Social and ethical issues Books

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Book SynopsisThe transition to adulthood in the United States has changed in recent decades as many of the traditional milestones that mark adulthood, such as household establishment and marriage, have changed or been delayed. Among these changes are increased participation and attainment in education; extenuation of educational completion and subsequent delayed participation in the labour force; and delays in child rearing. This book examines numerous aspects of the lives of youth and young adults, ages 14 to 24 in the United States over the last several decades. Discussed are the status and trend data from multiple surveys on the distribution of youth and their family structure; on school, employment, health-related factors and future plans.

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Book SynopsisThis book emerges from the interest in enriching the body of knowledge about accident characteristics, examining health outcomes and proposing measures to overcome societal and economic consequences of accidents. Contributions from different disciplines compose a collection that provides answers to prominent questions from various perspectives. The three parts of the book offer a comprehensive overview of the new state-of-the-practice knowledge about accident characteristics, risk factors, consequences and safety interventions. Combining knowledge from both road and occupational safety, and extending through various disciplines such as engineering, economics, medicine, and statistics, this collection stimulates readers in looking for enhanced solutions to safety problems that are a major threat to human life and cost millions to our society.

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Book SynopsisThis innovative book locates the historical emergence of post-modernism and what it is a reaction against. One of the key theorists of post-modernism, is Jean Baudrillard. He has had an enormous impact on contemporary social theory and social philosophy. This text locates his key concepts, locates empirical examples and importantly maps out the key influences of Baudrillard''s work. There is critical engagement with Baudrillard''s post-modernism in an assessment of its strengths and weaknesses.

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Book SynopsisToday''s society is marked by a fundamental ambiguity: On the one hand we find the loss in old values and systems, in particular what is called secularisation, and the loss of the stronghold of religious institutions. However, at the same time we find the opposite: rather than the loss of confidence in religion, the loss of confidence in citizenship and the institutions of the welfare state. As a conservative answer, policies based in family and religion are constructed and offered as new doctrines as well as for new social policies. The borders between different traditional positions are blurred in this process: conservative and progressive positions claim the turn to communitarian values. This book is a valuable contribution to current debates, looking at the background of faith systems, their understanding and claims, and the limitations in answering the challenges of modernising societies.

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Book SynopsisHow a journey of self-discovery unearthed the scandalous evolution of artificial insemination. By his forties, Peter J. Boni was an accomplished CEO, with a specialty in navigating high-tech companies out of hot water. Just before his fiftieth birthday, Peter’s seventy-five-year-old mother unveiled a bombshell: His deceased father was not biological. Peter was conceived in 1945 via an anonymous sperm donor. The emotional upheaval upon learning that he was “misattributed” rekindled traumas long past and fueled his relentless research to find his genealogy. Over two decades, he gained an encyclopedic knowledge of the scientific, legal, and sociological history of reproductive technology as well as its practices, advances, and consequences. Through twenty-first century DNA analysis, Peter finally quenched his thirst for his origin. In Uprooted, Peter J. Boni intimately shares his personal odyssey and acquired expertise to spotlight the free market methods of gamete distribution that conceives dozens, sometimes hundreds, of unknowing half-siblings from a single donor. This thought-provoking book reveals the inner workings—and secrets—of the multibillion-dollar fertility industry, resulting in a richly detailed account of an ethical aspect of reproductive science that, until now, has not been so thoroughly explored.

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Book SynopsisThis book will address the need for gender issues and the discourses of power to be explored within resilience frameworks to achieve successful outcomes for at-risk males in intervention programs. Due to the western valorisation of traditional masculinities, the "backlash politics" debate internationally constrains challenges to the existing gender order within intervention programs. The discussion will deal with the notion of hegemonic masculinities and how boys with behaviour problems act out traditional masculinities to gain a sense of male power. It will focus on the notion of at-riskness, which defines these boys as the new victims of accepted social values and does not address the issues of how men victimise other men from different ethnic, class, and sexual preference minority groups, through violent and aggressive tactics. For these boys, exploring the interplay of hegemonic masculinities within society will enable them to move into connecting protective processes / factors within intervention programs and the community. The book makes suggestions for the design and implementation of future intervention / preventative programs that will integrate gender construction and resilient protective processes / factors.

