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Social Service, Private Gain: The Political Economy of Social Impact Bonds
by John Loxley Jesse HajerThe 2008 financial crisis and its subsequent economic impacts generated a challenge for national and regional governments across the world. From this economic ruin, the Social Impact Bond (SIB) was born as an alternative mechanism for government procurement and delivery of social public services. Social Service, Private Gain examines the evolution of SIBs, how they work, their theoretical motivation, and their global proliferation. The book critically assesses the potential of SIBs to constructively contribute to solving the multifaceted social challenges emerging from a context of entrenched and growing inequality. Claiming to bring incremental resources to the rescue, SIBs have taken up disproportionate space with new legislation, policy, subsidies, institutional supports, lobbyists, and "intermediaries" facilitating SIBs and thriving on their associated transaction costs. Drawing on mainstream and heterodox economic theory, practical case studies, and empirical data, Jesse Hajer and John Loxley generate new insights based on the limited but still suggestive publicly available data on SIB projects. Challenging the assumptions and narratives put forward by proponents of the model, they offer practical policy recommendations for SIBs and explain what the model tells us about the potential for transformational change for the better.
Social Services for Gay and Lesbian Couples
by Lawrence A KurdekHere is an essential resource filled with advice for providing social services to gay and lesbian couples. Despite myths to the contrary, many gay men and lesbians form long-term couples relationships. Unfortunately, many professionals working in the area of social services lack training with regard to the special needs of gay/lesbian couples. Social Services for Gay and Lesbian Couples helps fill this gap by providing information on diverse aspects of gay and lesbian domestic partnerships for social services workers.The contributing authors highlight the unique characteristics of gay and lesbian couples relationships and provide valuable information on the special social services these couples may need. Social Services for Gay and Lesbian Couples includes the results of a survey that divulge basic, descriptive information on the nature of gay and lesbian couples. These in-depth statistics reveal couples’perspectives on relationship length, commitment, and quality, terms of address for partners, finances, relationship experience, discrimination, living situation, sex, first meetings, support and challenges for the relationship, children, legal arrangements, and concerns about HIV and AIDS. In addition to revealing specific information about gay and lesbian couples, Social Services for Gay and Lesbian Couples also explores the therapeutic implications of this knowledge for social service providers. Chapters discuss specific situations in gay and lesbian relationships about which social workers should be informed, such as the factors involved in the formation of lesbian identities and issues encountered by gay couples when one partner is HIV-infected and the other is not. Also addressed are the special needs of gay or lesbian couples who wish to be parents, complete with descriptions of innovative services and the names, addresses, and phone numbers of national organizations that provide resources for gay or lesbian parents.
Social Services for Senior Gay Men and Lesbians
by Jean K QuamSocial Services for Senior Gay Men and Lesbians is an important new reference that provides those in the helping professions with practical information on how to work with the older gay and lesbian population. Although older gays and lesbians are the same in many ways as their heterosexual counterparts, they have an extra “layer” of concerns that are unique to their sexual orientation, including “coming out” to family and medical professionals, fear of discrimination, isolation, and loneliness. This new book helps social service providers address these and other concerns of the aging homosexual.Social Services for Senior Gay Men and Lesbians examines the history of homosexuality and how practitioners have developed ways to better serve this population. The book features case studies of topics that face practitioners and their older gay clients, including: housing needs of older gay and lesbian adults group therapy for older gay males long-term care dilemmas for older lesbians counseling an older gay male who is “coming out” staff development for non-gay social service providers historical review of gay and lesbian issuesBecause so little information exists in these and other areas, Social Services for Older Gay Men and Lesbians is an excellent resource for social workers, psychologists, nurses, counselors, and physicians.
