Social Security Reform in Central Europe: Issues and Strategies

Abstract

In replying to the question as to why three years after the fall of communism in Central Europe no global reform of social security has taken place, the article underlines the import ance of a thorough analysis of the previous system for the understanding of the reform process. An explanation of the mechanism for turning pre-war social insurance schemes into comprehensive social security systems of a totalitarian state is followed by a brief over view of principal qualitative changes which gradually transformed a social protection insti tution into an instrument of work incentives and rewards for services rendered to the politi cal regime. An outline of past institutional arrangements for each social risk completes this review.