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Book SynopsisWhen we speak of "assault", we move our discussion from that of violence in its varied injurious forms toward the needs of the victim, prevention of future acts of harm, societal education and policy development, and mobilisation of community resources, which should include the support of both nation-states and responsible institutions. Violence as a manifestation of human aggression has long been with our species. Defining that aggression in its manifest forms as "assault" provides a foundation for intervention with both the perpetrator (offender in legal terms) and survivor victim (person attacked in legal terms). As you read these chapters, consider the role of the researcher and practitioner in their chosen profession to make a contribution. View the language with a critical eye. You will find carefully reasoned proposals for change, calls for social justice, explanations of models for prevention strategies and development of public policy, and articulated reasons why violence falls short of the human right for societal protections that each member of our species deserves. What may be a potential solution or, conversely, negative consequence, what might be a dilemma or beneficial outcome, and what can happen when people work collaboratively: These chapters portray the nuanced reasoning that permits the professional to work toward development and confirmation of more effective models of prevention and intervention, which can reduce the need for prolonged care and services.

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Book SynopsisThis book presents current research focusing on sexual minorities. Topics discussed include gay and lesbian parenthood; asexuality; media representations of marginalised minorities; the effect of image contact on heterosexual women''s attitudes toward lesbian women; the high-school experiences of sexual and gender minority youth and best practices in the development of interventions designed to attenuate homonegativity. The final entry is a "virtual discussion" in which contributors responded to a set of questions that focused on key issues in the field of sexual minority studies.

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Book SynopsisHealth, care and welfare have emerged as key vehicles used to legitimise and position the identities that older people adopt in contemporary modernity. Both contain continually changing technologies that function to mediate relations between older people and the state. Medico-technical, victimisation policies and care management discourses, have been presented as adding choice and reducing limitations associated with adult ageing. However, they also represent an increase in professional control that can be exerted on lifestyles in older age and thus, the wider social meanings associated with that part of the life-course. This book presents a theoretical analysis based on a critical reading of the work of Michel Foucault. It identifies the inter-relationship between managers and older people in terms of power, surveillance and normalisation. The book highlights how and why older people are the subjects of legitimising professional gazes through the dark side of modernity: being managed, being victimised and asking the existential questions of death.

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Book SynopsisThe National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has long been concerned about alcohol-impaired driving, which accounts for approximately one-third of all U.S. highway fatalities. In the past several decades, awareness of the dangers of alcohol-impaired driving has increased. Public and private entities focusing on this safety issue have changed social perceptions concerning alcohol-impaired driving; they have also achieved important legislative actions to help reduce it. Due to these efforts, the number of lives lost annually in alcohol-impaired-driver-related crashes declined 53 percent, from 21,113 in 1982 to 9,878 in 2011; and the percentage of highway fatalities resulting from alcohol-involved crashes is down from 48 percent in 1982 to about 31 percent today. In recent years, however, U.S. success in addressing this safety issue has plateaued. This book describes the scope of the impaired driving problem; summarises the efforts of advocacy groups, researchers, law enforcement agencies, traffic safety groups, public health organisations, legislators, and motor vehicle agencies, as well as federal, state, and local governments, to reduce the number of crashes, injuries, and fatalities; examines the effect of alcohol consumption on an individual''s ability to operate a motor vehicle and on the risk of being involved in a crash; and evaluates the effectiveness of current and emerging alcohol-impaired driving countermeasures and identifies new approaches and actions needed to reduce and ultimately eliminate alcohol-impaired driving.

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Book SynopsisCommunity development has become the new buzz in the social and health sciences. Although community development has been an important subject for deliberation and study for several decades, within the past ten years or so it has become politically correct and even fashionable to include mention of community development in government parlance, economic planning, social work, public health debates and liberal arts discourse. Whereas most texts on community development make only brief reference to the importance of theory, thereafter quickly dispensing with it, in this book, the approach taken to community development positions itself against that trend. The issues raised in the chapters of this book offer us alternative ways of looking at the familiar. This book inform us that community development is a complex conundrum of definitions, ideas, ideologies, interests, data, participants and locations.

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Book SynopsisFrom a customer service perspective, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has set a standard for superior customer service among governmental agencies. It has historically received high marks from beneficiaries, and most Americans do not have to travel far to reach a SSA field office, where they can apply for benefits, become a representative payee for someone incapable of managing his or her finances, or apply for a name change after marriage. Yet continuing budget constraints, which began at the start of the decade, have forced SSA to make difficult decisions to reduce service to the public. At a time when Baby Boomers are retiring and filing disability and retirement claims at record numbers, SSA has shed 11,000 workers agency-wide over three years. This book discusses the reduction in face-to-face services at the SSA; provides a report on the policies and procedures for closing and consolidating field offices; long-term strategies for addressing key management strategies; and budget issues.