Social Services in the Workplace: Repositioning Occupational Social Work in the New Millennium
by David Bargal Michal E. Mor BarakDiscover the challenges and pitfalls awaiting occupational social workers in the coming years!Social Services in the Workplace: Repositioning Occupational Social Work in the New Millennium will help you meet the challenges that the rapidly changing world of work today presents. These challenges offer new opportunities for you as a social work professional in general and for the field of occupational social work in particular. Globalizing economies, downsizing, rightsizing, mergers, and corporate acquisitions continue to challenge work organizations and impact the lives of workers and their families. These trends have led to an increased need for the provision of social work services to employed, unemployed, and transitional workers and their families, and to businesses of all types and sizes. To meet the challenges facing the world of work in the 21st century, the social work profession must put special emphasis on the diverse roles that social workers can take in the workplace--from the micro to the macro--both within workplace settings and in the context of more traditional local, national and global agencies.Social Services in the Workplace proposes an expanded paradigm for social work practice in the context of the workplace, spanning the gamut from corporate and union settings to 'workfare’or welfare-to-work programs. It provides a wide array of theoretical, conceptual, and empirical examinations of evolving and innovative roles that the social work profession can fulfill in the world of work. Given today's volatile global market conditions, which dictate rapid changes in the organization and conditions of work, Social Services in the Workplace examines opportunities and dilemmas for the social work profession and points to the paths that the profession must take in the near future to remain viable.Social Services in the Workplace focuses on: defining domains for practice techniques that work and aspects to emphasize in various workplace environments provision of social work services to workers and their families welfare-to-work programs formulating organizational policies and proceduresSocial Services in the Workplace: Repositioning Occupational Social Work in the New Millennium brings into focus the practice of social work in the workplace. With this book, social work students and practitioners can gain a new perspective on the field and learn of new opportunities for employment and practice in the world of work. Academicians can use the book in their Social Work Practice classes, and researchers will discover ideas that will spark innovative research in this field. Corporate executives and human resource managers will gain a new understanding of how the social work profession can benefit their employees, their families, and the work organization. No matter which of these categories you fit into, Social Services in the Workplace will shed light on this expanding field.
Social Signal Processing
by Nadia Magnenat-Thalmann Judee K. Burgoon Alessandro Vinciarelli Maja Pantic"Social Signal Processing is the first book to cover all aspects of the modeling, automated detection, analysis, and synthesis of nonverbal behavior in human-human and human-machine interactions. Authoritative surveys address conceptual foundations, machine analysis and synthesis of social signal processing, and applications. Foundational topics include affect perception and interpersonal coordination in communication; later chapters cover technologies for automatic detection and understanding such as computational paralinguistics and facial expression analysis and for the generation of artificial social signals such as social robots and artificial agents. The final section covers a broad spectrum of applications based on social signal processing in healthcare, deception detection, and digital cities, including detection of developmental diseases and analysis of small groups. Each chapter offers a basic introduction to its topic, accessible to students and other newcomers, and then outlines challenges and future perspectives for the benefit of experienced researchers and practitioners in the field"--
Social Simulation for a Digital Society: Applications and Innovations in Computational Social Science (Springer Proceedings in Complexity)
by Johan A. Elkink Diane Payne Nial Friel Thomas U. Grund Tamara Hochstrasser Pablo Lucas Adrian Ottewill“Social Simulation for a Digital Society” provides a cross-section of state-of-the-art research in social simulation and computational social science. With the availability of big data and faster computing power, the social sciences are undergoing a tremendous transformation. Research in computational social sciences has received considerable attention in the last few years, with advances in a wide range of methodologies and applications. Areas of application of computational methods range from the study of opinion and information dynamics in social networks, the formal modeling of resource use, the study of social conflict and cooperation to the development of cognitive models for social simulation and many more. This volume is based on the Social Simulation Conference of 2017 in Dublin and includes applications from across the social sciences, providing the reader with a demonstration of the highly versatile research in social simulation, with a particular focus on public policy relevance in a digital society. Chapters in the book include contributions to the methodology of simulation-based research, theoretical and philosophical considerations, as well as applied work. This book will appeal to students and researchers in the field.
Social Skills Training for Children with Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism
by Susan WhiteThis practical, research-based guide provides a wealth of tools and strategies for implementing social skills training in school or clinical settings. Numerous case examples illustrate common social difficulties experienced by children with Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism; the impact on peer relationships, school performance, and behavior; and how social skills training can help. Chapters delve into the nuts and bolts of teaching and reinforcing core skills in classroom, small-group, or individual contexts, emphasizing ways to tailor interventions to each individual's needs. Reproducible forms and worksheets can also be downloaded and printed in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size.
