The Hungarian information society – regardless to its modest development – is increasingly divided. In addition to the known reasons, it should be considered that the majority of the outcasts have neither direct contact with PCs and internet (the feature devices of information society), nor with persons using these devices on a daily basis. In order to break the cultural and knowledge barriers, that mostly responsible for the digital division, we have to launch such IT programs that regenerate incomplete social contacts in order to speed up the spread of innovation, new values and attitudes.

Questions like aging population in developed countries, permanently low birthrates or immigration are well known from newspaper articles at least what the headlines concerned. The study attempts to examine these questions in scientific way and also to show the immigration and integration policies of the most concerned European countries. In Europe, national cultural identity is traditionally strong and many are afraid that a more open immigration policy will make welfare systems financially collapsing. The labour market in the US is open, and it seems, that the "American Dream" attracts more immigrants but the US – in European sense – never was a "welfare state". Nevertheless, the US model still has lessons for Europe if it wants to save its welfare systems.

In the 1970s, a counter-revolution in economics restored the neo-classical doctrines prevailing before the Great Depression. Since the 1990s, the contradictions and consequences of the emerging neoliberal order have become apparent. For analysing these, the works by J.M. Keynes and K. Polanyi are instrumental, and the proposal by the latter about economic planning and international finance on a regional scale should be revisited.

The friendly visit of Milton Friedman, the idol of Chicago Boys, to Pinochet was far beyond an isolated episode. The University of Chicago has already started, with state subsidies, the education of market fanatic economic cadres for Latin America as early as in the 50s. With the help of these cadres Pinochet's Chile became the first exemplar of the neoliberal model, from that Reagan's counter-revolution also gained inspiration. Friedman and other neoconservative theorists sought to give a new meaning to the idea of freedom and by this securing respect to the dictatorship of free markets.