The populations of Central and Eastern European (CESEE) countries—with the exception of Turkey—are expected to decrease significantly over the next 30 years, driven by low or negative net birth rates and outward migration. These changes will have significant implications for growth, living standards and fiscal sustainability.

Moving from the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 to the present day, this book traces the trajectory of the six East Central European former satellites of the Soviet Union (Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria) that have joined the European Union. It seeks in particular to explain these countries’ disenchantment with the “return to Europe” in spite of their significant advances. The book proceeds country by country and then devotes chapters to some contemporary issues, such as minorities, migration, and the relations of these “new” members with the European Union as a whole. The book eschews theory and is intended for a general audience, including students at all levels in political science and history classes devoted to the EU and to contemporary Europe, and to an academic and practitioner audience interested in world affairs and the evolution of the European Union. The book strives to fill a persistent knowledge gap in the English-speaking world concerning East Central Europe, and to offer fresh insights about the region in the context of contemporary geopolitics.

This thought-provoking book investigates the political and economic transformation that has taken place over the past three decades in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe (CESEE) since the fall of the Iron Curtain. Through an examination of both the successes and shortcomings of post communist reform and the challenges ahead for the region, it explores the topical issues of economic transition and integration, and highlights lessons to be learned.

This original and panoramic book proposes that the underlying forces of demography and globalisation will shortly reverse three multi-decade global trends – it will raise inflation and interest rates, but lead to a pullback in inequality. “Whatever the future holds”, the authors argue, “it will be nothing like the past”. Deflationary headwinds over the last three decades have been primarily due to an enormous surge in the world’s available labour supply, owing to very favourable demographic trends and the entry of China and Eastern Europe into the world’s trading system. This book demonstrates how these demographic trends are on the point of reversing sharply, coinciding with a retreat from globalisation. The result? Ageing can be expected to raise inflation and interest rates, bringing a slew of problems for an over-indebted world economy, but is also anticipated to increase the share of labour, so that inequality falls. Covering many social and political factors, as well as those that are more purely macroeconomic, the authors address topics including ageing, dementia, inequality, populism, retirement and debt finance, among others. This book will be of interest and understandable to anyone with an interest on where the world’s economy may be going.

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit human capital directly in Europe and Central Asia, adversely affecting both education and health. School closures may lead to learning losses equivalent to a third to a full year of schooling, and they are likely to exacerbate inequalities, by disproportionately affecting students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The disease has already killed thousands of people, and some patients who survive will suffer long-term damage to their health. Recovery from the pandemic will thus require strong investment in education and health. This update examines human capital outcomes in the region and the ways in which the pandemic is likely to affect them. A focus on the quality of tertiary education and health risk factors of obesity, smoking, and heavy drinking highlights the challenges that are particularly important for the region. Post-COVID 19 policy initiatives to improve education and health will need to recognize the challenges posed by increased reliance on remote learning and the importance of being prepared for future pandemics, given the vulnerability of the region’s aging societies and the large number of people with underlying health risks.

This book examines the effects of sociocultural trauma throughout the 20th century on interpersonal and family relationships in five Eastern European countries, drawing on the perspectives of mental health practitioners. Chapters employ a systemic perspective to explore the unique social, political, and cultural contexts that influence relationships in each country with a particular focus on implications for psychological and relational well-being. The volume demonstrates the importance of examining the cultural and sociocontextual nuances and complexity that may influence the impact of historical events on relationships, elucidating similarities and differences among countries in how the collective trauma has influenced them. It assists family therapists and other mental health practitioners in recognizing cultural and social factors that may influence their work with families, individuals, or couples living in these countries or who have immigrated from them. Key areas of coverage include: Descriptions of each country’s experience of sociocultural trauma and the current social-cultural-economic-political contexts. Impact of trauma on interpersonal relationships across various social locations and national and ethnic identities within the existing borders. Current challenges, recommendations for clinical practice, and future directions for research and practice. Sociocultural Trauma and Well-Being in Eastern European Family Therapy is an essential resource for clinicians, therapists, and practitioners as well as researchers, professors, and graduate students in family studies, clinical psychology, and public health as well as all interrelated disciplines.

With 140 contributions by authors from 19 different countries, XVIII International Symposium of Organizational Sciences – SymOrg 2022 successfully sets the high level for future conferences. The topic of SymOrg 2020, “Sustainable Business Management and Digital Transformation: Challenges and Opportunities in the Post-COVID Era”, attracted researchers from different institutions, both in Serbia and abroad. This year, more than 300 scholars and practitioners authored and co-authored scientific and research articles that had been accepted for publication in the Book of Abstracts. All the contributions to the Book of Abstracts are classified into the following 13 key topics:  Blockchain Technology in Business and Information Systems  Business Analytics  Creativity, Innovation and Sustainable Management  Digital Operations and Logistics Management  Digital Transformation of Financial Industry  Digital Transformation of Public Administration  E-Business Ecosystems  Evidence-Based Public Policy Making in the Post-COVID Environment  LEAN Business Systems – Structures, Processes and Models  Managing Digital Transformation Projects under Discontinuity  Managing Human Resources in the Post-COVID Era  Rethinking Marketing and Communication in the Post-COVID Era  Quality Management and Standardization in Digital Transformation Era. The participation of numerous domestic and international authors and the diversity of topics justify our efforts to organize the Symposium. As SymOrg is traditionally at the intersection of academy and business, we believe that this year’s meeting will bring about many in-depth discussions, contribute to prospective partnerships, and build stronger business and academic networks. We also believe that meeting will contribute to the exchange of knowledge, research results and experience among industry experts, research institutions and faculties, which all share a common interest in contemporary organizational sciences. We are very grateful to our distinguished keynote and plenary speakers: Ana Draskovic, Aleksander Aristovnik, Manuel Mazzara, Basant Agarwa and Priyanka Harjule. Also, special thanks to moderators for organizing the panels and workshops in the fields of higher education, business, supply chain, doctoral research studies and student engagement and sustainability. The Faculty of Organizational Sciences would like to express its gratitude to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development and all the partners and individuals who have supported and contributed to the organization of the Symposium. We are particularly grateful to the contributors and reviewers who made this issue possible. But above all, we are especially thankful to the authors and presenters for making SymOrg 2022 a success! Belgrade, June 6, 2022 Marko Mihić, Ph.D. Sandra Jednak, Ph.D. Gordana Savić, Ph.D.