Social Sciences and Political Change: Promoting Innovative Research in Post-Socialist Countries

by Robin Cassling (Editor)

Bruxelles, Bern, Berlin, Frankfurt/M., New York, Oxford, Wien. The Research Support Scheme (RSS) operated for over a decade as a programme to help researchers from Central and Eastern Europe and from Central Asia. With the conclusion of the programme in 2002 the opportunity presented itself to take stock and reflect on how academic research had evolved in the immediate post-socialist period. In this book, former RSS grantees have been invited to discuss what they see as the main changes and challenges that emerged in their fields during the process of social and economic transformation. Some basic issues like the deideologisation of research, the impact of the Western influx of ideas on particular research fields, and the question of importing new ideas and policies from abroad are discussed. Selected researchers present the outcome of their own work as examples of the progress and changes which took place during the last decade of the century. The result is a look at the East-West dialogue on ideas that is emerging, as well as a discussion on where academic research is heading in the future. This book proposes a panoramic view of the trends in thought and research going on today in the region related to some important fields of social sciences. Gabriel Research and Political A Philosophical Perspective - Gyorgy Enyedi/Karel Kouba/Tibor Vamos/Andrzej Research in Central Europe before 1989: The Experience of the Research Support Scheme - Four Points of View - Elvio New Values for New Societies - Marina A Response to Elvio Baccarini - Nadezhda Old and New Values in a Period of Crisis - Neven Liberalism andIts Troubles with Nationalism - Vahur A Response to Neven Sesardic - Iveta National Myths and Folklore in the Balkans after 1989 - Tatiana Enemies and Defenders in Political Discourse - Aija A Response to Tatiana Tsyrendorjieva - Bogdan Multicultural Dimensions of Social Integration in e-Europe - Krassimira A Response to Bogdan Nadolu - Iuliana Reshaping the Social Landscape in Eastern Europe - The Case of Community Development in Romania - David A Response to Iuliana Precupetu - Ekaterina Socio-Economic and Political Mechanisms of Population Migration in the Republics of the Former Soviet Union - Viachaslau A Response to Ekaterina Scherbakova - Tomasz Political Landscape of Central and Eastern Challenges and Dilemmas of the Comparative Study of Political Scenes and Geographies - Krisztina A Response to Tomasz Zarycki - Milan Research on Transformation Alternatives - Galina A Response to Milan Sojka - Nada Research on Trends, Challenges, and the Impact of the RSS Grant - Marina Research on What Is to Follow? - Inese Illustrative Monetary Stabilisation and Banking Reform in Latvia - Lidia Memory and Culture - James Political Posters in Central and Eastern Europe 1945-2000 - Kazmer A Response to James Aulich - Andras Neoclassicism in the 1920 Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Poland - Martina A Response to Andras Zwickl - Ekaterina The Country Estate as the Subject of Cultural Studies in Russia - Sustainable Utilisation of Natural Lessons to Be Learned - Khasan Renewable Energy Resources and Rural Communities - Nicolae Environment, Health and Sustainable Development in Transition Countries - Tatyana Assessing the Quality of Agricultural Land in Ukraine - Yehuda Some Thoughts on the Future of Research.

285 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003