Best wishes,

Alfio

***************************************************************************

8th ESPAnet Conference 2010 (http://www.espanet2010.net/en/)

Social Policy and the Global Crisis: Consequences and Responses

Budapest 2-4 September 2010

STREAM 14. Post-Socialist Welfare Systems (http://www.espanet2010.net/en/24/Post_Socialist_Welfare_Systems.page)

The global financial crisis has put into question the political, economic and social achievements of post-communist countries. This has implied a reconsideration of the political, economic and social reforms already implemented, as well as, and even more worryingly, the legitimacy of recently established democratic institutions. A joint survey by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the World Bank conducted on a sample of 29,000 households in 28 transition countries (plus Turkey) has shown, for example, increasing levels of citizens’ distrust for the recently established market and democratic institutions with obvious repercussions for the stability of elected governments. To quote only few of the worrying results, in 2006 (well before the current economic crisis!) only 30 percent of Eastern respondents believed that life is better now than in 1989, with market and democracy supported primarily by better off and educated people (that is the winners of transition).

In addition, not only one in ten still supported a combination of planned economy and authoritarian government, but the levels of societal trust were even stronger prior to 1989. What are the negative repercussions of the global financial crisis for the political, economic and social stability of post-communist countries? Which is the role that welfare institutions may play in democratizing and consolidating the democratic institutions recently established? Is democracy still ‘the only game in town’ in the region? Or, are new forms of support for authoritarianism and populism emerging?

This stream welcomes contributions that explore the link between economic performance, global financial crisis, democratization and consolidation of democratic institutions from a theoretical as well as empirical perspective. The countries involved in this stream include: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia for Central Europe; Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania for the Baltic States; Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo Under UNSC 1244, TFYR Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania and Serbia for South-East Europe; Belarus, Moldova, Russian Federation and Ukraine for the Western CIS; Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia for the Caucasus; and Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan for Central Asia.