In-depth interviews conducted with various representatives of the key institutions of the state government of Belarus have identified the following major deficiencies of the state service as mentioned by state employees themselves: material ones, expressed in officials’ dissatisfaction with their revenues (with the exception of top level officials and law enforcers); psychological, connected with constant stress, the inability to take the initiative, creativity and professional growth; system, manifested in the inefficiency of the formal organizational structure and bureaucratic processes of the state service. All respondents mentioned the existence of bureaucracy as a basic shortcoming of the state service using highly emotive expressions (cretinism, idiocy, insanity).