In 2008, the global financial crisis decimated Latvia. As unemployment skyrocketed, the government slashed public funding and raised taxes, while providing relief to the wealthy and large businesses -- all without backlash or protest from struggling citizens. Sociologist Liene Ozoliņa examines how Latvian officials convinced their people to acce...

When the economic crisis of 2008 hit, communities around the world took to the streets, inspired by the "Occupy Wall Street" movement, to protest the social inequality of the recession. But Latvia, the second-hardest-hit country, was tranquil. Social policies put the responsibility on the unemployed individual, implying that they were at fault f...