Download or read book The Legacy of State Socialism and the Future of Transformation written by David Lane and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2002 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Taking stock of the first decade of the transformation in the former Soviet bloc, this timely book explores the legacies of state socialism and attempts by once-communist countries to move toward a democratic, market-oriented system. Leading international scholars consider the ways traditions interact with other factors--both domestic and foreign--to influence the course of social, political, and economic change. With its blend of theory and case studies and its clear narrative, this book will be a valuable text for students of transition, Russian politics, and the transformation of Eastern Europe. Visit our website for sample chapters!

Download or read book The Capitalist Transformation of State Socialism written by David Lane and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-11-20 with total page 481 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: David Lane outlines succinctly yet comprehensively the development and transformation of state socialism. While focussing on Russia and the countries of Eastern Europe, he also engages in a discussion of the Chinese path. In response to the changing social structure and external demands, he outlines different scenarios of reform. He contends that European state socialism did not collapse but was consciously dismantled. He brings out the West’s decisive support of the reform process and Gorbachev’s significant role in tipping the balance of political forces in favour of an emergent ascendant class. In the post-socialist period, he details developments in the economy and politics. He distinguishes different political and economic trajectories of countries of the former USSR, the New Member States of the European Union, and China; and he notes the attempts to promote further change through ‘coloured’ revolutions. The book provides a detailed account not only of the unequal impact of transformation on social inequality which has given rise to a privileged business and political class, but also how far the changes have fulfilled the promise of democracy promotion, wealth creation and human development. Finally, in the context of globalisation, the author considers possible future political and economic developments for Russia and China. Throughout the author, a leading expert in the field, brings to bear his deep knowledge of socialist countries, draws on his research on the former Soviet Union, and visits to nearly all the former state socialist countries, including China.

Download or read book The Transformation of State Socialism written by D. Lane and published by Springer. This book was released on 2007-09-12 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book considers aspects of transformation of former state socialist countries: social and economic outcomes; forces in the transformation process; problems of consolidation of the new regimes;and other scenarios. It also looks at alternative types of society that might replace state socialism, particularly state capitalism and market socialism.

Download or read book Socialism Socialist States and Environment written by Salvatore Engel-Di Mauro and published by Pluto Press (UK). This book was released on 2021-07-20 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reclaims the contentious legacy of state socialism in order to build an ecosocialist future

Download or read book Elites and Classes in the Transformation of State Socialism written by David Lane and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-09-08 with total page 231 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The year 2011 marks the twentieth anniversary of the end of the Soviet Union. This may be an appropriate time to evaluate the adoption by previously state socialist societies of other economic and political models. The transition has sometimes been described in positive terms, as a movement to free societies with open markets and democratic elections. Others have argued that the transition has created weak, poverty-stricken states with undeveloped civil societies ruled by unresponsive political elites. Which is the more accurate assessment?David Lane examines a few of the theoretical approaches that help explain the trajectory of change from socialism to capitalism. He focuses on two main approaches in this volume - elite theories and social class. Theories dwelling on the role of elites regard the transformation from socialism to capitalism as a type of system transfer in which elites craft democratic and market institutions into the space left by state socialism. Lane contrasts this interpretation with class-based theories, which consider transformation in terms of revolution, and explain why such theories have not been considered the best way of framing the transition in the post-socialist states.While recognizing that elites can play important roles and have the capacity to transform societies, Lane contends that elite theories alone are inadequate to explain a system change that brings free markets. In contrast, he proposes a class approach in which two groups characterize state socialism: an administrative class and an acquisition class.

Download or read book Remains of Socialism written by Maya Nadkarni and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 2020-07-15 with total page 153 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Remains of Socialism, Maya Nadkarni investigates the changing fates of the socialist past in postsocialist Hungary. She introduces the concept of "remains"—both physical objects and cultural remainders—to analyze all that Hungarians sought to leave behind after the end of state socialism. Spanning more than two decades of postsocialist transformation, Remains of Socialism follows Hungary from the optimism of the early years of transition to its recent right-wing turn toward illiberal democracy. Nadkarni analyzes remains that range from exiled statues of Lenin to the socialist-era "Bambi" soda, and from discredited official histories to the scandalous secrets of the communist regime's informers. She deftly demonstrates that these remains were far more than simply the leftovers of an unwanted past. Ultimately, the struggles to define remains of socialism and settle their fates would represent attempts to determine the future—and to mourn futures that never materialized.

