This book examines an interdependent approach to happiness and well-being, one that contrasts starkly with dominant approaches that have originated from Western culture(s). It highlights the diversity of potential pathways towards happiness and well-being globally, and answers calls - voiced in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals - for more socially and environmentally sustainable models. Leading global organizations including the OECD, UNICEF, and UNESCO are now proposing human happiness and well-being as a more sustainable alternative to a myopic focus on GDP growth. Yet, the definition of well-being offered by these organizations derives largely from the philosophies, social sciences, and institutional patterns of Europe and the United States. Across seven chapters this book carefully probes the inadequacy of these approaches to well-being globally and reveals the distorting effect this has on how we imagine our world, organize institutions, and plan our collective future(s). It shares a wealth of evidence and examples from across East Asia - a region where interdependence remains foregrounded - and concludes by provocatively arguing that interdependence may provide a more sustainable approach to happiness and well-being in the 21st century. A timely and accessible book, it offers fresh insights for scholars and policymakers working in the areas of psychology, health, sociology, education, international development, public policy, and philosophy. This is an open access book.

This important Handbook is a comprehensive guide to the role, function and perceived impact of policy research-oriented institutions in North America, Europe and beyond. Over two-dozen international scholars explore the diverse and eclectic world of think tanks to reveal their structure, governance and unique position in occupying a critical space on the public policy landscape. This Handbook serves as a reference point for understanding how think tanks shape public opinion and public policy, and how their directors help them navigate their way through an increasingly crowded marketplace of ideas. It also considers how these organizations enlist various actors (such as policy makers, the media, donors and industry leaders) to influence the discourse around key domestic and foreign policy issues. Handbook on Think Tanks in Public Policy is an invaluable resource for academics and students who wish to further their understanding of how to measure the impact and reach of think tanks. It will also be useful for policymakers and NGOs who are interested in the expertise think tanks can offer on policy-related issues and to donors, whose main goals and objectives may be advanced by these organisations.

Following the positive impact of microfinance on poverty reduction, women empowerment, and microenterprise development in some countries in Asia and Africa, a huge amount of time has been devoted by researchers to understanding how this concept can be used as a catalyst for transforming and sustaining the economies of developing and emerging countries. Though there are a few books on the role of microfinance in reducing poverty in developing countries across world, there is no specific book that explores the role of microfinance in transforming and sustaining economies of developing and emerging countries. Transforming Economies Through Microfinance in Developing Nations seeks to explore how the provision of microfinance to individuals and groups can contribute to the economic transformation and sustainability of the economies of developing and emerging countries. Covering key topics such as climate change, entrepreneurship, and rural development, this reference work is ideal for government officials, entrepreneurs, policymakers, researchers, academicians, practitioners, scholars, instructors, and students.

The scholarly value of the proposed publication is self-evident because of the increased emphasis placed on the role of creativity and innovation in critical thinking and problem-solving, newly emerging skills in self-management such as active learning, resilience, stress tolerance and flexibility, education, a sustainable planet , the prevention of a 6th extinction event, the new normal caused by COVID-19, the future and challenges of collective and green creativity, eco-innovation and sharing creativity and innovation globally. Creativity is a crucial cognitive skill and innovation is a requirement to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow, and therefore it should be celebrating its value as it is often misunderstood and underestimated. Hence understanding creativity and innovation and how education can develop these cognitive abilities and skills, AS WELL AS, how education can be improved to meet future challenges and demands using creativity and innovation are the key objective of this publication. There is a relationship between education, creativity and innovation, with an important link to technology and how this relationship can be enhanced. The proposed topic for publication will not only facilitate in identifying the important creativity, innovation and education mechanisms, frameworks, competencies, and skills, which is imperative for a sustainable planet and economic development. It will increase the development, knowledge and understanding of creativity, innovation and education needed now and in the future and help policymakers in designing and implementing policies that are more effective in the post-pandemic era that can stimulate creativity, innovation and better education. The primary intended audience is scholar-practitioners who have the need for qualified Reference material regarding the subject matter of the proposed publication as outlined above. The secondary intended audience is managers, organization development specialists, consultants, educationalists, policymakers and undergraduate/graduate business students who require the same Reference material. At the same time, while having academic rigor, the writing of the book will be in a way such that non-academics and non-specialists can understand it; it will be appealing to the public, while celebrating global creativity, innovation and education.

