People from all over the world see the black smoke from used tires, aggressive protesters throwing stones and molotovs in police and think: these are dangerous extremists! Why don’t they resolve all these questions in their parliament? The government tells the same to the people gathered at the Maidan in […]

In Romanian, the word ‘maidan’ means empty, weed-choked field. So it was more than a bit funny  when the word became a household  term across the EU in the past few months. The ‘Euromaidan’ became a symbol of democracy and the fight of the Ukraininan people against the choking weeds […]

In Hungary the labour market and employment conditions often don’t follow the spirit of inclusive growth. The present Hungarian government made several changes to the country’s Labour Code and also introduced a unique public works scheme. The results of both measures have been heavily debated ever since. Does the goal […]

  On February 8, Russia will welcome international athletes to one of the most extravagant events in Russian history– the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Many foreigners imagine Russia as a country of relentless winters, with snowy mountain peaks and lowlands covered with ice, deserted because of low temperatures. Holding the Winter […]

Nostalgia over communism is on the rise in Eastern Europe. So are public protests. Are these symptoms of Easterners “lost in globalization”? Most probably they are just so much living proof that post-socialist regimes have failed to provide a social safety net for their most vulnerable citizens. What’s more, governance […]