Development challenges of the "new Europe"

European nations are undergoing rapid and fundamental changes in response to social, political and economic events that are occurring both within and outside the region. These changes are far-reaching in scope and, ultimately, are expected to result in a redefinition of "Europe" and what it means to be "European." Using the author's extensively pre-tested Index of Social Progress (ISP), the research reported in this paper: 1) identifies the major changes in social development that have taken place in 36 European nations since 1970; 2) contrasts Europe's recent social development trends with those of other major world regions ( including Asia, Africa, Latin and North America, and Oceania); 3) using aggregate scores on the Weighted Index of Social Progress ( WISP), identifies Europe's "social leaders" (SLs), "middle performing countries" (MPCs), identifies Europe's "social leaders" (SLs), "middle performing countries" ( MPCs), and "socially least developing countries" (SLDCs); 4) identifies the major development challenges confronting Europe at the outset of a new decade; and 5) provides baseline data against which future developments in the region may be assessed.