Social Skills Training for Schizophrenia: A Step-by-Step Guide
by Susan Gingerich Kim T. Mueser Alan S. Bellack Julie Agresta Daniel FulfordThe authoritative presentation of social skills training (SST)--a highly effective, recovery-oriented intervention for people with serious mental illness--the third edition of this complete manual has been significantly revised with over 60% new material. SST can be implemented by a range of providers in diverse clinical and community settings. In a convenient large-size format, the book is packed with practical tools, including clinical vignettes, dialogues, reproducible curricula (Skill Sheets) for 84 skills, guidance for selecting skills to teach based on participants' needs, and tips for overcoming roadblocks. Purchasers get access to a companion website with downloadable copies of the Skill Sheets as well as online-only resources: 84 Social Skill Handouts for clients and 17 assessment forms and other tools for conducting SST groups. New to This Edition *Chapters on specific populations: SST with young people with high clinical risk or first-episode psychosis, older individuals, and those in residential or inpatient settings. *Chapters on cultural factors in SST; gender, sexual identity, and sexual harassment; and technology-based communication. *Three additional curricular areas--technology-based communication, school, and problem solving--for a total of 26 more skills than the prior edition. *Many new reproducible and downloadable tools.
Social Skills in Prison and the Community: Problem-Solving for Offenders (Routledge Library Editions: Prison and Prisoners)
by Philip Priestley James McGuire David Flegg Valerie Hemsley David Welham Rosemary Barnitt‘Gate fever’ is the name of a non-medical syndrome said to infect men in prison as the date of their discharge draws near. Its symptoms are euphoria and anxiety, mixed with irrational thinking; and the unfailing cure of the condition is the cold douche of reality which awaits the victim outside the prison gate. The primary aim of this book, originally published in 1984, is to describe and promote social-skills-based methods for helping offenders cope better with the problems they face in the community: finding and keeping work and accommodation, managing money and leisure time, getting on with other people and, in some cases, controlling their drinking or violent behaviour. Based on an action-research project undertaken with nearly four hundred men in Ranby and Ashwell prisons and at the Sheffield day training centre, the book outlines the origins of the project, the design and development of course materials, and the training of prison officers and probation staff to administer them. It looks at the characteristics of the men who took part in the experiment and at their problems, and details the content and conduct of the courses in practice. The results of the work are also reported, often in the words of the men who made use of the methods. Overall offending rates were not reduced but violent offenders at Ranby were less likely to be re-convicted of violent offences after release. One of the outcomes of the project was a model for working with offenders which has spread to other prisons and probation areas. A final chapter discusses the difficulties of doing innovative work in penal establishments and makes suggestions for developing social skills work with prisoners and probationers.
Social Skills: Developing Effective Interpersonal Communication (Talkabout Ser.)
by Alex KellyWhat can we do to help those who struggle to develop effective social skills? Social Skills: Developing Effective Interpersonal Communication is a definitive guide to understanding and meeting the needs of those who have difficulty with social skills. Written in a clear and accessible manner, this book provides a theoretical framework to the teaching of social skills alongside a range of practical ideas for practitioners. The book offers a four-step plan that can be adapted for use with young people or adults who are struggling with any aspect of their social skills. A simple model for assessing social skills is provided, as well as ways to measure the impact of intervention. Full of interesting examples and case studies, it includes discussion of how to teach social skills, how social skills develop through childhood, why they sometimes might not, and why social skills difficulties can have an impact on self-esteem and friendships. It includes a breakdown of social skills into the following areas: body language eye contact listening and paralanguage starting and ending conversations maintaining conversations assertiveness Written by one of the most well-known Speech and Language therapists in this field and the creator of the internationally successful Talkabout resources, this book provides a key reference for the study of social skills. It will be essential reading for educators, therapists, parents and anyone supporting others in developing communication and social skills.
Social Spaces and the Public Sphere: A Spatial-history of Modernity in Kerala
by S. HarikrishnanWhat can social spaces tell us about social relations in society? How do everyday social spaces like teashops, reading rooms, and libraries reify—or subvert—dominant social structures like caste and gender? These are the questions that this book explores through a study of modern Kerala. Using archival material, discourse analysis, participant observation, and personal interviews, this book traces the transformation of public spaces through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The volume focuses on how "modernity" has also been a struggle for access to public spaces, and non-institutional spaces like teashops, markets, public roads, temple grounds, reading rooms, and libraries have all been crucial to how political culture was shaped, and how dominant hegemonies—caste, class, or capital—have been challenged. It suggests that the secular public sphere that emerged in the last century in Kerala was a result of the constant negotiations between conflicting ideas which were put to test in these social spaces. At a time when digital spaces are fast replacing physical ones, this book is a timely reminder of the struggles that led to the emergence of secular public spaces in Kerala. It contributes to similar studies on public space that have emerged from other parts of the world over the last decades. A major contribution to understanding modern India, this book will be of interest to scholars and researchers of social history, political science, political sociology, gender studies, linguistics, and South Asian studies.
