The International Forum for Social Development was a 3 year project undertaken by the United Nations. Department of Economic and Social Affairs between 2001 and 2004 to promote international cooperation for social development and supporting developing countries and social groups not benefiting from the globalization process. This publication provides an overview and interpretation of the discussions and debates that occurred at the four meetings of the Forum for Social Development held at the United Nations headquarters in New York, within the framework of the implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development.

"This white paper focusses on the policy interventions made to help people manage risk, uncertainty and the losses from events whose impacts are channeled primarily through the labor market. The objectives of the white paper are: to scrutinize the relevance and effects of prevailing risk-sharing policies in low- and middle-income countries; take account of how global drivers of disruption shape and diversify how people work; in light of this diversity, propose alternative risk-sharing policies, or ways to augment and improve current policies to be more relevant and responsive to peoples' needs; and map a reasonable transition path from the current to an alternative policy approach that substantially extends protection to a greater portion of working people and their families. This white paper is a contribution to the broader, global discussion of the changing nature of work and how policy can shape its implications for the wellbeing of people. We use the term risk-sharing policies broadly in reference to the set of institutions, regulations and interventions that societies put in place to help households manage shocks to their livelihoods. These policies include formal rules and structures that regulate market interactions (worker protections and other labor market institutions) that help people pool risks (social assistance and social insurance), to save and insure affordably and effectively (mandatory and incentivized individual savings and other financial instruments) and to recover from losses in the wake of livelihood shocks ('active' reemployment measures). Effective risk-sharing policies are foundational to building equity, resilience and opportunity, the strategic objectives of the World Bank's Social Protection and Jobs Global Practice. Given failures of factor markets and the market for risk in particular the rationale for policy intervention to augment the options that people have to manage shocks to their livelihoods is well-understood and accepted. By helping to prevent vulnerable people from falling into poverty --and people in the poorest households from falling deeper into poverty-- effective risk-sharing interventions dramatically reduce poverty. Households and communities with access to effective risk-sharing instruments can better maintain and continue to invest in these vital assets, first and foremost, their human capital, and in doing so can reduce the likelihood that poverty and vulnerability will be transmitted from one generation to the next. Risk-sharing policies foster enterprise and development by ensuring that people can take appropriate risks required to grasp opportunities and secure their stake in a growing economy."--

This book brings together the latest thinking in social justice and health policy and seeks to integrate a capabilities perspective with the demands of health and economic policies that impact on health

Decades into its existence as a foundational aspect of modern political and economic life, the welfare state has become a political cudgel, used to assign blame for ballooning national debt and tout the need for personal responsibility. At the same time, it affects nearly every citizen and permeates daily life—in the form of pension, disability, and unemployment benefits, healthcare and parental leave policies, and more. At the core of that disjunction is the question of how we as a society decide who should get what benefits—and how much we are willing to pay to do so. Probable Justice​ traces a history of social insurance from the eighteenth century to today, from the earliest ideas of social accountability through the advanced welfare state of collective responsibility and risk. At the heart of Rachel Z. Friedman’s investigation is a study of how probability theory allows social insurance systems to flexibly measure risk and distribute coverage. The political genius of social insurance, Friedman shows, is that it allows for various accommodations of needs, risks, financing, and political aims—and thereby promotes security and fairness for citizens of liberal democracies.

“Social justice is recognizing that even if you think you're the chosen one, you're never the only one. Until you come to my side of the fence to see what I see and I come to your side to see what you see, we will struggle with social justice. Johnson’s book will help get us there.” JC Watts, politician, clergyman, businessman, and athlete Social justice matters because we—each of us—matter. Unless we learn to co-exist as equals, we will never live optimally. To denigrate any one of us is to demean all of us. Absent the wholesale embrace of social justice, we risk succumbing to human tendencies to stereotype, “otherize,” and scapegoat. Those tendencies, left unchecked, lead to horrific ends. When we see ourselves in others, we understand that our shared humanity eclipses all else. Through our disagreements, we must never doubt the dignity and worth of the other. Certain facts and factors that cause misalignments in the social order—inequality and inequity—social injustice—but there are ways to intervene and interrupt them. This book offers 10 ways we can advance social justice. We pay a cost for failing to internalize and act upon history’s lessons. For example, our history teems with examples of fractious relations among racial, ethnic, and cultural groups and an overarching white supremacist ideology that places some at an advantage at the expense of others. Recognizing our shared humanity—and the power of “we”—and rectifying disparities and inequities are among the chief aims of social justice initiatives. Through critical thinking, we best position ourselves to tackle seemingly overwhelming social justice issues. To be ready, we must know, care, and act: know—look at ourselves, others, events, and institutions; care—reflect on recurring inequalities and inequities; and act—work on solutions to effect and advance meaningful, measurable, maintainable solutions. Critical thinking animates the three core activities necessary for social justice advancement: introspection, engagement, and advocacy. Achieving social justice is an aspirational pursuit—an ongoing journey that can be fraught with peril and disappointment. It is nonetheless an odyssey worth taking—a quest so many of us have no choice but to embrace. Introspection, engagement, and advocacy are essential stops along the way. Examine yourself. Plug in. Speak truth. “Hannibal B. Johnson is a powerful and authentic voice for truth and constructive action for racial equity. His approach of honest introspection, community engagement, and collaborative advocacy offers an effective framework. This is a practical handbook for those seeking to heal and rebuild their communities.” Rob Corcoran, Training Consultant, Initiatives of Change International; Founder Emeritus, Hope in the Cities, and author