Download or read book Latin America s Turbulent Transitions written by Roger Burbach and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2013-02-14 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the past few years, something remarkable has occurred in Latin America. For the first time since the Sandinista Revolution in Nicaragua in the 1980s, people within the region have turned toward radical left governments - specifically in Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador. Why has this profound shift taken place and how does this new, so-called Twenty-First-Century Socialism actually manifest itself? What are we to make of the often fraught relationship between the social movements and governments in these countries and do, in fact, the latter even qualify as 'socialist' in reality? These are the bold and critical questions that Latin America's Turbulent Transitions explores. The authors provocatively argue that although US hegemony in the region is on the wane, the traditional socialist project is also declining and something new is emerging. Going beyond simple conceptions of 'the left', the book reveals the true underpinnings of this powerful, transformative, and yet also complicated and contradictory process.

Download or read book Political Elites in East Central Europe written by Nicole Gallina and published by Verlag Barbara Budrich. This book was released on 2008-10-29 with total page 231 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This monograph is a major survey of East Central European (ECE) political elites and concentrates on Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland. It is grounded within classic elite theory slightly adapted to ECE necessities. More practically, the book examines political elite composition and identifies political elite fragmentation in ECE. The author questions that East Central European political elites have incorporated democratic values and conduct. The main argument is that there is a significant gap between the formal democratic ECE institutions and political elite behaviour. This gap has different dimensions which are relevant at the domestic level and also cause problems at the EU level. Ultimately, the political elite-institution gap questions democratic political achievements after 1989. In providing a major analysis of ECE political elite structure and conduct the book points to the most urgent challenges of ECE political systems – the reform of the political elite. From the content: The Importance of Analysing ECE Elites Forms of Political Elite Formation and Activity Political Elite Fragmentation in ECE Elite Formation and Reproduction in East Central Europe Patterns of Political Elite Behaviour Influencing Political Elite Behaviour Institutional Change after 1989 The Relationship between Europeanisation and Euroscepticism Elite Systems in East Central Europe Case Studies: Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary Implications of Elite Attitudes for Europeanisation Political Elites: Incapable Europeanisers?

Download or read book Chinese Politics and Government written by Sujian Guo and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2012-09-10 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the past two decades, China’s political reforms, open-door policy, dramatic economic growth, and increasingly assertive foreign policy have had an unprecedented regional and global impact. This introductory textbook provides students with a fundamental understanding of government and politics in China as well as the conceptual ability to explore the general patterns, impacts, and nature of continuities and changes in Chinese politics. Further, it equips students with analytical frameworks by which they can understand, analyse and evaluate the major issues in Chinese politics, including: The basic methodologies and theoretical controversies in the study of Chinese politics. The major dimensions, structures, processes, functions and characteristics of the Chinese political system, such as ideology, politics, law, society, economy, and foreign policy. The impact of power, ideology, and organization on different spheres of Chinese society. The structure, process, and factors in Chinese foreign policy making. Whether China is a "strategic partner" or "potential threat" to the United States. By examining contending theoretical models in the study of Chinese politics, this book combines an essentialist approach that keeps focus on the fundamental, unique and defining features of Chinese politics and government with other theoretical approaches or analytical models which reveal and explore the complexities inherent in the Chinese political system. Extensively illustrated, the textbook includes maps, photographs and diagrams, as well as providing questions for class discussions and suggestions for further reading. Written by an experienced academic with working knowledge of the Chinese Government, this textbook will provide students with a comprehensive introduction to all aspects of Chinese Politics.

Download or read book Modernisation in Russia since 1900 written by Markku Kangaspuro and published by Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura. This book was released on 2006-12-27 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Modernisation has been a constant theme in Russian history at least since Peter the Great launched a series of initiatives aimed at closing the economic, technical and cultural gap between Russia and the more ‘advanced’ countries of Europe. All of the leaders of the Soviet Union and post-Soviet Russia have been intensely aware of this gap, and have pursued a number of strategies, some more successful than others, in order to modernise the country. But it would be wrong to view modernisation as a unilinear process which was the exclusive preserve of the state. Modernisation has had profound effects on Russian society, and the attitudes of different social groups have been crucial to the success and failure of modernisation. This volume examines the broad theme of modernisation in late imperial, Soviet, and post-Soviet Russia both through general overviews of particular topics, and specific case studies of modernisation projects and their impact. Modernisation is seen not just as an economic policy, but as a cultural and social phenomenon reflected through such diverse themes as ideology, welfare, education, gender relations, transport, political reform, and the Internet. The result is the most up to date and comprehensive survey of modernisation in Russia available, which highlights both one of the perennial problems and the challenges and prospects for contemporary Russia.

Download or read book The Urban Mosaic of Post Socialist Europe written by Sasha Tsenkova and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2006-12-02 with total page 395 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores urban dynamics in Europe fifteen years after the fall of communism. The ‘urban mosaic’ of the title expresses the complexity and diversity of the processes and spatial outcomes in post-socialist cities. Emerging urban phenomena are illustrated with case studies, focusing on historical themes, cultural issues and the socialist legacy. Among the cities analyzed are Kazan, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Warsaw, Prague, Komarno, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest, Sofia and Tirana.