Social States: China in International Institutions, 1980-2000
by Alastair Iain Johnston"Constructive engagement" became a catchphrase under the Clinton administration for America's reinvigorated efforts to pull China firmly into the international community as a responsible player, one that abides by widely accepted norms. Skeptics questioned the effectiveness of this policy and those that followed. But how is such socialization supposed to work in the first place? This has never been all that clear, whether practiced by the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), Japan, or the United States. Social States is the first book to systematically test the effects of socialization in international relations--to help explain why players on the world stage may be moved to cooperate when doing so is not in their material power interests. Alastair Iain Johnston carries out his groundbreaking theoretical task through a richly detailed look at China's participation in international security institutions during two crucial decades of the "rise of China," from 1980 to 2000. Drawing on sociology and social psychology, this book examines three microprocesses of socialization--mimicking, social influence, and persuasion--as they have played out in the attitudes of Chinese diplomats active in the Conference on Disarmament, the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, the Convention on Conventional Weapons, and the ASEAN Regional Forum. Among the key conclusions: Chinese officials in the post-Mao era adopted more cooperative and more self-constraining commitments to arms control and disarmament treaties, thanks to their increasing social interactions in international security institutions.
Social Statistics
by Thomas J. LinnemanMany fundamentally important decisions about our social life are a function of how well we understand and analyze DATA. This sounds so obvious but it is so misunderstood. Social statisticians struggle with this problem in their teaching constantly. This book and its approach is the ally and support of all instructors who want to accomplish this hugely important teaching goal. This innovative text for undergraduate social statistics courses is, (as one satisfied instructor put it), a "breath of fresh air." It departs from convention by not covering some techniques and topics that have been in social stat textbooks for 30 years, but that are no longer used by social scientists today. It also includes techniques that conventional wisdom has previously thought to be the province of graduate level courses. Linneman's text is for those instructors looking for a thoroughly "modern" way to teach quantitative thinking, problem-solving, and statistical analysis to their students...an undergraduate social statistics course that recognizes the increasing ubiquity of analytical tools in our data-driven age and therefore the practical benefit of learning how to "do statistics," to "present results" effectively (to employers as well as instructors), and to "interpret" intelligently the quantitative arguments made by others. A NOTE ABOUT THE AUTHOR... At a recent Charter Day celebration, author Tom Linneman was awarded the Thomas Jefferson Teaching Award, the highest award given to young faculty members at the College of William and Mary. The citation for his award noted that Linneman has developed a reputation among his students as a demanding professor - but one who genuinely cares about them.
Social Statistics and Ethnic Diversity
by Patrick Simon Victor Piché Amélie A. GagnonThis book examines the question of collecting and disseminating data on ethnicity and race in order to describe characteristics of ethnic and racial groups, identify factors of social and economic integration and implement policies to redress discrimination. It offers a global perspective on the issue by looking at race and ethnicity in a wide variety of historical, country-specific contexts, including Asia, Latin America, Europe, Oceania and North America. In addition, the book also includes analysis on the indigenous populations of the Americas. The book first offers comparative accounts of ethnic statistics. It compares and empirically tests two perspectives for understanding national ethnic enumeration practices in a global context based on national census questionnaires and population registration forms for over 200 countries between 1990 to 2006. Next, the book explores enumeration and identity politics with chapters that cover the debate on ethnic and racial statistics in France, ethnic and linguistic categories in Québec, Brazilian ethnoracial classification and affirmative action policies and the Hispanic/Latino identity and the United States census. The third, and final, part of the book examines measurement issues and competing claims. It explores such issues as the complexity of measuring diversity using Malaysia as an example, social inequalities and indigenous populations in Mexico and the demographic explosion of aboriginal populations in Canada from 1986 to 2006. Overall, the book sheds light on four main questions: should ethnic groups be counted, how should they be counted, who is and who is not counted and what are the political and economic incentives for counting. It will be of interest to all students of race, ethnicity, identity, and immigration. In addition, researchers as well as policymakers will find useful discussions and insights for a better understanding of the complexity of categorization and related political and policy challenges.
