New Eastern Europe Social Policy Past, Present and Future

Revolutions against communist regimes all over Eastern Europe have been acclaimed as heralding a new era of individual freedom, political democracy, and market economy. Yet these radical and rapid transitions exact social costs that, in turn, raise pressing questions about social policy in the new nations and republics: What is happening to the state-organized system of social guarantees, free hospitals, child-care benefits for working women, and other welfare services? Who now provides for the unemployed and the poor? Bringing together leading specialists on the social policy of the former Soviet Union, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, and Poland, this book systematically outlines the shortcomings of the old bureaucratic collectivist brand of welfare. The authors explain why the emerging system is--at least initially--often inadequate. Emphasizing this unique period of transition, The New Eastern Europe vividly demonstrates the difficulty of balancing social justice and economic efficiency in social policy. This accessible and timely volume is essential reading for students of comparative social policy, Soviet and Eastern European studies, and East European social policy, politics, and administration. "It [the book] is valuable because it gives the discussion of social policy a more global perspective. It is timely because all the countries are at such a crucial phase of development....puts social policy analysis into its global context." --Journal of Area Studies "Deacon and colleagues, many with first-hand experience of the old systems, have assembled an excellent overview of recent developments in social policy in five countries of Central and Eastern Europe. They combine detaileddescription of recent changes and future prospects with a more general consideration of social policy." --Critical Public HealthCastle-Kanerova, Mita is the author of 'New Eastern Europe Social Policy Past, Present and Future' with ISBN 9780803984394 and ISBN 0803984391.