ABSTRACT

This chapter looks at the popular perceptions of justice in the postcommunist states, focusing on attitudes toward the new political and economic institutions and ideas. The radical egalitarianism of early communism in the Soviet Union was soon replaced by a more meritocratic ideology and incentive system in the Stalin period, in both Russia and Eastern Europe. As the East European countries move toward free enterprise and the market, economic inequality will grow sharply as the governments relax restrictions on wages and wealth and abandon their commitment to full employment. A major task of the new governments is to convince their populations to accept greater economic inequality in the society. This may be difficult, given the prevailing attitudes. For the postcommunist states, satisfaction with one's own standard of living is the strongest determinant of overall life satisfaction, showing a stronger correlation than income, self-perceived social standing, age, sex, or education.