I have been using the previous editions over the years as the book proved to be remarkable for studying and understanding East and Central European politics and society, its transitional economies, and historical and contemporary challenges. It has been the primary text that I have been assigning in my classes over several years. The scope of the book is comprehensive. Its organization is systematic, straightforward, and consistent.

Renat Shaykhutdinov, Florida Atlantic University

For the countries it covers, the book provides an unparalleled job of providing overviews of developing trends and themes in each chapter and how historical legacies impact the present.

Petra Hendrickson, Northern Michigan University

[The] thematic approach in the first part gives a great introduction to many of the important variables for assessing politics in any regime. The second part on case studies then implements the comparative analysis which I find very useful. There are lots of case studies, so I can assign some and make some optional.

Steve Jurek, State University of New York, Brockport