Product Description
On behalf of the Employment and Social Affairs Directorate General of the European Commission, the Gesellschaft für Versicherungswissenschaft und -gestaltung (GVG) conducted a study which analysed the status quo of the social protection systems in the 13 candidate countries. With the release of the country studies in the GVG publication series, we would like to offer our members and all who are interested in international social policy developments current and comparable information about the social protection systems in the candidate countries. The 13 country reports are published in 4 volumes. The country reports, which were compiled by experts of the respective countries are widely structured in the same manner: Chapter 1 describes the economical, social and demographic conditions regarding the social protection and it's development within the last 5 to 10 years. Chapter 2 gives a general overview of the social protection system. Chapters 3, 4 and 5 analyse the pension system (3), the poverty and social exclusion area (4) and the healthcare system (5). Not only is there discussion regarding the current structures of the systems, but in all areas there are ongoing discussions regarding future challenges and the consequences of joining the European Union. ... Read more

Product Description
Doing Business And Investing in Romania (World Business, Investment and Government Library) ... Read more

Product Description
The current transformation of many Eastern European societies is impossible to understand without comprehending the intellectual struggles surrounding nationalism in the region. Anthropologist Katherine Verdery shows how the example of Romania suggests that current ethnic tensions come not from a resurrection of pre-Communist Nationalism but from the strengthening of national ideologies under Communist Party rule. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Fascinating and useful book
Katherine Verdery is an American anthropologist working primarily in Romania.She has written a number of books on this fascinating and often troubled country.

When I started working there in 1992 I found it very difficult to understand quite what was going on, and the background to many of the debates I was encountering.

Verdery's book examines the background to National Ideology in Romania, both its historical roots in the 17th and 18th centuries and its more recent history under the communist regime.She also provides an in-depth theoretical analysis of the communist "command economy" and its impact on academic debates in Romania. The book provides several case studies including literary criticism and history.

I read this book with utter fascination and it formed the key to my understanding of many of the problems I encountered.It is not an easy read, it is a theoretical academic book, but it is a brilliant one and is essential reading for anyone engaging with the academic sphere in Romania. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

A book waiting to be rediscovered!
At first impression, it may seem that the "Athene Palace" is only about the situation in Romania at the beginning of World War II - therefore a very narrow subject.However, this book goes much further and deals with a much wider spectrum of WWII-related issues, especially due to Romania's strategic importance at that time - a time when Germany was, in essence, winningWWII and continued access to the country's oil resources was paramount to the German war effort.Therefore, the setting somewhat resembles that found in a Hollywood script - a place where the Axis and Allies rubbed shoulders and plotted against each other, in a country that itself was struggling with its position between East (taking into account the Ottoman influence dating back centuries) and West (mainly Romania's great desire to be considered a civilized European nation).

While not a scholarly endeavor, the "Athene Palace" may be compared to multi-part feature article, comprising the observations of an American journalist of German origin (a book along the lines of "Balkan Ghosts" which was also written by a journalist, Robert D. Kaplan).The background of the author is important as it provides perhaps a perfect mindset from which to interpret the events which took place in Bucharest during the early 1940s - a distinctly American viewpoint as seen through European eyes.Ms. Waldeck, although inexperienced with Romania prior to her arrival, is nonetheless an astute student and observer.

The "Athene Palace" is not a book for the reader interested in WWII minutiae with respect to the Romanian corridor.Rather, the book presents an excellent feature story for those generally interested in Germany's role in the Balkans during WWII, as well as those interested in rediscovering a bit of what Romania once was.

Ms. Waldeck's observations and understanding of the events taking place in Bucharest in the early 1940s as well as the psychology of the various players involved make for a wonderful read (as well as a great start for those interested in modern Romanian history). ... Read more

Product Description
Basic information on foreign and domestic policy, political system, parties and elections, government and administrative structure.International and foreign policy and more.

