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Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Social issues > Poverty
Experts review the leading social policy scholarship from the past
year in this comprehensive volume. Published in association with
the Social Policy Association, this volume addresses current issues
and critical debates throughout the international social policy
field. This annual review is essential reading for students and
academics in social policy, social welfare and related disciplines.
Early education and care has become a central policy area in many
countries. As services expand rapidly, it is crucial to examine
whether children from disadvantaged backgrounds receive provision
of the highest possible quality. In this original, topical book,
leading experts from eight countries examine how early education
and care is organised, funded and regulated in their countries.
Bringing together recent statistical evidence, the book gives an
up-to-date picture of access to services by different groups,
providing rich insights on how policies play out in practice, and
the extent to which they help or hinder disadvantaged children to
receive high quality provision. An equal start? reveals the common
tensions and complexities countries face in ensuring that early
education and care is affordable, accessible and of high quality.
Its critical examination of the potential for better policies
ensures that An equal start? will be of interest to academic
readers as well as policy makers and practitioners.
'Work hard, have fun, make history' proclaims the slogan on the
walls of Amazon's warehouses. This cheerful message hides a reality
of digital surveillance, aggressive anti-union tactics and
disciplinary layoffs. Reminiscent of the tumult of early industrial
capitalism, the hundreds of thousands of workers who help Amazon
fulfil consumers' desire are part of an experiment in changing the
way we all work. In this book, Alessandro Delfanti takes readers
inside Amazon's warehouses to show how technological advancements
and managerial techniques subdue the workers rather than empower
them, as seen in the sensors that track workers' every movement
around the floor and algorithmic systems that re-route orders to
circumvent worker sabotage. He looks at new technologies including
robotic arms trained by humans and augmented reality goggles,
showing that their aim is to standardise, measure and discipline
human work rather than replace it. Despite its innovation, Amazon
will always need living labour's flexibility and low cost. And as
the warehouse is increasingly automated, worker discontent
increases. Striking under the banner 'we are not robots', employees
have shown that they are acutely aware of such contradictions. The
only question remains: how long will it be until Amazon's empire
collapses?
This book investigates one of the most pervasive forms of modern
slavery: bonded labour, whereby labour is linked with a credit
agreement, leaving a debtor bound to repay their debt through
long-term servitude. Drawing on cases from Nepal and India, the
author adopts a human rights-based approach, interpreting slavery
as a violation of human rights, and focusing on the empowerment of
slaves as rights holders. Ultimately the book aims to explore the
links between rights, power inequality and oppression, and to
uncover ways to achieve the full liberation of bonded labourers.
Identifying the factors and forces that contribute to and reinforce
the situation of bonded labour in South Asia, the book demonstrates
how systems of bonded labour are connected to long-term processes
of colonisation, dispossession, migration, nationalisation of
natural resources, and the introduction of private land ownership.
Despite the fact that the United Nations has reported debt bondage
as the most prevalent form of forced labour worldwide, there it is
still little known about the real practical impacts of this
approach to the lives of marginalised people. Based on extensive
ethnographic research, this book will be a useful guide to students
and scholars of modern slavery, international development, and
South Asian studies.
Drawing together multidisciplinary research exploring everyday life
in Europe during times of economic crisis, this book explores the
ways in which austerity policies are lived and experienced - often
alongside other significant social, political and personal change.
With attention to the inequalities produced by these processes and
the measures used by individuals, families and communities to help
them 'get by', it also envisages hopeful, affirmative
socio-political futures. Arranged around the themes of
intergenerational relations and exchanges, ways of coping through
crises, and community, civic and state infrastructures, Austerity
Across Europe will appeal to social scientists with interests in
everyday life, family practices, neoliberal state policy, poverty
and socio-economic inequalities.
Lost Childhood explores the everyday lives of street children in
India. It presents insights on their life on the streets to provide
a comprehensive understanding of why they are driven to extreme
means of livelihoods. This volume, * Inquiries into the histories
of street children, and discusses their socio-economic and
socio-demographic characteristics to provide a sense of their
living conditions; * Sheds light on the social injustice
experienced by these children, their health and hygiene, and also
looks at the insecurities faced by the children in their
interactions with the society; * Uses detailed field research data
to highlight issues that affect the lives of street children such
as education, gender discrimination, and their social networks; *
Suggests a way forward that would not only benefit street children
but will also be of use to the community in understanding their
lives, problems, and help explore this issue in further detail. The
book will be useful to scholars and researchers of human geography,
development studies, child development, urban poverty, and social
justice. It will also be of interest to policymakers, social
workers, and field workers who work with street children.
Dr. Akhtar Hameed Khan - Pioneer of Microcredit & Guru of Rural
Development is a collection of ten articles and two poems on Dr.