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.

Social justice matters because we--each of us--matter. Unless we learn to co-exist as equals, we will never live optimally. To denigrate any one of us is to demean all of us. Absent the wholesale embrace of social justice, we risk succumbing to human tendencies to stereotype, "otherize," and scapegoat. Those tendencies, left unchecked, lead to horrific ends. When we see ourselves in others, we understand that our shared humanity eclipses all else. Through our disagreements, we must never doubt the dignity and worth of the other. Certain facts and factors that cause misalignments in the social order--inequality and inequity--social injustice--but there are ways to intervene and interrupt them. This book offers 10 ways we can advance social justice. We pay a cost for failing to internalize and act upon history's lessons. For example, our history teems with examples of fractious relations among racial, ethnic, and cultural groups and an overarching white supremacist ideology that places some at an advantage at the expense of others. Recognizing our shared humanity--and the power of "we"--and rectifying disparities and inequities are among the chief aims of social justice initiatives. Through critical thinking, we best position ourselves to tackle seemingly overwhelming social justice issues. To be ready, we must know, care, and act: know--look at ourselves, others, events, and institutions; care--reflect on recurring inequalities and inequities; and act--work on solutions to effect and advance meaningful, measurable, maintainable solutions. Critical thinking animates the three core activities necessary for social justice advancement: introspection, engagement, and advocacy. Achieving social justice is an aspirational pursuit--an ongoing journey that can be fraught with peril and disappointment. It is nonetheless an odyssey worth taking--a quest so many of us have no choice but to embrace. Introspection, engagement, and advocacy are essential stops along the way. Examine yourself. Plug in. Speak truth.

Under the rule of the current economic order, social injustice is ever-increasing. Issues such as poverty, inhumane working conditions, inadequate wages, social insecurity and an unhealthy labor market continue to persist. Many states are also unable to produce policies capable of resolving these problems. The characteristics of the capitalist system currently render it unable to provide social justice. In fact, on the contrary, the system reinforces these injustices and prevents economic and social welfare from reaching the masses. Many Muslim scholars have analyzed and, indeed, criticized this system for years. This book argues that an alternative and more equitable theoretical and practical economical order can been developed within the framework of Islamic principles. On the other hand, the experiences of societies under the rule of Muslim governments do not always seem to hold great promise for an alternative understanding of social justice. In addition, the behaviors of Muslim individuals within their economic lives are mostly shaped by the necessities of daily economic conditions rather than by the tenets of Islam that stand with social justice. Until 1990s, studies of Islamic economics made connections between finance and the notion of social justice, but work conducted more recently has neglected this issue. It is therefore evident that the topic of social justice needs to be revisited in a more in-depth manner. Filling an important gap in existing literature, the book uniquely connects social justice and Islamic finance and economics on this topic. Theory, practice and key issues are presented simultaneously throughout this book, which is based on the writings of a number of eminent scholars.

In the tradition of Octavia Butler, here is radical self-help, society-help, and planet-help to shape the futures we want. Change is constant. The world, our bodies, and our minds are in a constant state of flux. They are a stream of ever-mutating, emergent patterns. Rather than steel ourselves against such change, Emergent Strategy teaches us to map and assess the swirling structures and to read them as they happen, all the better to shape that which ultimately shapes us, personally and politically. A resolutely materialist spirituality based equally on science and science fiction: a wild feminist and afro-futurist ride! adrienne maree brown, co-editor of Octavia’s Brood: Science Fiction from Social Justice Movements, is a social justice facilitator, healer, and doula living in Detroit.