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Book SynopsisCorrectional agencies around the country are challenged by an increasingly transient workforce, exponential growth in technology, and continued budget cuts. This book focuses on learning and performance challenges in the 21st century including the role of technology in learning programs and the incorporation of evidence-based practices into program design and delivery. The book offers an extensive review of learning research in the areas of theory, learners, learning organisations, instructional design, program design, delivery methods and modalities, learning transfer, and program assessment.

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Book SynopsisHuman trafficking is a subject of growing concern, both internationally and domestically. There are some difficulties of definition, as various different terms are used inconsistently, and it is also very difficult to get a clear idea of the numbers of people involved in human trafficking. Despite this, there have been various international agreements, studies and campaigns to address the problem. Various legislative and other policies have been put in place, including new trafficking offences and the creation of a UK Human Trafficking Centre. This book discusses the ways in which the United Kingdom hopes to respond to human trafficking. This includes the draft of the UK''s Modern Slavery Bill, and other strategies they hope to use toward ending human trafficking.

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Book SynopsisCongress has broad authority pursuant to the Commerce Clause to enact laws in areas that may overlap with traditional state jurisdiction. As such, Congress has passed complex statutory provisions that regulate the possession, receipt, transfer, and manufacture of firearms and ammunition. Generally, courts have upheld the validity of firearms laws pursuant to Congress''s commerce power. However, courts have been confronted with the question of whether federal laws can be applied to intrastate possession and intrastate transfers of firearms, or whether such application exceeds the authority of Congress. This book explores these cases and how courts have analysed these as-applied challenges under the Supreme Court''s Commerce Clause jurisprudence primarily set forth in United States v. Lopez.

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Book SynopsisThis book compiles the works of many authors from some of the best academic institutions in the world, all related to Mexico''s contemporary general conditions. The main objective of this compilation is to examine Mexico as a whole, giving the reader an insight in its social, economic, political and environmental problems. For this purpose, the texts have been chosen in a way that after analysing a few of them, one will find them all correlated. The problems analysed in this book range from very recent (some of them occurring this past year) to others that go back decades or even centuries. In this sense, this contribution gives readers a historical perception of the problems captured. Some chapters develop scientific conclusions based on strict scientific research; however, the reader will find that the language is not overwhelming and the chapters can be thoroughly and easily read. Overall, it is a wonderful compilation made possible by all contributing authors and their interest to publish their most recent research on it. We hope that readers enjoy going through the pages of these chapters as they venture through contemporary Mexico, analysing topics from the environmental difficulties of Coahuila''s sand dunes to social changes in the Meseta Purépecha, passing through other topics, such as, the conditions of human rights protection in Mexico or the return of the PRI regime, among other great discussions. The authors'' interests are as different as their disciplines, but, in this case, diversity is important for maintaining multidisciplinary interpretations on the current needs of the Mexican society.

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Book SynopsisCaregiving is a long standing tradition in the African American community. This book provides historical and contemporary insight into caregiving. The authors intertwine the African American struggle for dignity and social justice with their discussion of various aspects of caregiving. An overarching theme of the book is the resilience of African Americans in carrying out their caregiving responsibilities. Although disparities are a part of the caregiving landscape, the authors individually and collectively present a rhythm of caregiving that engages the reader in caregiving across the life span. This in depth look at the African American caregiving experience exposes readers to a broader lens, thus avoiding the often overly simplistic view or culturally limited view of their caregiving experience. Caregiving is not limited to any particular groupthe old and the young are a part of the caregiving experience that is discussed in this book. The book is a collaboration between social work programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities---Howard University (Washington, DC) and Alabama A&M University (Normal, Alabama). The book includes a wide range of content, from caring for older persons with dementia to younger disabled children. The authors/contributors also range in age and experience as caregivers. All of the authors have extensive experience working with African Americans. These are authentic accounts of the caregiving experience within the African American community.

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Book SynopsisThis encyclopaedia presents important research on China. Some of the topics discussed herein include internet freedom in China; naval modernisation; the Senakaku Islands dispute; U.S. and China relations; trade issues; Chinese investments in the U.S. economy; China''s banking system; the auto sector''s development; and Chinese medical research.

