ABSTRACT
Local governance institutions are an essential part of every modern state regardless of the political regime or territorial size of the country and their functioning varies significantly due to political, economic and cultural factors. This chapter examines the notion of local governance in Belarus, the legislation on local governance and its application and the actual functioning of local governance in the country. The first part deals with the notion of local government in Belarus; the second part examines the system of local government; and the third discusses the possible reform of the administrative division of Belarus and the impact of the economic and financial crisis. The new reform requires the adoption of new or changes in current laws on regional development, local governance and self-governance, as well as changes on the financial basis of local self-governance, associations of organs of local self-governance, administrative-territorial division, civil code, tax code and others.
