This title was first published in 2001. Ethical considerations play a key role in both the theoretical and practical functioning of the welfare state. The contributors to this book examine these ethical issues, and demonstrate how value judgements must be integrated into any analysis of social security reform.

In this new book, Tariq Ramadan argues that it is crucial to find theoretical and practical solutions that will enable Western Muslims to remain faithful to Islamic ethics while fully living within their societies and their time. He notes that Muslim scholars often refer to the notion of ijtihad (critical and renewed reading of the foundational texts) as the only way for Muslims to take up these modern challenges. But, Ramadan argues, in practice such readings have effectively reached the limits of their ability to serve the faithful in the West as well as the East. In this book he sets forward a radical new concept of ijtihad, which puts context -- including the knowledge derived from the hard and human sciences, cultures and their geographic and historical contingencies -- on an equal footing with the scriptures as a source of Islamic law.

"[This book is] the most authoritative assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of recent trends toward the commercialization of health care," says Robert Pear of The New York Times. This major study by the Institute of Medicine examines virtually all aspects of for-profit health care in the United States, including the quality and availability of health care, the cost of medical care, access to financial capital, implications for education and research, and the fiduciary role of the physician. In addition to the report, the book contains 15 papers by experts in the field of for-profit health care covering a broad range of topicsâ€"from trends in the growth of major investor-owned hospital companies to the ethical issues in for-profit health care. "The report makes a lasting contribution to the health policy literature." â€"Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law.

Social Security Law is an up-to-date, critical, yet authoritative account of the British social security system and its legal framework. It sets out the principal features of the main social benefits, giving a detailed exposition of the legal basis of entitlement to each benefit. It then takes the reader several steps further in placing the understanding of social security law into its wider social, political, historical and European context.

The Model Rules of Professional Conduct provides an up-to-date resource for information on legal ethics. Federal, state and local courts in all jurisdictions look to the Rules for guidance in solving lawyer malpractice cases, disciplinary actions, disqualification issues, sanctions questions and much more. In this volume, black-letter Rules of Professional Conduct are followed by numbered Comments that explain each Rule's purpose and provide suggestions for its practical application. The Rules will help you identify proper conduct in a variety of given situations, review those instances where discretionary action is possible, and define the nature of the relationship between you and your clients, colleagues and the courts.

Eminent political theorist Joseph Carens tests the limits of democratic theory in the realm of immigration, arguing that any acceptable immigration policy must be based on moral principles even if it conflicts with the will of the majority.

In this important and timely collection, some of the best minds in gerontology and bioethics -- including Nancy Dubler, Rick Moody, Andrew Achenbaum, Robert Hudson, and Robert Binstock -- explore the ethical, social, and political challenges of an aging society. A unique combination of disciplines and perspectives -- from economics to nursing, psychology to theology -- this valuable synthesis of theory and practice provides frameworks and analyses for considering the ethical issues of both individual and societal aging. The contributors address the major policy challenges of Social Security, Medicare, and prescription drugs as well as ethical issues ranging from individual autonomy to family responsibility to distributive justice. Specific topics covered include end-of-life decision making, family relations across generations, age-based intergenerational policies, and the reform of Social Security. Contributors:W. Andrew Achenbaum, Ph.D., University of Houston, Houston; Vern L. Bengtson, Ph.D., University of Southern California, Los Angeles; Robert H. Binstock, Ph.D., Case Western Reserve University; Christine E. Bishop, Ph.D., Brandeis University; Thomas R. Cole, Ph.D., University of Texas Medical School at Houston; Peter A. Diamond, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Nancy Neveloff Dubler, LL.B., Albert Einstein College of Medici Msgr. Charles J. Fahey, Fordham University; Lucy Feild, Ph.D., R.N., Partners Human Research Quality Improvement Program; Martha B. Holstein, Ph.D., DePaul University; Robert B. Hudson, Ph.D., Boston University; Eric R. Kingson, Ph.D., Syracuse University; Ronald J. Manheimer, Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Ashevil Kyriakos S. Markides, Ph.D., University of Texas Medical Branch; Daniel C. Marson, J.D., Ph.D., University of Alabama at Birmingham; H. Rick Moody, Ph.D., AARP Peter R. Orszag, Ph.D., Brookings Institution; Rachel Pruchno, Ph.D., University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey--School of Osteopathic Medici Norella M. Putney, Ph.D., University of Southern California, Los Angeles; Michael Smyer, Ph.D., Boston Colle Bruce Stuart, Ph.D.,University of Maryl Melanie A. Wakeman, Ph.D., California State University, Los Angeles; Steven P. Wallace, Ph.D., University of California at Los Angeles; John B. Williamson, Ph.D., Boston College.

In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.

Raising hopes for disease treatment and prevention, but also the specter of discrimination and "designer genes," genetic testing is potentially one of the most socially explosive developments of our time. This book presents a current assessment of this rapidly evolving field, offering principles for actions and research and recommendations on key issues in genetic testing and screening. Advantages of early genetic knowledge are balanced with issues associated with such knowledge: availability of treatment, privacy and discrimination, personal decision-making, public health objectives, cost, and more. Among the important issues covered: Quality control in genetic testing. Appropriate roles for public agencies, private health practitioners, and laboratories. Value-neutral education and counseling for persons considering testing. Use of test results in insurance, employment, and other settings.

Given the recent cuts in government budgets, issues such as taxation, welfare, health care, social security, and environmental protection ar e drawing increasing attention to the basic problems of how to divide resources equitably among all members of society. Social Issues provid es a framework for discussing and resolving these current, pressing so cial issues. As each issue is considered, the book clarifies the moral, political, and economic dimensions that must be weighed as current p rograms and reform proposals are evaluated. Throughout, this book prov ides a forum for open discussion in which the moral values and politic al and economic viewpoints from different viewpoints are entertained, discussed, and evaluated.