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Book SynopsisCorruption, generally defined as the abuse of entrusted power for private gains, has been the growing center of attention of many social scientists since the end of the cold war. Corruption can be seen in different perspectives depending on cultural background and it is defined in many spectrums by different scholars. This book provides current research on the political, economic and social issues of corruption. The first chapter begins with a review of social and political issues of a globalised economy. Chapter two presents a review of the literature on the economics of corruption. Chapter three tackles corruption in politics and public service. Chapter four discusses the procurement market from the macro-perspective and analyses the relationship between level of corruption and selected indicators of the public procurement market. Chapter five studies criminal culpability and economic crisis. Chapter six discusses gendered attitudes towards corruption and experiences with bribery. Chapter seven explores the relationship between corruption and gender inequality in Nicaragua. Chapter eight deals with the influence of multilateral anti-corruption agreements on the regulatory framework in developed countries. Chapter nine identifies the relationship between corruption and the processes of transition in West Balkan countries. Chapter ten explores corruption in the privatised public enterprises using selected privatised institutions. Chapter 11 discusses progress and constraints of civil society anti-corruption initiatives in Uganda. The final chapter analyses three cases of alleged corruption related to genetically modified foods where corruption claims based on ethical-critical logics were confronted with objective-formal counter-arguments.

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Book SynopsisThis book compiles the works of many authors from some of the best academic institutions in the world, all related to Mexico''s contemporary general conditions. The main objective of this compilation is to examine Mexico as a whole, giving the reader an insight in its social, economic, political and environmental problems. For this purpose, the texts have been chosen in a way that after analysing a few of them, one will find them all correlated. The problems analysed in this book range from very recent (some of them occurring this past year) to others that go back decades or even centuries. In this sense, this contribution gives readers a historical perception of the problems captured. Some chapters develop scientific conclusions based on strict scientific research; however, the reader will find that the language is not overwhelming and the chapters can be thoroughly and easily read. Overall, it is a wonderful compilation made possible by all contributing authors and their interest to publish their most recent research on it. We hope that readers enjoy going through the pages of these chapters as they venture through contemporary Mexico, analysing topics from the environmental difficulties of Coahuila''s sand dunes to social changes in the Meseta Purépecha, passing through other topics, such as, the conditions of human rights protection in Mexico or the return of the PRI regime, among other great discussions. The authors'' interests are as different as their disciplines, but, in this case, diversity is important for maintaining multidisciplinary interpretations on the current needs of the Mexican society.

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Book SynopsisThis book is a collaboration of knowledge and insight from a wide range of Maori researchers from all over Aotearoa and across multiple disciplines. The authors explore child rearing approaches and models grounded in kaupapa Maori and Maori knowledge that encourage wellbeing outcomes for children and incorporate ancestral knowledge into practices for the contemporary world.

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Book SynopsisWhat was lost when Kids Company imploded last summer? More than reputations. The charitys founding vision, that there is a gap called love in how the state responds to abused and abandoned children, also vanished. In this book, the founder of Kids Company lays out the thinking behind a model of care that broke the cycle of neglect for thousands of vulnerable children. She reveals the true scale of Britain's failure in children's services, making public two decades of candid exchanges with prime ministers and senior politicians to explain why the sector has not improved since Victorian times. She also reveals the deceits used by local authorities to stop the magnitude of the problem becoming known. This is a book of hope, however. Calling on a plethora of moving case histories, it presents the science that gives cause for optimism; proof that even the most troubled young lives can be turned around. Looking forward rather than back, the book shows how a new model of support could be cheaper and far more effective than existing provision. Kids Company has gone. And yet something like it must be the future.It is imperative that the breakthroughs in understanding that came from its work are now shared with the widest audience. This book is an unusual collaboration between two outstanding individuals. One author is Camila Batmanghelidjh, who spent thirty years working with troubled families. The other is an award-winning journalist, Tim Rayment, who was sent to investigate Camila but decided instead that the real public interest lay in hearing her vital, life-changing message.

