This book is the first comprehensive assessment of the mortality crisis which has affected most economies in transition but which has remained so far largely unexplained. It reconciles long-term and short-term explanations of the crisis and makes use of special micro data-sets never used before. By providing a rigorous multidisciplinary analysis of this upsurge in mortality rates, the book hopes to contribute to the launch of vigorous policies to tackle this societal problem.About the Author: Giovanni Andrea Cornia is Special Adviser for Research, UNICEF. Vladimir Popov is Visiting Professor in the Department of European and Russian Studies, Carleton University.