Social Policies, Demographic Patterns, and Inclusion Strategies. An Introduction

Abstract

As with any transformational process, the socioeconomic transition in the postcommunist space has divided the population into 'winners' and 'losers,' the latter experiencing severe social costs. Existing studies suggest that the losers were often those who had limited financial possibilities, e.g. the low-skilled, unemployed, or elderly, while the winners were better educated, younger, and more entrepreneurial 1 The 'winners' were not only able to adapt themselves to the changing economic conditions: some of them were even able to create powerful interest groups to weaken the postcommunist states, 2 to promote and support the reforms 3 and, as a result, to enjoy the results of the transformation from collective to individ