Description
Book SynopsisCook explores the politics and policy of social welfare from 1990 to 2004 in the Russian Federation, Poland, Hungary, Belarus, and Kazakhstan.
Trade Review"Linda J. Cook is the leading expert on the subject of welfare state policies and politics in Russia and in the postcommunist sphere more generally. In Postcommunist Welfare States, she argues that political, rather than economic or social, factors determine the effectiveness of policy reforms. Her detailed discussion of a wide range of social policies is a tremendous asset and makes this book a valuable and lasting resource."—Thomas Remington, Emory University
"In Postcommunist Welfare States, Linda J. Cook offers an innovative application of welfare state theory to explain the variable trajectories of welfare states in Russia and the other postcommunist states of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Her mastery of the political economic contexts and experiences as well as social policy changes in these systems is impressive."—Duane Swank, Marquette University
Table of ContentsList of Figures and Tables
AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Welfare States and
Postcommunist Transitions
1. Old Welfare State Structures and Reform Strategies
2. Non-negotiated Liberalization: Decentralizing
Russia's Welfare State and Moving It Off-Budget
3. Contested Liberalization: Russia’s Politics of
Polarization and Informalization
4. Welfare Reform in Putin’s Russia: Negotiating Liberalization within
the Elite
5. Comparing Postcommunist Welfare Politics in Poland,
Hungary, Kazakhstan, and Belarus
Conclusion: Negotiating Welfare in Democratic and
Authoritarian Transitions
