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Russia's attempt to replace the failed Soviet system and its command economy with a capitalist, democratic society has produced a health and social welfare crisis, at considerable human cost. Russia’s Torn Safety Nets presents a series of essays by distinguished Russian and American scholars which describe and analyze the consequences of the collapsed socialist system, focusing on issues of health and demography, HIV/AIDS, drug addiction and abuse, the disabled, aging and pensions, education, women and sexism, and social issues in the military. The essays conclude with a section on the private and public efforts to ease the impact of the ongoing transition on the Russia people.

“Together, they make a powerful case that although many aspects of the Soviet state, such as its labor camps, censorship, and inefficient systems of production, should be consigned to the history books, it did provide a basic safety net that protected most people from abject poverty. The transition to a capitalist economy has removed this safety net, leaving the Russian population at the mercy of the worst aspects of capitalism.” —New England Journal of Medicine

“...an impressive group of scholars and policy practicioners...provides overviews appropriate for courses as well as new data that should be of interest to scholars.” —Russian Review

Mark G. Field is an Associate at the Davis Center for Russian Studies and Adjunct Professor at Harvard University’s School of Public Health.

Judyth L. Twigg is Assistant Professor of Political Science and Public Administration at Virginia Commonwealth University.