1. Geographical and historical outline -- 2. A note on the political structure -- 3. Industrialization -- 4. Agriculture -- 5. Social services -- 6. Finance -- 7. Incomes -- 8. Comparisons with neighbors -- 9. Assessment.

In virtually all advanced industrialized countries, the explosive topic of immigration has engendered heated argument, political anger, cultural anxieties, and blatant racism. In the United States, most of the attention is on the stream of Mexicans crossing the border in such numbers that early...

The postcommunist transitions produced two very different types of states. The "contractual" state is associated with the countries of Eastern Europe, which moved toward democratic regimes, consensual relations with society, and clear boundaries between political power and economic wealth. The...