The citizens of Belarus are not equipped to support reforms needed to establish a democratic society and a free market economy. Small private enterprises and groups of individual entrepreneurs are being supported to enlarge their role in the economy. Growth in the role of NGOs supported by communities and in the role of private entrepreneurs will develop a consensus for reform. Achievement of greater civic participation will be evident in growth among NGOs working at the community level, and in growth in the role and numbers of small enterprises and entrepreneurs in the private economy. The legacy of Soviet authoritarian political control and centralized management of the society constrains the will and ability of the citizenry to participate in an open democratic society.
Authoritarian control extends to economic as well as political and civic activity.
The three are linked since centralized economic decision-making encourages the continuing dependence of individuals on the state and reinforces authoritarian control over political and civic life. Because civil society development is at such an early stage, with limited understanding of its role, the first priority is to demonstrate the effectiveness of civil society in achieving common goals. These indigenous groups have addressed many of the needs of people living in this politically repressed, socially under-served and economically deteriorating country. NGOs are in all regions of the country and are diverse in their approaches to serving their constituencies, but they share the objective of improving peoples lives, understanding that the people themselves must take responsibility for doing so. Centralized and often unpredictable economic decision-making undermines opportunities for growth of the economy, especially for the private sector.