Bibliographic information ... Read more

Product Description
Given the political, financial, social, and economic conditions inherited from Communist rule, Romania's new government concluded that a shock therapy approach to reform would create unmanageable chaos and enduring instability. Though committed to economic liberalization, decisionmakers espoused a gradualist approach to economic reform. The government pursued its objectives by implementing policies it considered functionally operational. Although Romania experienced the macro dislocations and downturns that are common in transitional economies in the region, the country sustained shallower recessions, lower inflationary spirals, and shorter production losses than many reforming economies. This study analyzes how, against calculated probabilities and within a relatively short time period, Romania has stabilized and assembled all the basic ingredients for a successful transformation from a centralized system to a market-driven economy. ... Read more

Product Description
The political hypocrisy and personal horrors of one of the most repressive anti-abortion regimes in history came to the world's attention soon after the fall of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. Photographs of orphans with vacant eyes, sad faces, and wasted bodies circled the globe, as did alarming maternal mortality statistics and heart-breaking details of a devastating infant AIDS epidemic. Gail Kligman's chilling ethnography--of the state and of the politics of reproduction--is the first in-depth examination of this extreme case of political intervention into the most intimate aspects of everyday life.
Ceausescu's reproductive policies, among which the banning of abortion was central, affected the physical and emotional well-being not only of individual men, women, children, and families but also of society as a whole. Sexuality, intimacy, and fertility control were fraught with fear, which permeated daily life and took a heavy moral toll as lying and dissimulation transformed both individuals and the state. This powerful study is based on moving interviews with women and physicians as well as on documentary and archival material. In addition to discussing the social implications and human costs of restrictive reproductive legislation, Kligman explores the means by which reproductive issues become embedded in national and international agendas. She concludes with a review of the lessons the rest of the world can learn from Romania's tragic experience. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Interesting Personal Stories
This book speaks of the heartaches of scores of women due to a misguided 1966 Decree that was meant to create a new generation of socialists by removing birth control from the options available to the people. Although this is a book about women and their special struggles, as a man I found it interesting. My wife is Romanian and can corroborate many of the stories of these women to be true (or at least reasonable). But I'm also grateful that Gail Kligman didn't dwell on the sensationalism that the popular Western press loved to print following the Decree. In fact, she denies much of the fanciful stuff written to sell newspapers. There weren't masses of perverted bosses standing there watching gynecological exams. But the author does stress the heart-wrenching, personal stories of women who were forced to deal with this foolish Decree 770, many times to the detriment of their health or life.

It could happen again
Although this is a book about a specific place during a specific period, what makes it so chilling is how it describes a descent of little steps into a nightmare world.For those who may even have lived through it thinking "it wasn't that bad," this book provides the opportunity to take a step back and realize "it was worse than we even imagined."Ms. Kligman's account is clarion call for the importance of taking a stand in every society in order to preserve the values we hold dear, but which are in fact as fragile as the weakest among us.

Vai, Alexandru, n-a fost atat de rau!
I'm an American woman living and working in Romania, and I have to disagree with Alexandru.From all I hear from my friends both male and female, this book isn't off-target at all.It IS true that many people sayCeasescu's policies didn't affect their lives "all that much",but the people who did have unwanted pregnancies or were harassed becausethey didn't have enough children were and are real people.I enjoyed thisbook and would recommend it to anyone interested in reproductive issues --in either Romania or the U.S.

Unprofessionally written, innacurate statistics
None ofthedata are believable! The statistics are made up and it lacks objectivity as if written by an emotional and nervous wreck. Originally from Romania, I can testify that data on births and abortion could not andcannot yet be obtained, also the reasoning behind data is consequentlyfalse. It is a collection offalse assumption. Too bad something like this(of substandard quality) has been published!

Unprofessionally written, innacurate statistics
None ofthedata are believable! The statistics are made up and it lacks objectivity as if written by an emotional and nervous wreck. Originally from Romania, I can testify that data on births and abortion could not andcannot yet be obtained, also the reasoning behind data is consequentlyfalse. It is a collection offalse assumption. Too bad something like this(of substandard quality) has been published! ... Read more

Product Description
This volume reviews several aspects of both the political and the economic post-communist transitional processes undergone by Romania. It evaluates the facets of political development and looks at other issues such as nationalism and the country's legacies of the past. ... Read more