Quality of Life

Abstract

The thematic focus of this issue of Postmodernism Problems is the dynamics and transformations in the quality of life of social communities in Bulgaria and Romania. The publications in it are the result of the implementation of a joint research project under the inter-academic cooperation between the Bulgarian and Romanian Academies, and more specifically between the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the Research Institute for Quality of Life at the Romanian Academy on the topic: “Transformations in the quality of life of social communities in the conditions of globalization: challenges and perspectives (2022 – 2023)”. The concept of quality of life has a very high heuristic potential as it affects a wide range of contexts, including social development, politics, employment, and international relations. In this issue of Postmodernism Problems, we tried to present some specificities of Bulgaria and Romania in terms of the state, dynamics, and perspectives of the quality of life in both countries in the aspect of its various objective and subjective indicators. The results show that there are many similarities between the two countries, both historically and culturally, and in the most recent developments of Bulgaria and Romania after 2007 in relation to EU membership. This familiar context has repercussions on social processes related to changes in the quality of life of local communities. The study of transformations in the quality of life of different social communities in the two neighboring countries enriches the research field on the topic and allows for an analysis of what is happening in two related national contexts in the conditions of globalization.