ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides a comprehensive overview and analysis of public administration in select post-Communist countries and the paths they embarked on after the lifting of the Iron Curtain to transform the authoritarian system of governance into modern, market-based, and in some cases democratic, government. It includes a brief introduction to the specific country, an overview the politics and administration, and a discussion of key aspects of public administration including human resource management, public budgeting and finance, corruption, accountability, and civil society. The book identifies common themes and trends, pinpoints similarities and differences, and sets the material in a broader comparative perspective. Specifically, it focuses on the following independent and former socialist states: Bulgaria, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Moldova, Mongolia, Poland, Romania, Russia, and Ukraine.
