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Despite the shared history of socialist welfare state adaptation, there is consensus among scholars that Central and Eastern European (CEE) welfare states do not conform to either a putative post-socialist welfare state type or to Esping-Andersen's (1990) welfare regime typology developed for advanced capitalist welfare states (Deacon 2000; Fenger 2007; Aidukaite 2009; Inglot 2009). This is not surprising considering that welfare states in CEE are but a few years younger than their Western neighbours (Haggard and Kaufman, 2008; Inglot 2008; Mares and Carnes 2009) and that their historical evolution-despite their Bismarckian foundations, the homogenizing influence of the soviet model and the emergency, ad hoc and inconsistent institutional adjustments during the first two decades of post-socialism-has been as complex and diverse as that of their advanced capitalist counterparts (Inglot 2008, 2009; Cook 2010). This diversity is observable not only in terms of variations in the salience of institutional legacies from different historical periods across welfare domains, the timing, dynamics and direction of welfare reforms after the dissolution of state socialism and welfare state size, but also variations in the resulting architectures of mixed economies of welfare across policy domains and in the structure of inequalities and social outcomes. We agree, therefore, with Cerami's (2009, p. 51) assessment that welfare states in the European post-socialist and post-soviet space are best understood as 'unique hybrids', moreover, likely on diverging paths of development (see also Cook 2010; Deacon and Standing 1993; Orenstein and Haas 2002; Potucek 2008; Haggard and Kaufman 2008). As such, these welfare states may be grouped together at best only on the most general grounds and without sensitivity to differences in magnitude and kind. The shared Bismarckian and soviet-inspired institutional legacies are one broad similarity which might invite arguments of greater similarity than dissimilarity, although Inglot (2008) convincingly outlines the institutional variations that persisted despite these. The experience of welfare state adjustment during the 1990s, characterized by ad hoc, emergency institutional and policy transformations (Nunberg 1999; Deacon 2000, p. 149; Sotiropoulos and Pop 2007; Inglot 2009) and a highly volatile, cyclical expand-then-retrench, stop-and-go reform process during this period (Sotiropoulos et al. 2003; Inglot 2009; Szikra and Tomka 2009; Cook 2010) may also be cited as another shared feature of CEE welfare states, although again, scholars have highlighted variations certainly in degree (see Cerami and Vanhuysse 2009). Those emphasizing similarities over differences could also cite a propensity towards cushioning social policy adjustments in the early stages of post-socialist welfare state reform, although selective in scope, followed by path-departing institutional innovations during the late

This book is a wonderful exploration of the process by which families negotiate the patchworks of policies, provision and (im)possibilities that form local landscapes of child care. Borbála Kovács has provided an empirically rich and conceptually insightful study that testifies to the way in which ideas and ideals of care inspire and inform parental choice making." -John Clarke, Professor Emeritus, Open University, UK "In this book, Borbála Kovács innovatively applies the care ideals framework to Romania, one of the least studied welfare states in Europe. With the help of 79 interviews with mothers and fathers of different ethnic and socio-economic background she guides the reader through the daily negotiations of families with small children about care arrangements within the opportunities and limitations of the changing Romanian family policy landscape. A highly recommendable read for scholars interested in welfare states, family policies and gender beyond the conventional West-centred perspective." -Dorottya Szikra, Senior Research Fellow, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Hungary "This innovative new book provides fascinating insights into the granular reality of life with young children and the process of parents' decision-making about their care. The setting is today's Romania, but the dilemmas and debates will be recognised by all. The author skilfully describes how the hierarchy of care ideals that parents have in mind combines with the policy provisions in place, and parents' own circumstances, to result in the patchwork of practical everyday routines of young children's care. This rich forensic investigation widens the lens beyond mothers' employment and, by focusing instead on the moral aspect of decisions about children's care, helps us to a better understanding of the interplay of culture, experience and policies in this most personal yet public area of everyday life." -Fran Bennett, Senior Research and Teaching Fellow, University of Oxford, UK "This is an exciting new book that analyses how and why parents choose different types of childcare arrangements. The author provides a rich, detailed account of how parents of young children create different patterns of childcare arrangements in the context of cultural ideals of childcare, childcare policies Family Policy and the Organisation of Childcare and intra-household negotiations. The book is an excellent piece of work that makes a distinct contribution to knowledge and thinking in the field." -

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