The Impact of Postsocialist Institutional Change on Life Chances and Values of Different Social Groups

Abstract

 This issue of STSS is more sociologically oriented. The leading theme is the impact on life trajectories and values of the metamorphosis of institutions and the changing patterns of social inequality in different Central and Eastern European countries. The speed and depth of changes in postsocialist countries has posed a challenge to social scientists and provoked much research. Studying market societies in the process of development presents a rare opportunity to obtain fundamental insight into how institutions and markets interact to shape individuals’ life courses and to determine overall patterns of social inequality. Postsocialist societies can also be seen as an extraordinary laboratory for testing both existing theories and elaborating new ones. Concurrently with the transformation of societies, the multidisciplinary international research community addressed and developed distinct theories and approaches concerning the process and effects of the change.