“Market Socialism” in Lukashenko’s Belarus: Egalitarianism, Neo-patrimonialism, and External Dependency

This article reviews the dynamics of “market socialism” in Lukachenko’s Belarus, along with its depiction as a possible ‘model’ for post-soviet countries. The model postulates a high degree of intervention of the state in market mechanisms, notably with respect to the redistribution of wealth produced within the country. On one hand, promoting ‘market socialism’ does not prevent the existence of neopatrimonial practices in Belarus, as in other countries of the former USSR, even though this is more the expression of neopatrimonialism within the state that a case of patrimonialisation of the entire state. On the other hand, the article argues, ‘market socialism’ appears to owe more to a high degree of dependency towards Russia than to solid economic fundations. These modes of operation lead some authors to depict the ‘Belarus model’ as a ‘myth’.