Structural change and modernization in post-socialist societies

The contributions of this volume originate from a symposium which took place in Prague, organized by the sociological institutions of the Czech and Polish Academies of Sciences and the German Social Science Research Center Berlin (WZB) and counting among its participants acknowledged specialists from eleven countries. Part I National Reports presents a picture of the main processes of the societal transformation and modernization in Central Europe, which are synthetic, dynamic and empirically and theoretically grounded. It includes sketches of the relating change in attitudes and social perceptions of the populations. In trying to find a common set of social indicators for these countries the Reports allow for deeper insights into the problems generated by the structural transformations. This kind of systematic social reporting opens the way for further and more comprehensive European, i. e. cross-country, cross-cultural and cross-regional comparative research programs, embracing both West and East European Societies. The countries studied are: Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Germany through the unification. Part II Controversial Issues and the Need for New Paradigms contains critical opinions on the existing concepts of transformation and modernization and proposes interesting new perspectives. This excellent empirical and theoretical analysis of the processes over the last twelve years in post-socialist societies in Central Europe and of their future challenges offers not only important information on these countries but also new inspiring aspects for further social research and theorizing. In view of the forthcoming enlargement of the European Union it is of highest interest