In this volume Rita J. Simon brings together a clearly organized and accessible collection of scholarly essays on the world's most pressing social problems. Each of the contributors address a specific issue--gambling, prisons, alcohol, AIDS, rape, prisons, juvenile justice, abortion, and guns--by examining the institutions and laws different societies have developed for containing them. Each of the countries selected represents a range of variations in political, economic, religious/ethical/social orientations and characteristics. This comparative and interdisciplinary world perspective makes Simon's edited volume uniquely relevant to political scientists, sociologist, criminologists, psychologists and the broader audience of scholars and laypeople interested in the study of contemporary social problems.

"Ritzer′s Handbook of Social Problems offers a comprehensive treatment of today′s major societal issues. The articles are authored by some of the top scholars in the field and address problem areas that will capture the interests of students and professors alike. The international coverage is most welcome in this time of intensifying global inequalities." -Nancy Jurik, Arizona State University The Handbook of Social Problems: A Comparative International Perspective provides a unique, broadly comparative perspective on the current state of social problems and deviance in a variety of societies around the world. Editor George Ritzer, along with leading U.S. and international sociologists, examines the relationship between social problems and a society′s level of development and affluence. The essays in this volume focus on four interrelated issues involved in the relationship between social problems and the level of development and affluence: · Less developed and less affluent societies are more likely to experience a range of social problems than developed and affluent societies. · Affluence causes or at least brings with it a series of social problems that do not exist in less affluent societies. · It is only with affluence that certain things can come to be imagined as social problems, such as excessive consumption. · The very affluence of a society makes it vulnerable to problems that would not be social problems in poorer societies. The Handbook explores the theory of the weakness of the strong—in other words, strong or wealthy nations may have greater vulnerability to some social problems than less developed or affluent societies. This theory is clearly illustrated in this volume by the aftermath of September 11, 2001depicting the vulnerability of the U.S. to social problems in far-removed corners of the world. In addition, the international and comparative essays in this volume cover other important issues such as the impact of modern technologies on social problems, ecological problems, global inequality, health as a social problem, and much more. The Handbook of Social Problems is a vital resource for sociologists and graduate students, as well as an excellent addition to any academic library.

Social movements such as environmentalism, feminism, nationalism, and the anti-immigration movement are a prominent feature of the modern world and have attracted increasing attention from scholars in many countries. Comparative Perspectives on Social Movements, first published in 1996, brings together a set of essays that focus upon mobilization structures and strategies, political opportunities, and cultural framing and ideologies. The essays are comparative and include studies of the former Soviet Union and eastern Europe, the United States, Italy, the Netherlands, and Germany. Their authors are amongst the leaders in the development of social movement theory and the empirical study of social movements.

In this major new textbook, Vic George and Robert Page provide an original and much-needed introduction to global social problems and the emergence of a global social policy response. In an increasingly globalized world, it is inevitable that many of the social problems which have so far been seen as national in character will assume a global character. Global social problems are those which cannot be confined within national boundaries and which need both national and international attention if they are to be ameliorated. Pollution of the atmosphere is a stark example of this process. Global Social Problems begins with a discussion of the contested concept of globalization. Then eight of the most important global social problems are explored and explained by leading experts in environmental degration, international poverty, crime, AIDS, drugs, family violence, racism and migration. The book also includes chapter which explores the global social policy implications of these developments. With suggestions for further reading and accessible style, this book will be essential reading for undergraduate students in the social science, particularly those studying social policy, sociology and politics.

The international sociological community has engaged in a controversial discussion on social inequality. This title offers a deed analysis of country-specific research traditions in the fields of class analysis and social stratification, revealing important conceptual differences that have consequences for the diagnoses.

Social Innovation: Comparative Perspectives investigates socio-economic impact. Since it is hard to establish causality and to measure social properties when investigating impact, especially at the level of society, the book narrows down impact to one priority aspect: social innovation – understood as organizations’ capacity to generate novel ideas, ways and means of doing things, of addressing public and social problems of many kinds. This volume’s primary assertion is that the Third Sector, specifically through stimulating civic involvement, is best placed to produce social innovation, outperforming business firms and state agencies in this regard. By investigating actor contributions to social innovation across seven fields of activity, Social innovation: Comparative Perspectives develops our understanding of why and how the Third Sector is central to functioning, cohesive and viable societies. This volume is based on contributions of the project "ITSSOIN – Impact of the Third Sector as Social Innovation" funded by the European Commission under the 7th framework programme. It will be of insight across disciplines, in particular to the growing social innovation community, innovation researchers more generally and to non-profit scholars. The practical relevance of the book will be of interest to European and national policy makers and practitioners across different sectors.

An examination of the state of the art in stratification research, looking at data, methods, theory, and new empirical findings in social inequality, life course, and cross-national comparative sociology.

Focusing on social work and social service delivery, this book examines the social policies and programmes designed to address different societal issues and concerns across India and China. It focuses on gaining understanding of design and delivery of social welfare policies related to special interest groups, highlighting important contemporary challenges such as child labour, child abuse, exploitation of women, problems related to disabled people, mental health issue, illiteracy and unemployment. Offering a comparative perspective, the book considers the impact of political administration in both countries to critically assess key issues related to social welfare in two different political, economic, social, and cultural contexts.

Social capital - networks of civic engagements, norms of reciprocity, and attitudes of trust - is widely seen as playing a key role for the health of democracy. While many authors have examined the consequences of social capital, there is a pressing need to explore its sources. This collection brings together leading American and European scholars in the first comparative analysis of how social trust and other civic attitudes are generated. The contributors to this volume examine the generation of social capital from two directions: society-based approaches that emphasize voluntary associations, and institutional approaches that emphasize policy.

First Published in 1992. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.