Russia's Torn Safety Nets : Health and Social Welfare During the Transition

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 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, ageing 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 Russian people.