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Book SynopsisA smart take on the true meaning of the West, its recent decline, and our chance to save it. The West is limping along. Weighed down by economic woes, the seemingly endless war on terror, the rise of authoritarian politics and the declining power of religion as a unifying force, the Western crisis is existential and potentially fatal. How did we get here? Ben Ryan’s diagnosis is simple: the West has lost its purpose. Its defining ideal—a sense of universal morals, and of constant progress towards them—no longer unites or convinces its own people. Following a series of ‘system failures’, Westerners—from urban millennials to post-industrial workers— have lost faith in the West as a moral force. Yet there is a chance for redemption: forging a new shared myth of the West, and reviving its great values for a diverse, forward-looking world. This smart and thoughtful book explores how the West was lost and how we might save it.Trade Review‘[Ryan’s] approach gives readers hope for progress toward a better future.’ -- Foreign Policy‘["How the West Was Lost" is an] urgent, persuasive, densely documented, but eminently readable analysis of the current crisis of the West.’ -- Church Times‘How the West Was Lost is full of smart ideas and lightly-worn learning.’ -- The Critic'A book of big ideas: an engaging, thought-provoking diagnosis of why, despite living in an era of unparalleled wealth and prosperity, too many have lost faith in the promise of "the West". Ryan offers a roadmap for how to resurrect faith in its founding ideals, our only hope for rescuing the West from its own demons of self-doubt, demagogic populism, and a loss of moral purpose.' -- Brian Klaas, Washington Post columnist, and author of The Despot's Accomplice and The Despot's Apprentice'Ben Ryan is one of our most interesting young thinkers. His book shows that we can't understand the evolution of our politics without looking at Western liberalism's roots in Western Christianity.' -- David Goodhart, Policy Exchange, author of 'The Road to Somewhere'

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Book SynopsisChildren are citizens with autonomy and rights identified by international agencies and United Nations conventions, but these rights are not readily enforceable. Some of the worst levels of child poverty and poor health in the OECD, as well as exceptionally high child suicide rates, exist in Aotearoa New Zealand today. More than a quarter of children are experiencing a childhood of hardship and deprivation in a context of high levels of inequality. Maori children face particular challenges. In a country that characterizes itself as "a good place to bring up children," this is of major concern. The essays in this book are by leading researchers from several disciplines and focus on all of our children and young people, exploring such topics as the environment (economic, social and natural), social justice, children’s voices and rights, the identity issues they experience and the impact of rapid societal change. What children themselves have to say is insightful and often deeply moving.

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Book SynopsisWith less than two percent of the total Maori population holding a doctorate, the need for Maori leadership planning in academia has never been greater. The purpose of this book is to present the experiences of new and emerging Maori academics as a guide for others aspiring to follow. In 2010 Professor Sir Mason Durie oversaw the creation of the Te Manu Ao Academy at Massey University, designed to advance Maori academic leadership. In partnership with Nga Pae o te Maramatanga, the course looked to develop participants' thinking around effective leadership principles, values and ideas. This book grew from that programme, in response to the need to create the space for new and emerging Maori academic leaders to speak openly about what leadership means both personally and professionally.

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Book SynopsisWhy are there so few rich, and so many poor? Why are modern education systems producing poorly educated children? Why is there hunger when there is enough food to feed everyone? Why are there still countries without social justice? We all long to feel safe and guarantee our children''s future. For this, we must begin to practice mutual guarantee, by which all become guarantors of each other''s well being. This book explains how each of us can relate harmoniously to the global transformation that is taking place.

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Book SynopsisTake Cover is a priceless collection of the most provocative and hilarious covers of The Spectator Australia magazine from 2014 to the present day, all of them the brainchild and creation of multi-award-winning creative Sarah Dudley. From the ''coup de disgrace'' of Turnbull overthrowing Abbott through to the dimming of democracy in the USA; from the craziness of climate policies to the madness of identity politics, every topic in the culture wars gets its very own visual battlefield, accompanied by Sarah Dudleys witty and insightful commentary on the issues involved and the creative decisions behind each and every cover. Fighting the culture wars has never been so enjoyable.

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Book SynopsisThe Culture ofFreedom addresses the threats facing Western civilization from authoritarianregimes and internal neo-Marxist activists. These forces challenge our militarystrength and cultural values, attacking monuments, holidays, and dissenters.

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Book SynopsisThe latest hilarious collection of Rowan Dean''s weekly satirical columns in the AFR Weekend poking fun at the craziness of political correctness gone mad, cancel culture and woke identity politics in Australias modern political world from 2017 to the present, including the demise of Malcolm Turnbull, the rise of ScoMo, Biden, Covid, China, climate change, the MeToo movement, transgenderism and so much more. Aided by his trusted assistant Rowena, Rowan Dean exposes in all its comical cultural chaos the hypocrisy and foibles of our ruling classes, the peccadilloes of our pusillanimous politicians and the absurdity of todays leftist woke dogma. From re-imagining Dr Seuss, re-writing ''Gone with the Woke'', uncovering the racists in the Palace, to exposing the lunacy of lockdowns and the lewd tales of Canberra, not since Chaucer has an author had such rich pickings with which to entertain us.

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