This book examines how influential groups perceive social problems in Estonia, Russia and Finland. The context of the study is the ongoing "Eastern transition" in Estonia and Russia and the "Western transformation" in Finland. Each is changing the accustomed ways of defining and treating social problems. The data consists of focus-group interviews with journalists, administrators and business people. The interviews were conducted in Tallinn, St. Petersburg and Helsinki in 1995-1996. The book suggests that, for all three countries, the determining factor in how social problems are perceived are the heavy social costs of transition and transformation. Furthermore, the results indicate that the welfare systems created during the post-war era are now being partly dismantled in all three countries. However, in the opinion of the influential groups, there is no overall disillusionment with big state solutions to social problems.