This paper provides what we believe to be the first collection of data on social capital in the transition countries of central/eastern Europe and of the former Soviet Union. Using data from the World Values Survey 1990 and 1995 we document the degree of trust and of civic participation and find...

Democracy is a precondition for membership of the European Union (EU). What are the chances for democracy in the post-communist states of central and eastern Europe? The first section states arguments of doubters; the second and third present fresh empirical evidence from nation-wide surveys of...

There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that negative health lifestyles are the principal social determinants of the mortality crisis in the former socialist states. Little is known, however, about health lifestyles in Central Asia, where the downturn in life expectancy was also...

This paper considers whether rising economic prosperity in the New Member States of the European Union since joining the EU is also reflected in better a quality of life and what constitutes a better quality of society for the citizens of these countries. The paper contributes to the debate...

This article uses Andreas Wimmer’s model of ethnic boundary making to examine ethnic boundaries among the Russian-speaking minorities in Lithuania and Latvia, two countries with contrasting integration policies. We argue that the exclusive inte-gration policies of Latvia, particularly with...