The eleven essays in this collection examine the relationship between institutional structures and community integration, offering practical insights to increase social capital and strengthen social institutions. A variety of social institutions are analyzed. Three chapters cover political legal issues, two cover religion, three address education, and two examine the macrostructures of the military and the economy. An important collection for scholars and other researchers interested in the communitarian movement, sociology, and political science, particularly for those in public administration.
Updated to include a new chapter about the influence of social media and the Internet—the 20th anniversary edition of Bowling Alone remains a seminal work of social analysis, and its examination of what happened to our sense of community remains more relevant than ever in today’s fractured America. Twenty years, ago, Robert D. Putnam made a seemingly simple observation: once we bowled in leagues, usually after work; but no longer. This seemingly small phenomenon symbolized a significant social change that became the basis of the acclaimed bestseller, Bowling Alone, which The Washington Post called “a very important book” and Putnam, “the de Tocqueville of our generation.” Bowling Alone surveyed in detail Americans’ changing behavior over the decades, showing how we had become increasingly disconnected from family, friends, neighbors, and social structures, whether it’s with the PTA, church, clubs, political parties, or bowling leagues. In the revised edition of his classic work, Putnam shows how our shrinking access to the “social capital” that is the reward of communal activity and community sharing still poses a serious threat to our civic and personal health, and how these consequences have a new resonance for our divided country today. He includes critical new material on the pervasive influence of social media and the internet, which has introduced previously unthinkable opportunities for social connection—as well as unprecedented levels of alienation and isolation. At the time of its publication, Putnam’s then-groundbreaking work showed how social bonds are the most powerful predictor of life satisfaction, and how the loss of social capital is felt in critical ways, acting as a strong predictor of crime rates and other measures of neighborhood quality of life, and affecting our health in other ways. While the ways in which we connect, or become disconnected, have changed over the decades, his central argument remains as powerful and urgent as ever: mending our frayed social capital is key to preserving the very fabric of our society.
Human Security and Agency investigates how human security manifests itself in the context of Afghanistan and explores the factors that promote and impede its development. To that end, Nilofar Sakhi examines whether the development of productive power is an effective approach to human security implementation in a country that has experienced numerous development programs, which were designed and implemented to build communities and protect their security. The objective of this book is to move beyond a simple exploration of the causal relationship between human security, structures, and agency and investigate the factors that either promote or impede the implementation of human security. It employs multiple methods of systematic inquiry and engages literature on the socioeconomic and political context in Afghanistan to understand the factors that influence the agency of production, creativity, and control that individuals possess. The combination of well-grounded empirical work and theoretical insights makes this book an invaluable introduction to the study of human security.
Public Human Resource Management: Problems and Prospects brings together exemplary contributors who provide concise essays on major contemporary public human resources management issues. Organized into four parts – setting, techniques, issues and prospects – and covering the major process, function and policy issues in the field, the text offers valuable wisdom to students and practitioners alike. With sixteen new and eleven updated chapters authored by the leading figures in the field as well as by up-and-coming new scholars, the new edition works as a primary or supplementary text for courses in human resource management or issues in public administration.
Is the experience of childbirth becoming 'globalised'? Is the encroachment of the western medical model dehumanising a profoundly human experience? If so, what can midwives and midwife educators do about it? These are the questions at the heart of Childbirth in the Global Village which highlights the role that globalisation plays in changing childbirth practices and its implications for midwifery practice and education. Built around the vivid personal stories of women and midwives experiencing childbirth in four very different cultures Childbirth in the Global Village will resonate with the experience of midwives everywhere and makes a strong case for redesigning the midwifery curriculum to reflect the interconnectedness of childbirth, midwifery education and practice around the globe.
This book contains a number of papers presented at a workshop organised by the World Bank in 1997 on the theme of 'Social Capital: Integrating the Economist's and the Sociologist's Perspectives'. The concept of 'social capital' is considered through a number of theoretical and empirical studies which discuss its analytical foundations, as well as institutional and statistical analyses of the concept. It includes the classic 1987 article by the late James Coleman, 'Social Capital in the Creation of Human Capital', which formed the basis for the development of social capital as an organising concept in the social sciences.
Is it possible to create democratic forms of policing in transitional and developing societies? This volume argues that policing models and practices promoted by the west are often inadequate for adoption by countries making democratic transitions because they do not adequately address issues such as human rights, equity, co-production, accountability, openness and organizational change. Therefore police reform is often limited to a "one size fits all" approach. The book expands the dialogue so that discussions of democratic policing around the world are more realistic, comprehensive and sensitive to the local context. Detailed case studies on Iraq, South Africa, Northern Ireland and Kazakhstan provide a realistic assessment of the current state of policing. The editors use the studies to suggest how to promote democratic policing and other important goals of democratic reform around the world. The volume will assist academics, policy makers, NGOs and others in tailoring a local democratic policing strategy within a broader framework to enhance socioeconomic development and citizen capacity, build social capital, reduce various forms of conflict and support human rights.
This book shows the important links between social conditions and health and begins to describe the processes through which these health inequalities may be generated. It reviews a range of methodologies that could be used by health researchers in this field and proposes innovative future research directions.
With over 10,000 entries, this bibliography is the most comprehensive guide to published writing in the tradition of Leo Strauss, who lived from 1899 to 1973 and was one of the most influential political philosophers of the twentieth century. John A. Murley provides Strauss's own complete bibliography and identifies the work of hundreds of Strauss's students, and their students' students. Leo Strauss and His Legacy charts the path of influence of a beloved teacher and mentor, a deep and lasting heritage that permeates the classrooms of the twenty-first century. Each new generation of students of political philosophy will find this bibliography an indispensable resource.