Social Statistics for a Diverse Society
by Dr Anna Leon-Guerrero Dr Chava Frankfort-NachmiasThis Eighth Edition of Social Statistics for a Diverse Society continues to emphasize intuition and common sense, while demonstrating that social science is a constant interplay between methods of inquiry and important social issues. Recognizing that today’s students live in a world of growing diversity and richness of social differences, authors Chava Frankfort-Nachmias and Anna Leon-Guerrero use research examples that show how statistics is a tool for understanding the ways in which race, class, gender, and other categories of experience shape our social world and influence social behavior. In addition, guides for reading and interpreting the research literature help students acquire statistical literacy, while SPSS demonstrations and a rich variety of exercises help them hone their problem-solving skills.
Social Statistics for a Diverse Society
by Dr Anna Leon-Guerrero Dr Chava Frankfort-NachmiasThis Eighth Edition of Social Statistics for a Diverse Society continues to emphasize intuition and common sense, while demonstrating that social science is a constant interplay between methods of inquiry and important social issues. Recognizing that today’s students live in a world of growing diversity and richness of social differences, authors Chava Frankfort-Nachmias and Anna Leon-Guerrero use research examples that show how statistics is a tool for understanding the ways in which race, class, gender, and other categories of experience shape our social world and influence social behavior. In addition, guides for reading and interpreting the research literature help students acquire statistical literacy, while SPSS demonstrations and a rich variety of exercises help them hone their problem-solving skills.
Social Statistics: Managing Data, Conducting Analyses, Presenting Results (3rd Edition) (Sociology Re-Wired)
by Thomas J. Linneman<p>With a clear and engaging writing style and strong examples from the real world, this text covers current statistical techniques at an introductory level and emphasizes the clear presentation of results to a variety of audiences, making the course more useful to students and their careers. Interconnection features among chapters help students understand how all of the techniques fit together. Using varied data sets, the text features a highly rated companion website that includes videos of the author offering step-by-step explanations of how to carry out the techniques, interpret the results, and present them to varied audiences. <p>NEW TO THIS EDITION <p> <li>More inter-chapter connections have been added to improve students’ conceptual learning. <li>Several examples (on immigration, health, and civil rights) now permeate the text for easy comparison of techniques across chapters. <li>The section on managing data is considerably expanded to cover topics such as finding new sources of data, dealing with missing data, and how to combine data reliably. <li>Very current examples from the scholarly literature from criminology, education, and health show how researchers use each chapter’s techniques to tell compelling stories. <li>Instructors can choose from a variety of greatly expanded materials to enhance their lectures: engaging animations of key concepts; dynamic demonstrations of how statistics change in line with the data; short lectures on difficult-to-explain topics; and in-class exercises that will help students learn how to make sense of statistical results.</li></p>
Social Statistics: Managing Data, Conducting Analyses, Presenting Results (Sociology Re-Wired)
by Thomas J. LinnemanWith a clear, engaging writing style and fascinating examples using a variety of real data, this text covers the contemporary statistical techniques that students will encounter in the world of social research. It covers these techniques at an introductory level and carefully guides students through increasingly complex examples without intimidating them. Recurrent examples using four timely topics—health, immigration, income inequality, and everyday harassment—help students understand how the techniques fit together, and how to use the techniques in combination with one another. A superb author-created web resource accompanies the text. How to make clear presentations of research results is also a feature of the text. New to this edition: New research shows how the techniques has changed over time in the academic literature, showing students that social scientists really do use the statistical techniques the book teaches and giving them ample motivation to learn the techniques. Examples throughout the book use the most recent data from the General Social Survey. Four timely topics are threaded throughout the book: immigration, health, income inequality, and everyday harassment. Linneman uses these topics recurrently with different statistical techniques to illustrate how the techniques are related to one another. The new edition more explicitly emphasizes that the various techniques the students are learning are often used in combination with one another. After introducing a new technique and showing how to use it on its own, Linneman then systematically offers examples of how to combine that technique with techniques students learned in previous chapters. Most of the literature examples that end each chapter are new and use very recent research from top academic journals (three quarters from 2015 or later, nearly half from 2019). They feature research that covers timely topics such as Black Lives Matter, transgender health, social media, police behavior, and climate change. The SPSS demonstrations are completely redone, both in the book and on the website’s demonstration videos, using more recent data. Linneman applies his experience teaching his own students SPSS (knowing where students get confused) to clarify his explanations in these demonstrations.
