The first appearance of the concept of vulnerable social groups in a European legal context can be traced back to the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights. The expression was originally usedin relation to the Romani minority, however, in later decisions, the forum drew attention to the vulnerability of several different groups – among others, the mentally disabled, people living with HIV and asylum seekers. The recognition of vulnerability simultaneously requires special measures taken to protect the interests of those affected. Read more... (Dániel Szilágyi)

Increasing number of re-municipalisation cases and enhancing public influence in service provision indicate a major policy shift in public service management. The former privatisation trend in water management and other infrastructure services seem to be reversed. The question is whether international donors, financing institutions and technical assistance programs acknowledge these changes and take into account this new political reality? Read more... (Gábor Péteri)

One of our previous blog posts already discussed the development of public-private partnership in the last two decades, as well as its benefits and potential negative effects in detail. Yuri Krivorotko's note will examine why PPPs need in Belarus and what are the main results and shortcomings in establishing the necessary regulatory and financial framework. The author argues that, for Belarusian economy and finance, PPP becomes even more demanded and urgent. Read more...

A major goal within the 2013 reform of the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is “greening” of farming activities (that is land use change to environmentally more beneficial farming practices). The CAP provides direct incentives for such activities by means of green subsidies. This note summarise the results of an "auction game" testing the farmer's motivation for using one of the specific instruments of that greening policy. Read more... (András Kis and Gábor Ungvári)

For a long time the Belarusian authorities characterized their national and subnational budgets with a welfare orientation. This brief note focuses on two questions: (i) what tendencies of social budgetary policy can be observed in the time of economic recession and (ii) how consistent was the welfare orientation of the central and local budgets in practice. Read more ... (Yuri Krivorotko)

Public Private Partnership in infrastructure development divides politicians, economists and social scientists, as well. The recent hostility towards PPPs could be reversed by introducing new fiscal rules and regulatory techniques. However, these public financial management methods will work only if the political and governance environment is able to use them effectively. Read more... (Gábor Péteri)