Mapping The Rural Problem In The Baltic Countryside: Transition Processes In The Rural Areas Of Estonia, Latvia And Lithuania (Perspectives on Rural Policy and Planning)

The stream of information concerning post-socialist countries is increasing all the time: it is being produced by the countries themselves for their own uses, by the EU as well as by various international institutions. However, there is still a need for more rigorous academic research with a sound theoretical and critical orientation. The present volume has been written and compiled in this academic spirit. The articles in this volume deal with different aspects of post-socialist transition in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, including agriculture and agricultural companies, industrial enterprises and other kinds of businesses, civil society, as well as some special issues such as poverty and problems in rural communities. Many of the research findings provide a foundation for a critical analysis of the transition policies practised, perhaps even beyond the Baltic countries. All of the articles except one were written primarily in connection with the research project 'The Decollectivization of Agriculture in the Baltic Countries from a Psychological and Sociological Point of View,' financed by the Academy of Finland. However, since the writing and editing of the articles has taken quite a long time, work from another research project financed by the same institution - focusing on poverty in rural areas - is also reflected herein.