At head of title: 85th Cong., 2d sess. Committee print. Bibliography: p. 81-86.

After decades of civil war and instability, the African country of Angola is experiencing a spectacular economic boom thanks to its most valuable natural resource: oil. Focusing on the everyday realities of people living in the extraction zones, Reed explores the exclusion, degradation, and violence that are the fruits of petrocapitalism in Angola.

This publication focuses on quality issues in early childhood education and care: it aims to define quality and outlines five policy levers that can enhance it.

Being socially responsible on the part of corporate entities is now no longer an option, it is part of their normal business obligations to all their stakeholders regardless of whether these are primary or secondary stakeholders. Modern societies around the world now expect corporate entities of all shapes and forms to be socially responsible in whatever they do; the “Global Practices of Corporate Social Responsibility” is a first attempt at bringing together in one book experts' accounts of how corporate entities in twenty independent nations around the world are dealing with the issue of CSR. The world today faces diverse social problems. These become apparent as one moves from one country to the next, interestingly, society now expects corporations to help in finding solutions to these problems. The problem of global warming affects us all; modern corporations can no longer continue to assume that the problem will go away, if nothing is done by them. We can all make a little difference by our actions.

This open access book presents contemporary perspectives on the role of a learning society from the lens of leading practitioners, experts from universities, governments, and industry leaders. The think pieces argue for a learning society as a major driver of change with far-reaching influence on learning to serve the needs of economies and societies. The book is a testimonial to the importance of ‘learning communities.’ It highlights the pivotal role that can be played by non-traditional actors such as city and urban planners, citizens, transport professionals, and technology companies. This collection seeks to contribute to the discourse on strengthening the fabric of a learning society crucial for future economic and social development, particularly in the aftermath of the coronavirus disease.

Since the 1960s, a significant effort has been underway to program computers to “see” the human face—to develop automated systems for identifying faces and distinguishing them from one another—commonly known as Facial Recognition Technology. While computer scientists are developing FRT in order to design more intelligent and interactive machines, businesses and states agencies view the technology as uniquely suited for “smart” surveillance—systems that automate the labor of monitoring in order to increase their efficacy and spread their reach. Tracking this technological pursuit, Our Biometric Future identifies FRT as a prime example of the failed technocratic approach to governance, where new technologies are pursued as shortsighted solutions to complex social problems. Culling news stories, press releases, policy statements, PR kits and other materials, Kelly Gates provides evidence that, instead of providing more security for more people, the pursuit of FRT is being driven by the priorities of corporations, law enforcement and state security agencies, all convinced of the technology’s necessity and unhindered by its complicated and potentially destructive social consequences. By focusing on the politics of developing and deploying these technologies, Our Biometric Future argues not for the inevitability of a particular technological future, but for its profound contingency and contestability.