Skip to main content
Kent Academic Repository

Critique of deinstitutionalisation in postsocialist Central and Eastern Europe

Mladenov, Teodor, Petri, Gabor (2019) Critique of deinstitutionalisation in postsocialist Central and Eastern Europe. Disability & Society, . ISSN 0968-7599. E-ISSN 1360-0508. (doi:10.1080/09687599.2019.1680341) (KAR id:79540)

Abstract

In this paper, we explore critically deinstitutionalisation reform, focusing specifically on the postsocialist region of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). We argue that

deinstitutionalisation in postsocialist CEE has generated re-institutionalising outcomes, including renovation of existing institutions and/or creation of new, smaller settings that have nevertheless reproduced key features of institutional life. To explain these trends, we first consider the historical background of the reform, highlighting the legacy of state socialism and the effects of postsocialist neoliberalisation. We then discuss the impact of ‘external’ drivers of deinstitutionalisation in CEE, particularly the European Union and its funding, as well as human rights discourses incorporated in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The analysis is supported by looking at the current situation in Hungary and Bulgaria through recent reports by local civil society organisations. In conclusion, we propose some definitional tactics for redirecting existing resources towards genuine community-based services.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1080/09687599.2019.1680341
Uncontrolled keywords: residential institutions; human rights; Independent Living; European Union; state socialism; postsocialism; neoliberalism; Eastern Europe; disability
Subjects: H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
K Law > K Law (General)
Divisions: Divisions > Division for the Study of Law, Society and Social Justice > School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research > Tizard
Depositing User: Gabor Petri
Date Deposited: 10 Jan 2020 14:17 UTC
Last Modified: 04 Mar 2024 19:37 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/79540 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

  • Depositors only (login required):

Total unique views for this document in KAR since July 2020. For more details click on the image.