Paper/Speech Details of Conference Program for the 25th NISPAcee Annual Conference Program Overview III. PA Reform Author(s) Ina Ramasheuskaya IPU - Public Administration Research Centre Misnk Belarus Rabava Natallia, Title What Governs those who Govern the State: Motivation of Belarusian Public Officials in Numbers File Paper files are available only for conference participants, please login first. Presenter Ina Ramasheuskaya Abstract Building the quality public administration system is one of the key ways to increase the competitiveness of Belarusian economy. As indicated in the Strategic program for the sustainable development of Belarus till 2030, one of the challenges that need to be addressed in order to improve the effectiveness and quality of governance is to raise professionalism and prestige of civil service. Without close attention to the issues of motivation among civil servants it is not possible to focus the public administration system on the implementation of new goals and tasks, including the interaction with civil society on a wide range on social and economic development issues. The paper addresses the issue of public officials’ motivation in Belarus. The results are derives from 301 questionnaires filed in by civil servants and employees of state organizations in Belarus. Key words: civil service, motivation, Belarus. Research results Building a high-quality public administration system is one of the key factors required to increase the competitiveness of Belarusian national economy. As it is indicated in the draft of the Program for social and economic development of Belarus 2016-2020 , to improve the quality of economic management the government plans a few measures focused on increasing the quality of governmental operations. In particular, there will be measures to increase the prestige of public service, as well as the measures to introduce effective motivation mechanisms for civil servants (Sections 9 and 19). There are also plans to increase the range of opportunities for professional development of civil servants, including international experience exchange programs. The objective of this research was to assess the effectiveness of existing motivation instruments that are currently employed in central and local governments as well as in public organizations in Belarus. This forms the first part of the questionnaire. We also supposed that the motivation of public officials is closely linked to their understanding of goals and objectives of their organizations, was well as their understanding of their own work objectives and priorities, therefore we put these questions in the second part of our questionnaire. The third part included questions about whether salaries in their organizations are linked to performance, and also how often and who evaluates performances in their organizations. The fourth block of questions focused on opportunities for professional development in their organizations, and who is in charge of employees’ professional development decisions. The questionnaire was returned by 301 individuals, among which 15% indicated that they work in central government, 48% - in local government and 37% - in various governmental organizations located in Minsk, regional and district centers. Among three top motivation instruments used in the organizations where respondents work were: financial instruments (bonuses, monetary awards etc.), professional development opportunities and various non-financial rewards (thank-you letters from top managers, certificates of being a “best employee” over a year etc.). Financial rewards are most often employed in central government bodies and governmental organizations, while in local government organizations the most frequently used motivation instruments is offering the opportunities for professional development.
