Political Economy and Social Dynamics in Post-Socialist Contexts

Since the collapse of state socialism across Eastern Europe and parts of Asia in the late twentieth century, scholars have examined the profound restructuring of economies, polities and societies that ensued. The transition from centrally planned systems to market-oriented structures has been uneven, producing varied trajectories of growth, inequality and social cohesion. Key themes include the privatisation of formerly state-owned enterprises, the rise of new business elites, the reconfiguration of welfare provision and the persistence of informal networks inherited from the socialist era. Ethno-national legacies have also shaped patterns of citizenship, intergroup relations and collective memory in deeply divided societies. At the same time, mobility across borders and emerging global linkages have reframed questions of labour, capital and solidarity. Recent work highlights how institutional path dependence, combined with novel forms of social mobilisation, continues to influence economic performance, political representation and everyday life in post-socialist settings. These developments carry global significance for debates on inequality, democratic resilience and the challenges of integrating diverse populations in transitional contexts.

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Political Economy and Social Dynamics in Post-Socialist Contexts publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in political economy and social dynamics in post-socialist contexts across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Privatisation: The transfer of ownership and management of enterprises from the state to private actors, often involving market-oriented reforms.

Neoliberalism: An ideological and policy framework emphasising deregulation, free markets and reduced public spending.

Ethnic boundary: A conceptual line that distinguishes social groups based on perceived cultural, linguistic or ancestral differences.

Social mobilisation: Collective action by citizens or groups to influence political or economic decision-making processes.

Citizenship: A legal and social status defining membership in a polity, entailing rights, duties and belonging.

Labour migration: The movement of workers across regions or states to pursue employment, often shaped by economic and political factors.

References

1. Worker silence in a turbulent neoliberal context: The case of mass privatisation of sugar factories in Turkey. Human Resource Management Journal (2023).
2. Bosnian-Herzegovinian Citizens in the Making – The Citizenship Debate in the Time of Social Mobilizations. Nationalities Papers (2023).
3. Albanian labor migration, the Yugoslav private sector and its Cold War context. Labor History (2023).