Synopses & Reviews
Beginning in 1993, left or communist successor parties achieved electoral success in several postcommunist countries as critics of neo-liberal economic reform. They have typically focused their electoral appeals on the social costs of transition, promising more popular welfare and moderation of reform policies. This volume examines the impact of these parties on social and welfare policy in Poland, Hungary, Russia, Eastern Germany, and the Czech Republic, asking: Do they in fact commit more resources to welfare, or are they constrained by finances, international pressures, or their own ideological conversion to market solutions? Do they seek to approximate a social-democratic model of the welfare state, or look to models that assign a more limited role to the state? Are they simply opportunistic in appealing to popular grievances, or effective in gaining consensus on a policy agenda? The authors' answers to these questions are used to address a broader theoretical concern: Does "left" in the postcommunist context still mean the state's promotion of distributive equality, or have left-right divisions given way to a common acceptance of markets and minimal welfare?The contributors to this volume bring a range of expertise to bear on these questions. Dena Ringold of provides an analytical and statistical overview of reform's impact on social welfare across postcommunist Europe, using the most recent data collected by The World Bank, UNICEF, and national governments. In a series of case studies, Linda Cook, Mitchell Orenstein, Marilyn Rueschemeyer, and Sharon Wolchik examine the varied social policy agendas and accomplishments of left parties across five postcommunist countries and three left party types, paying attention to the influence of policy legacies, financial constraints, and the roles of ideas and international actors. Three additional chapters focus on specific policy areas: Michael Cain on the political economy of pension spending in Poland, Robert Jenkins on the non-profit sector in Hungary, and Michael McFaul on transitional constraints on the policy process in Russia. A theoretical introduction by Dietrich Rueschemeyer on the relevance of the left-right divide after communism frames the volume, and the editors return to this question in their conclusion.
Synopsis
Eight essays from an October 1997 conference at Brown University explore, among other questions, what it means to be a left party in a country that has recently abandoned communism. Others include whether left parties commit greater resources to social policy, whether they promote a social democratic model or the welfare state, and whether they act opportunistically in appealing to popular grievances. Only one of the political scientist contributors is from the region; most are from the US.
About the Author
Marilyn Rueschemeyer is professor of sociology at the Rhode Island School of Design and adjunct professor of sociology at Brown University. Her books include East Germany in Comparative Perspective, The Quality of Life in the German Democratic Republic, and Women in the Politics of Post-Communist Eastern Europe. Mitchell Orenstein is assistant professor of political science at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University. He is the author of ”Out of the Red: Building Capitalism and Democracy in Post-Communist Europe,” winner of the 1997 Gabriel A. Almond Award of the American Political Science Association for the best dissertation in comparative politics. Linda Cook is an associate professor of political science at Brown University. She has published two books on Soviet/Russian labor and social policy, The Soviet Social Contract and Why It Failed and Labor and Liberalization: Trade Unions in the New Russia. Marilyn Rueschemeyer is professor of sociology at the Rhode Island School of Design and adjunct professor of sociology at Brown University. Her books include East Germany in Comparative Perspective, The Quality of Life in the German Democratic Republic, and Women in the Politics of Post-Communist Eastern Europe. Mitchell Orenstein is assistant professor of political science at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University. He is the author of ”Out of the Red: Building Capitalism and Democracy in Post-Communist Europe,” winner of the 1997 Gabriel A. Almond Award of the American Political Science Association for the best dissertation in comparative politics. Linda Cook is an associate professor of political science at Brown University. She has published two books on Soviet/Russian labor and social policy, The Soviet Social Contract and Why It Failed and Labor and Liberalization: Trade Unions in the New Russia. Marilyn Rueschemeyer is professor of sociology at the Rhode Island School of Design and adjunct professor of sociology at Brown University. Her books include East Germany in Comparative Perspective, The Quality of Life in the German Democratic Republic, and Women in the Politics of Post-Communist Eastern Europe. Mitchell Orenstein is assistant professor of political science at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University. He is the author of ”Out of the Red: Building Capitalism and Democracy in Post-Communist Europe,” winner of the 1997 Gabriel A. Almond Award of the American Political Science Association for the best dissertation in comparative politics. Linda Cook is an associate professor of political science at Brown University. She has published two books on Soviet/Russian labor and social policy, The Soviet Social Contract and Why It Failed and Labor and Liberalization: Trade Unions in the New Russia.
Table of Contents
Left parties and policies in Eastern Europe after communism : an introduction / Dietrich Rueschemeyer -- Social policy in postcommunist Europe : legacies and transition / Dena Ringold -- The return of the left and its impact on the welfare state in Russia, Poland, and Hungary / Linda J. Cook and Mitchell Orenstein -- The return of left-oriented parties in Eastern Germany and the Czech Republic and their social policies / Marilyn Rueschemeyer and Sharon L. Wolchik -- Transitional politics or public choice? Evaluating stalled pension reforms in Poland / Michael J.G. Cain and Aleksander Surdej --The role of the Hungarian nonprofit sector in postcommunist social policy / Robert M. Jenkins -- The political economy of social policy reform in Russia : ideas, institutions, and interests / Michael McFaul -- Conclusions / Linda J. Cook, Mitchell A. Orenstein, and Marilyn Rueschemeyer.