The changing social status of pensioners is described and structured according to stylized periods. First, I identify the salient features of the communist regime that shifted pensioners to the margins of society. Second, I attempt to trace how the position of pensioners changed as a result of the democratic transition, which empowered pensioners as voters and which led to their rising relative...

T H E PASSAGE of the Social Security A c t was p u b lic recognition of the fact t h a t the aged constitute a large and needy p a r t of our dependent groups. I t does n o t follow, however, t h a t the aged persons still outside the provisions of the act constitute the largest or most needy group remaining i n our dependent populat ion . I n considering w h a t f u r ther legislation needs to...