’This book is based on unique and extensive research carried out in Russia at the turn of the new century. It provides us with a fascinating and revealing insight into the extent of poverty and social exclusion in this rapidly changing context...It will be of interest both to comparative social policy scholars and to those concerned with research on the definition and measurement of poverty and social exclusion.’ Pete Alcock, University of Birmingham, UK ’The studies in this volume provide an essential insight into the growth of social exclusion in Russia in the last decade or so. They explain...some of the causes and the consequences of poverty. As a result, the book is strongly recommended to all those interested in the social fall-out from the collapse of socialism in the Soviet Union.’ Alastair McAuley, University of Essex, UK ’This book is an exceptionally welcome addtion to the small but growing literature on poverty in Russia.’ The Russian Review ’...should be of interest to anyone concerned by the ongoing [effects] of transition on the peoples of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. It should also provide a useful reference point for scholars concerned with the concept and measurement of poverty and social exclusion and beyond that any reader with an interest in the region cannot fail to find something of interest in the rich ethnographic stories found within.’ Slavonic and East European Review ’...rooted in serious research...a valuable contribution to the literature, not least because it draws richly on the direct experience of the Russian authors.’ European Journal of Social Work