 Economic Freedom Index.

Research limitations/implications

Many GPIs have flaws and the findings outline how they can be improved to gain more accurate views.

Practical implications

Policymakers can now make meaningful judgments around how competitive the Belarusian economy is, and the extent of economic freedom relative to its peers.

Social implications

Belarus has received sanctions on account of its policy environment and this paper sheds light on the current state of economic freedom.

Originality/value

The paper utilises primary data that has been previously unpublished in the English language.

Citation

Evans, A. and Naurodski, S. (2019), "Ranking Belarus on competitiveness and economic freedom", Journal of Entrepreneurship and Public Policy, Vol. 8 No. 2, pp. 226-240. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEPP-07-2019-108