Download or read book Development Paradigms for Urban Housing in BRICS Countries written by Piyush Tiwari and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-09-07 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a concise treatise of the alternative paradigms used in BRICS countries to tackle urban housing shortages. There are a number of alternative methods for meeting these shortages which BRICS countries have adopted. These alternatives may agree in terms of desired outcome, but when it comes to approach, mechanics and scope, they are entirely divergent. By focusing on the political economy and the international structure of each BRICS country, these perspectives present alternative and often conflicting approaches to the attainment of better housing. Development Paradigms for Urban Housing in BRICS Countries explores the various political, economic, institutional and cultural factors that have shaped the housing outcomes in BRICS countries that we see today. The book uses a framework which allows comparison between Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, whilst recognizing the differences in the development path that each of these countries has taken.

Download or read book Beyond Varieties of Capitalism written by Bob Hancké and published by Oxford University Press on Demand. This book was released on 2007-05-17 with total page 455 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This edited work critically analyses developments in European Political Economy and their effects on the continental European economies. Leading political economists from Europe and the United States consider how the influential 'Varieties of Capitalism' approach can help us understand these challenges.

Download or read book Historical Legacies of Communism in Russia and Eastern Europe written by Mark Beissinger and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2014-07-07 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book takes stock of arguments about the historical legacies of communism that have become common within the study of Russia and East Europe more than two decades after communism's demise and elaborates an empirical approach to the study of historical legacies revolving around relationships and mechanisms rather than correlation and outward similarities. Eleven essays by a distinguished group of scholars assess whether post-communist developments in specific areas continue to be shaped by the experience of communism or, alternatively, by fundamental divergences produced before or after communism. Chapters deal with the variable impact of the communist experience on post-communist societies in such areas as regime trajectories and democratic political values; patterns of regional and sectoral economic development; property ownership within the energy sector; the functioning of the executive branch of government, the police, and courts; the relationship of religion to the state; government language policies; and informal relationships and practices.

Download or read book Globalization and Transformations of Local Socioeconomic Practices written by Ulrike Schuerkens and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2008-04-18 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This innovative volume provides a comprehensive overview of the transformation of socio-economic practices in the global economy. The contributors offer analytical and comparative insights at the world level, with regard to the current socio-economic practices as well as an assessment of the overall economic globalization phenomenon in the global world. Through empirical case studies of different civilizations or cultures that describe situations of intertwining of local socio-economic practices and global economic modernity, this volume assesses the overall situation in the world, looking at the world as an economic system where some countries act as winners, others as losers and some as both winners and losers of economic globalization. This exceptional book will appeal to sociologists, social and cultural anthropologists, and economists interested in development.

Download or read book Compulsory Motherhood Paternalistic State written by Oleksandra Tarkhanova and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-07-10 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Honorable Mention: 2022 Davis Center Book Prize in Political and Social Studies (ASEEES) This book examines Ukrainian state gender politics and investigates how gendered subject positions and policy discourses are constructed within and through social policies. Set against the backdrop of the post-Soviet transformations, nation-building, neoliberalization, and post-Maidan political transformations, policy and discursive changes reflect and reproduce the gender norms that not only derive from these ideological processes but also actively legitimize and enable them. This book considers how the relations between the state and woman-citizen are changing: from socialist paternalism to nationalist affective bond and neoliberal sacrificial citizenship, which conceals women within families but also deeply relies on their unpaid work. The book brings the Ukrainian case into the European debate on conservative neoliberal transformations and anti-gender political sentiment, and by doing that, advances the feminist theorization on neoliberalism. This book will be of particular interest to scholars in gender politics, sociology of policy, and post-socialist or Eastern European studies.

Download or read book Russian Politics and Society written by Richard Sakwa and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2008-04-10 with total page 606 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Having been fully revised and updated to reflect the considerable changes in Russia over the last decade, the fourth edition of this classic text builds on the strengths of the previous editions to provide a comprehensive and sophisticated analysis on Russian politics and society. New to this edition: extended coverage of electoral laws, party development and regional politics new chapter on the ‘phoney democracy’ period, 1991-93 historical evaluation of Yeltsin’s leadership full coverage of Putin’s presidency discussion of the development of civil society and the problems of democratic consolidation latest developments in the Chechnya conflict more on foreign policy issues the re-introduction of the Russian Constitution as an appendix an updated Select Bibliography more focus on the challenges facing Russia in the twenty-first century. Written in an accessible and lively style, this book is packed with detailed information on the central debates and issues in Russia’s difficult transformation. This makes it the best available textbook on the subject and is essential reading for all those concerned with the fate of Russia, and with the future of international society.