Belarus- The post-Soviet period has been marked as the dramatic drop in the standard living for majority of the population.Wages have been distributed erratically and have not kept pace with the rising cost of living.Food supplies, though plentiful, are priced beyond the reach of many.Proverty has now embraced more than half the population, and diffcult economic times appear to have exacerbated the degree of alcoholism.Meanwhile, much of the country’s new business of the early 1990s was first impeded by high taxation and custom duties and subsequently taken over by organized crime elements.
Czech Republic- This country suffers from many of the problems typical of advanced industrial societies. Crime has increased since 1989, and many other problems that were suppressed under Communism, such as drug abuse, alcoholism, juvenile delinquency have worsened as well. New problems have also emerged since the collapse of the communist government, including corruption, organized crime, money laundering (transferring illegally obtained income through an outside party to conceal its true source), smuggling, and the development of an illegal arms trade. Discrimination against women has become more open.
Slovakia-The Slovak state spends 17% of GDP on social protection (including health care), which is half the EU average. More than 84% of Slovakia's social budget is funded by social contributions, not via taxes as is the case in Western countries. The majority of the funding is assigned to old-age pensioners.
To address the negative demographic trend and an ageing population – and boost the sustainability of the social system – the previous government added a second, private pillar to the social insurance system. This individual saving scheme, which complements the pay-as-you-go system, was meant to be compulsory for the younger population.
The current government strongly opposed the system and said it would put savers' money at risk. It ceased to make participation obligatory and has been trying to persuade savers using individual accounts to return fully to the state system.
To address the negative demographic trend and an ageing population – and boost the sustainability of the social system – the previous government added a second, private pillar to the social insurance system. This individual saving scheme, which complements the pay-as-you-go system, was meant to be compulsory for the younger population.
The current government strongly opposed the system and said it would put savers' money at risk. It ceased to make participation obligatory and has been trying to persuade savers using individual accounts to return fully to the state system.