Social Status and Power in Java (LSE Monographs on Social Anthropology)
by Leslie H. PalmierThis book is a closely-observed anthropological study of life in two small Javanese towns and, at the same time, it attempts a general analysis on sociological lines of some key characteristics of contemporary Javanese society. In particular, the author's examination of the manner in which a pre-existing authoritarian system is being adapted to republican institutions grounded in democratic ideas helps us to understand many of Indonesia's present-day social and political problems.
Social Stratification
by Dipankar GuptaThis work discusses social stratification in India with an interdisciplinary approach. It contains both classical and new writing on caste. It profiles the variations and the social importance of this system.
Social Stratification In Japan
by KosakaFirst Published in 1994. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
Social Stratification and Economic Change (Routledge Revivals)
by David RoseFirst published in 1988, Social Stratification and Economic Change brings together, for the first time in textbook form, some of the most significant work both theoretical and empirical on stratification in Britain. In part I, David Rose provides on overview of stratification research, and papers from David Lockwood, John Goldthorpe, Gordon Marshall, Ray Pahl, and Claire Wallace tackle key theoretical issues. In part II, six papers commissioned for the book report on empirical studies and their implications. By bringing together an outstanding group of authors, all at the forefront of their field, the book makes an important contribution to debates on social stratification and will be invaluable for both students and researchers in sociology.
Social Stratification and Mobility in Central Veracruz
by Hugo G. NutiniSince the Revolution of 1910, Mexican society has undergone a profound transformation, characterized by the disempowerment of the landed aristocracy and the rise of a new ruling class of plutocrats and politicians; the development of a middle class of white-collar professionals; and the upward mobility of formerly disenfranchised Indians who have become urban, working-class Mestizos. Indeed, Mexico's class system today increasingly resembles that of Western industrialized nations, proving that, while further democratic reforms are needed, the Revolution initiated an ongoing process of change that has created a more egalitarian society in Mexico with greater opportunities for social advancement.
Social Stratification and Social Movements: Theoretical and Empirical Perspectives on an Ambivalent Relationship (The Mobilization Series on Social Movements, Protest, and Culture)
by Sebastian Haunss Sabrina ZajakThis volume addresses the contested relationship between social stratification and social movements in three different ways: First, the authors address the relationship between social stratification and the emergence of protest mobilization. Second, the texts look at social stratification and social positions to explain variations in political orientations, as well as differing aims and interests of protestors. Finally, the volume focuses on the socio-structural composition of protestors. Social Stratification and Social Movements takes up recent attempts to reconnect research on these two fields. Instead of calling for a return of a class perspective or abandoning the classical social movement research agenda, it introduces a multi-dimensional perspective on stratification and social movements and broadens the view by extending the empirical analysis beyond Europe.
Social Stratification in Central Europe: Long-term Developments and New Issues (SpringerBriefs in Sociology)
by Jiří VečerníkThis book provides a comparative and contemporary account of social stratification in the Central European states of Czechia, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia (the Visegrad Four – V4 group), and also by contrast with Austria. It looks at the shared history of these countries as part of the erstwhile Austro-Hungarian Empire. While the V4 states experienced, for decades, the regressive authoritarian Soviet rule, Austria escaped this fate. The question is how some common historical roots, impact of the communist regime, and transition paths have shaped the specific social structures of V4 countries which differ despite belonging to a relatively homogeneous region. The book examines the changes and developments through analyses of large comparative surveys and other data collected after 1990, most notably using the European Union’s survey “Statistics on Income and Living Conditions” (EU-SILC) that has been fielded since 2005. The book starts with an outline of the long-term developments in key social structure dimensions which occurred during the post-communist transition. The analytical chapters then discuss topics previously not much examined in social stratification perspective: subjective well-being, couples’ status, cultural activities and differences among retirees. This book is intended for social scientists working on stratification research, and, specifically, V4 societies and politics.