Crimes associated with the illegal trade in wildlife, timber and fish stocks, and pollutants and waste have become increasingly transnational, organized and serious. They warrant attention because of their environmental consequences, their human toll, their impact on the rule of law and good governance, and their links with violence, corruption and a range of cross-over crimes. This ground-breaking, multi-disciplinary Handbook examines key transnational environmental crime sectors and explores its most significant conceptual, operational and enforcement challenges. Bringing together leading scholars and practitioners, this book presents in-depth analysis based on extensive academic research and operational and enforcement expertise. The sectors covered include illegal wildlife, timber, pollutant and waste trades and crimes in the carbon market. The contextual chapters examine criminal networks and illicit chains of custody, local sociocultural, economic and political factors, the effectiveness of policy and operational responses, and international jurisdictional challenges. This Handbook will be an invaluable resource for students and scholars of global environmental politics, international environmental law, and environmental criminology as well as for regulatory and enforcement practitioners working to meet the challenges of transnational environmental crime. Contributors include: J. Ayling, L. Bisschop, G. Broussard, A. Cardesa-Salzmann, M. Cassidy, D.W.S. Challender, E. Clark, M.A. Clemente Munoz, E. de Coning, R. Duffy, L. Elliott, C. Gibbs, D. Humphreys, Y. Jia, N. Liu, D.C. MacMillan, C. Middleton, R. Ogden, G. Pink, G. Rose, V. Sacre, S. Saydan, W.H. Schaedla, S. Sinha, V. Somboon, T. Terekhova, E. van Asch, T. Wyatt

This book examines language education policy in European migrant-hosting countries. By applying the Multiple Streams Framework to detailed case studies on Austria and Italy, it sheds light on the factors and processes that innovate education policy. The book illustrates an education policy design that values language diversity and inclusion, and compares underlying policymaking processes with less innovative experiences. Combining empirical analysis and qualitative research methods, it assesses the ways in which language is intrinsically linked to identity and political power within societies, and how language policy and migration might become a firmer part of European policy agendas. Sitting at the intersection between policy studies, language education studies and integration studies, the book offers recommendations for how education policy can promote a more inclusive society. It will appeal to scholars, practitioners and students who have an interest in policymaking, education policy and migrant integration.

This lucid and comprehensive book explores the ways in which the State, the market and the citizen can collaborate to satisfy people's health care needs. It argues that health care is not a commodity like any other. It asks if its unique properties mean that there is a role for social regulation and political management. Apples and oranges can be left to the buyers and the sellers. Health care may require an input from the consensus, the experts, the insurers, the politicians and the bureaucrats as well. David Reisman makes a fresh contribution to the debate. He argues that the three policy issues that are of primary importance are choice, equality and cost. He explores the balance between the patient, the practitioner and public opinion; the disparities in outcome indicators and access to medical care; and the escalation in prices and quantities at the expense of other areas of social life. Reisman concludes that, despite its significance for the individual and the nation, there is no single definition of health or health care. The maximand is a mix. Yet decisions have to be made. This thought-provoking and insightful book will be of use to students and scholars of public policy, social policy and health economics. It will also be of interest to medical practitioners who want to situate hard choices about health and illness in a broad multidisciplinary context.

Read the report from the Select Committee's investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, with accompanying insights from New York Times reporters who've covered the story from the beginning. This edition from The New York Times and Twelve Books contains: * THE JANUARY 6 REPORT from the Select Committee * Reporting and analysis from The New York Times that puts the committee's findings in context * A timeline of key events * Photos and illustrations, including detailed maps that show the paths insurrectionists took to breach the Capitol * Interviews, transcripts and documents that complement the Committee's investigation * A list of key participants from the Jan. 6 hearings A critical examination of the facts and circumstances surrounding that dark day, The January 6 Report promises to be the definitive account of what happened and provide key recommendations to safeguard the future of American democracy.