Economic Implications of Chronic Illness and Disability in Eastern Europe and Former Soviet Union

Disability is an important issue for the transition countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Not only is a significant portion of their population either in poor health or disabled - with implications for labor force participation and productivity - but their aging demographics project an increase in the share of disabled people, raising concerns about the sustainability of social protection programs. Thus, if these heavily resource-strapped countries fail to deal in an efficient