In her article introducing the social policy section of this issue the author who has a view on both the Western and Eastern social policies criticises those Hungarian and other East European ideas which idealize the western (capitalist) social policy models (that are far from being altruistic). She lets the reader sense that the cutting back of the "socialist" systems of provision with entitlements pro­vided on the basis of the right of citizens is a loss in the current limited circumstance.