Welfare state transformations in Bulgaria and Romania

Abstract

This chapter discusses the main welfare state transformations occurring in Bulgaria and Romania since the establishment of the first social insurance system at the beginning of the twentieth century. As shown by other investigations in this volume (see contributions of Aidukaite, Inglot, Szikra and Tomka), post-communist welfare state restructuring did not start from scratch, but was built on pre-existing institutional layers. However, due to their more complex political, economic and social situation, the Bulgarian and Romanian transition towards democracy has not only been more difficult than in other Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, but welfare reforms have also proceeded at a lower speed.