“In this work, a truly international array of outstanding scholars uncover the role of society in the European post-communist transitions. The collection constitutes a great advance in our understanding of this complicated subject, illustrating how social groups have negotiated a changing economic and political environment. Diverse methodologies, local case studies, and intensive field work provide a solid empirical foundation for each of the contributions in the volume. Together, the authors uncover the reciprocal relationships between state social welfare reforms and citizens’ strategies to provide for themselves and each other. This work will be an invaluable resource for readers interested in European studies, comparative social welfare, and gender studies.”—Professor Andrea Chandler, Department of Political Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada“How do the poor, sick, disabled and elderly cope in ‘post-socialist’ societies? How do state, civic initiatives, informal networks and market actors intersect in the diverse welfare regimes that once had been pretty similar? Why are welfare practices still feminized so much? These urgent questions are approached by authors from different countries looking at such different societies as the Czech Republic, Romania, Moldova, Slovenia and Russia. The anthology presents a new and unique view of welfare in contemporary Russia and Central and South-Eastern European countries from an intersectional perspective of welfare, gender and agency. The book combines a macro-level approach on welfare, with a deep and rich analysis of concrete cases (with difficult access). Focus on the small sites of welfare—villages, municipal regions, organizations, networks— helps the reader to [comprehend] viewpoints of various vulnerable groups as well as everyday practices of agents engaged in providing the services.”—Elena Zdravomyslova, Professor of Sociology and Political Science, European University, St. Petersburg, Russia