Workers after workers' states : labor and politics in postcommunist Eastern Europe

Despite decades as the official _ruling class,_ labor has become a marginal social and political actor throughout Eastern Europe in the postcommunist era. Through a broad array of case studies, including such under-studied countries as Serbia, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Ukraine, the contributors provide the first detailed exploration of every facet of labor in the region. Examining the causes, extent, significance, and political implications of union weakness, the volume assesses the impact of labor debility on the consolidation of democracy in the region. After decades as the official "ruling class" of ostensible "workers' states," labor in Eastern Europe has fallen dramatically. Although the painful consequences of market transformation have hit workers hardest of all, protests have been surprisingly few and ineffective. More than ten years after the start of the transition, trade unions are among the weakest institutions of postcommunist society, unable to influence policymaking or secure material rewards for workers. Why, given unprecedented political freedoms coupled with such adverse economic change, has labor been so quiescent since the fall of communism in Eastern Europe? And what are the political consequences of that weakness for societies trying to build lasting democracies? This book, through the use of comparative case studies, explores the causes, extent, significance, and implications of this weakness. The ten cases-Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, and Ukraine-focus on the status of trade unions and the relationship between labor and politics in each country. Comprising a full array of postcommunist societies, these countries represent a wide variation in labor institutions, political experiences, and economic outcomes. In their introduction and conclusion the editors consider structural, sociological, and ideational explanations for labor decline in the postcommunist era and assess the impact of that weakness on the consolidation of democracy in the region.

Author Biography: Stephen Crowley is associate professor of politics, Oberlin College. David Ost is Professor of Political Science, Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

This book, through the use of comparative case studies, explores the causes, extent, significance and implications of this weakeness. The ten cases - Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia and Ukraine -focus on the status of trade unions and the relationship between labour and politics in each country. Comprising a full array of postcommunist societies, these countries represent a wide variation in labour institutions, political experiences and economic outcomes. In their introduction and conclusion the editors consider structural, sociological and ideational explanations for labour decline in the postcommunist era and assess the impact of that weakness on the consolidation of democracy in the region After decades as the official "ruling class" of ostensible "workers' states", labour in Eastern Europe has fallen dramatically. Although the painful consequences of market transformation have hit workers hardest of all, protests have been surprisingly few and ineffective. More than ten years after the start of the transition, trade unions are among the weakest institutions of postcommunist society, unable to influence policymaking or secure material rewards for workers. Why, given unprecedented political freedoms coupled with such adverse economic change, has labour been so quiescent since the fall of communism in Eastern Europe? And what are the political consequences of that weakness for societies trying to build lasting democracies? Why, given political freedom coupled with adverse economic change, has labour been so quiescent since the fall of communism in Eastern Europe? Through the use of case studies, this text explores the extent of these weaknesses and the relationship between labour and politcs in these countries