Social Policy, Poverty, and Inequality in Central and Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union

This book takes stock of the diverse and divergent welfare trajectories of postsocialist countries across central, eastern, and southeastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. It traces the impacts in terms of poverty, well-being, and inequality of over two decades of transformation, addressing both the legacy effects of socialist welfare systems and the installation of new social, political, and economic structures and, in many cases, new independent nation-states. Authors from different disciplines address key aspects of social protection including health care, poverty reduction measures, active labor market policies, pension systems, and child welfare systems.