Advantages of civil service

The hierarchic structure of the social group of civil servants, therefore, looks like this (based on the respondents’ opinions):

– low level (specialists, minor executives in departments) – «ordinary executives, nothing depends on them», «this is the army: they are told to attack – they attack»;

– medium level (division, department heads) – «their position can mean something only on condition their immediate superior does not mind; if the superior does mind, though, there is certain variability in the position. Normally, the boss allows direct initiatives, bypassing himself, if he agrees with the proposal, but does not want to share responsibility»;

– upper level starts from directors, those «who can visit ministers directly and get direct messages across to the top level officials», «those who have the signatory authority, without whom no paper will move on, but there are few people like this»;

– top level, the elite in power – starts from the ministerial level, «not every ministry, though, as they have their own rules of the game».

The significant divisions among civil servants are not only vertical, but also horizontal. Most of the respondents noted permanent difficulties in the interaction with other state agencies and organizations. The questioned officials note a growing horizontal stratification tendency over the past few years. Efficient cooperation among various state agencies is only possible by way of personal contacts with representatives of a counterpart agency or out of fear of the supreme authorities.

resorts»). Some respondents, mostly younger ones, noted that privileges of this kind were not essential factors, albeit very pleasant: «Health resorts and the special treatment commission may be crucial for older staff members, it is hard to give up these benefits and get back to regular clinics, but it is not the key motive».

They also tend to mention travel privileges («although they have been abolished for many»), service vehicles («very limited lately»), and service apartments (for ministers, some MPs and prosecutors, etc.);

– side jobs («give lectures that will be interesting, because you have access to information»). But this sort of moonlighting is not available to all, despite its legal status (stipulated in the law). «It depends on the attitude of bosses; some are loyal, some do not allow this. Last year, 20 people were fired from the Tax Ministry, because their teaching and consulting salaries were over their official salary; the administration thought they had ignored their official duties, although there were no remarks or complains whatsoever»;

– possibility to settle the «housing problem». However, «they do not hand out apartments to all», «the waiting list is not for all, it could be closed or include the chosen ones», «in the National Bank, State Control Committee and the Council of Ministers they build a lot [of dwellings], in ministries they give one apartment a year, and it is not clear how they choose to give it», «concessional home loans are only granted to security officials, in other ministries it is much more difficult – there is one apartment for the entire ministry», «where they build a lot, they can legally build two or three apartments (for children and grandchildren)», «top officials have their dwelling problems settled fast and elegantly, smaller officials may have it harder, but as a rule, it is easier for them to deal with housing than for other people», «ordinary officials may hardly resolve their housing problems easier.

If you have contacts, then you have more possibilities. They do not share their possibilities with their subordinates»;

– possibility for high%ranking officials to have additional incomes (such possibilities and limitations will be described below).

– Most of the respondents therefore admit that civil servants enjoy special privileges and benefits. However, they tend to mention discrimination,

«defectiveness of their benefits» compared to Russian officials’ privileges: «A medium rank official does not have to hide and drives his Land Cruiser, a second8 rated official goes to Africa on a safari». That is, there is a huge difference between salaries and other benefits available to Belarusian and Russian civil servants.

– Besides material benefits, civil service provides non%material ones. The main non8material incentives and advantages of civil service are:

– prestige, status – this factor was named by the majority of the respondents, most of the younger ones (30 to 35 years of age) made it the most essential factors («you are not working for some firm selling diapers», «decent position that sounds nice», «many believe they are very important and are proud of their status», «the sense of the high status and prestige»);

– career prospects («a step, a launch somewhere», «easier to break through or self8identify», «you can become a department head when you get 31, but you

Tatiana Lisovskaya, Elena Rakova

will look like you’re 40, because you have to work nights», «you either get connections or climb the ladder». But «everything depends on your luck and abilities – there are examples of meteoric careers, and some sit in the same chair for 25 years», «chance to get to the very top of authorities» (long%term career).

The latter is mentioned by younger respondents. There is a different opinion, though: «Some become civil servants out of desperation after they fail in business or production»;

– chance to bolster self%esteem, improve self%appraisal and address personal complexes («some like walking in suits with a brief case»), «possibility to indulge your vanity», «a red jacket with golden letters», «for the sake of talking about the interests of the country and their special mission»;

– establishment and development of connections, contacts and networks that help deal with personal problems faster and easier than other people: «mom works for the Education Ministry – the kid will enter the university, dad is a police officer – easier for the kid to get away with it if he misbehaves»; («then get a good position in a business that deals with the same things», «you have contacts, you know people to call, to make arrangements», the main thing is «to get to know people and leave for the real sector», «to a better position in real production»);

– possibility to advance professionally. Unfortunately, many respondents mention the formal character of career progression programs, besides, «advanced training is available only in the Presidential Management Academy, where the teaching staff leaves much to be desired». «It is easy to take a training of the National Bank in Raubichi, but it is only a chance to have fun». At the same time, real and efficient advanced training, especially abroad, is quite problematic: «The Council of Ministers sometimes decides on sending its staff abroad, but each ministry must provide financing independently. As a result, there is no money, and the best specialists of the ministry write down lectures read by a university lecturer who knows everything from books and has never seen a real share». Only the Vienna⁸ courses are available now, although some representatives with some state organizations have been trained in China;

– confidence in stable employment and sense of stability on the whole («some feel better feeling that they work for the state»). The respondents believe the state system is rather tough at the lower and medium levels («if you care just a bit, if you don’t tell your boss to get off your back when he asks you to do something, and if you are not two hours late every day – then you won’t get fired, you will stay despite all the contracts»);

– chance of self%fulfillment: «Someone works for the Foreign Ministry because they simply like it. They are not many, but there are some».

It should be remarked that despite the disagreement of many respondents that high salaries could be considered an important incentive and privilege in their jobs, statistics prove that salaries of civil servants stand way above the average wage for Belarusian’s (about 50%), and are higher than salaries in the budget sector (see

8 IMF training at the Joint Vienna Institute (JVI) is open to officials from Central and Eastern European countries, the former Soviet Union in Russian and English.

Social contract: civil servants

Figure 1). Officials’ salaries were growing fastest in 2004 and 2007 (see the appendix).

Source: Authors’ calculations based on BELSTAT data.

Figure 1. Salaries in state administration as opposed to salaries in other sectors and the average for the country

At the same time, most civil servants seem to experience cognitive dissonance: on the one hand, Russian salaries and Ukrainian corruption are on everyone’s lips; on the other hand, officials want not only higher%than%average salaries, but also compensations similar to those in the banking sector and oil processing. The U.S. $400–600 «normal average» salaries are not considered at all, they simply dismiss them. Many officials believe the adequate level of compensations today «is when a person can pay the home loan and also have something to live off. Today this is about U.S. $2,000–2,500. But many officials would be so happy if their salaries were raised to U.S. $1,500».