The Politics of Social Security Reforms in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia

The Repoliticization of the Welfare State

“…After the GFC, the Czech Republic has seen a polarization and fragmentation of its political system and the emergence of left-right blocs with competing economic and social policy agendas that will be highly influential in the years to come. The social protection system that developed in the Czech Republic after the fall of the "Iron Curtain" is representative of a distinct Eastern European welfare state type that emerged in the region (Aidukaite 2009a(Aidukaite , 2009b(Aidukaite , 2011Arts and Gelissen 2002;Cerami 2010;Cerami and Vanhuysse 2009;Fenger 2007;Golinowska, Hengstenberg, and Żukowski 2009). While there are of course some variations in welfare state development between eastern European countries (see for example Hacker 2009; Lauzadyte-Tutliene, Balezentis, and Goculenko 2018), there are important similarities in terms of the institutions and policies that were adopted by national governments in response to the challenges of the postcommunist transition.…”

“…The welfare state in communistled states in eastern Europe was predicated on a mix of corporatism and universalism (Saxonberg and Sirovátka 2009). Due to near full employment, the corporatist communist welfare system was effectively able to achieve universal coverage (Cerami 2010;Standing 1996). In the case of pensions, for example, although benefits were supposed to be linked to professional status, wage equalization in the communist system led to flat-rate benefits for everyone (Cerami 2010).…”

“…Due to near full employment, the corporatist communist welfare system was effectively able to achieve universal coverage (Cerami 2010;Standing 1996). In the case of pensions, for example, although benefits were supposed to be linked to professional status, wage equalization in the communist system led to flat-rate benefits for everyone (Cerami 2010). Healthcare under communist rule was also universal and free to all citizens through a centralized national health care system (Kornai 2001).…”

“…Healthcare under communist rule was also universal and free to all citizens through a centralized national health care system (Kornai 2001). Household social support and family benefits were also extensive and aimed at encouraging full employment for men and women (Cerami 2010). These universal policies have continued in some areas of the modern Czech welfare state, including old-age pensions, disability payments, and healthcare, where full coverage is provided for all citizens (Żukowski 2009).…”

“…These reforms were informed by the social protection systems in place in other EU member states and the neoliberal economic reforms that were being implemented in the country at the time (Potůček 2009). This restructuring of the welfare state coincided with serious social problems resulting from the postcommunist transition, including an economic recession, high inflation rates, rising unemployment, widespread poverty, and deteriorating living standards (Aspalter, Jinsoo, and Sojeung 2009;Cerami 2010). As a consequence, many of the early welfare policies adopted by the Czech government after 1989 can be characterized as emergency responses to the social costs of political and economic transitions (Horibayashi 2006;Offe 1993).…”