A.H. Khan - a world renowned social scientist and Nobel Peace Prize
Nominee. Dr. Khan was a guru of rural development, pioneer of
microfinance and recipient of many prestigious awards. He led the
way in rural development and poverty alleviation. Dr. A.H. Khan was
founder of two world-famous institutions, i.e. Bangladesh
(previously Pakistan) Academy for Rural Development (BARD) and
Orangi Pilot Project (OPP). Dr. Khan was also recognized by many
academics, world leaders and global organizations, such as the
World Bank, for his contributions to poverty alleviation. Dr. Khan
passed away on October 09, 1999, and per his will, he was laid to
rest on the premises of the OPP. In honor of this great social
scientist, his nephew, scholar and historian Nasim Yousaf, has
published this work as a tribute to Dr. A.H. Khan on his 13th death
anniversary. This compilation of pieces highlights Dr. Khan's work
and achievements. This work contains articles authored by
well-respected and illustrious scholars in their field and includes
poems from an expert on rural development. The articles also
include statements and views of a number of prominent and learned
persons on Dr. Khan. These articles contribute to the enrichment of
scholarship in the fields of microcredit, rural development,
poverty alleviation and self-reliance based development. The author
and compiler, Nasim Yousaf, is a recognized historian and his works
have been published globally in various mediums. Additional
contributions have been included from the following distinguished
persons: Professor Norman Uphoff of Cornell University, Professor
Emeritus George H. Axinn of Michigan State University and Akbar
Khan, son of Dr. Khan. This work includes bios of the author and
contributors as well as information on Dr. Khan's children.
Sources, where available, are included within or at the end of each
article.
On January 20, 1949 US President Harry S. Truman officially opened
the era of development. On that day, over one half of the people of
the world were defined as "underdeveloped" and they have stayed
that way ever since. This book explains the origins of development
and underdevelopment and shows how poorly we understand these two
terms. It offers a new vision for development, demystifying the
statistics that international organizations use to measure
development and introducing the alternative concept of buen vivir:
the state of living well. The authors argue that it is possible for
everyone on the planet to live well, but only if we learn to live
as communities rather than as individuals and to nurture our
respective commons. Scholars and students of global development
studies are well-aware that development is a difficult concept.
This thought-provoking book offers them advice for the future of
development studies and hope for the future of humankind.
Poverty is perceived as an urban problem, yet many in rural Britain
also experience hardship. This book explores how and why people in
rural areas experience and negotiate poverty and social exclusion.
It examines the role of societal processes, individual
circumstances, sources of support (markets; state; voluntary
organisations; family and friends) and the role of place. It
concludes that the UK's welfare system is poorly adapted to rural
areas, with the COVID-19 pandemic, Brexit and cutbacks exacerbating
pressures. Voluntary organisations increasingly fill gaps in
support left by the state. Invaluable to those in policy and
practice, the book recommends a combination of person-based and
place-based approaches to tackle rural poverty.
Originally published in 1987 Pressure for the Poor looks at the
debate surrounding the role of pressure groups in policy making. It
closely relates theories of pressure group behaviour with the
findings of research into the poverty lobby in the UK. The analysis
is based on interviews with leading activists in more than forty
interest groups, which are all concerned with trying to influence
social security policies of government in the field of income
maintenance. The book examines the origins and maintenance of such
a wide range of interest groups in in this field, the strategies
they pursue, and their impact on policy outcomes.
This book investigates the best strategies for poverty alleviation
in post-disaster urban environments, and the conditions necessary
for the success and scaling up of these strategies. Using the case
study of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in the Philippines, the strongest
typhoon ever to make landfall, the book aims to draw out policy
recommendations relevant for other middle- and lower-income
countries facing similar urban environmental challenges. Humans are
increasingly living in densely populated and highly vulnerable
areas, often coastal. This increased density of human settlements
leads to increased material damage and high death tolls, and this
vulnerability is often exacerbated by climate change. This book
focuses on urban population risk, vulnerability to disasters,
resilience to environmental shocks, and adaptation in relation to
paths in and out of poverty. Using both qualitative and
quantitative methods, including primary survey data from victims
and those charged with overseeing the relief effort in the
Philippines, Urban Poverty in the Wake of Environmental Disaster
has significant implications for disaster risk reduction as it
relates to the urban poor and is highly recommended for scholars
and practitioners of development studies, environment studies, and
disaster relief and risk reduction.
When and why do the urban poor vote for opposition parties in
Africa's electoral democracies? The strategies used by political
parties to incorporate the urban poor into the political arena
provide a key answer to this question. This book explores and
defines the role of populism in Africa's urban centers and its
political outcomes. In particular, it examines how a populist
strategy offers greater differentiation from the multitude of
African parties that are defined solely by their leader's
personality, and greater policy congruence with those issues most
relevant to the lives of the urban poor. These arguments are
elaborated through a comparative analysis of Senegal and Zambia
based on surveys with informal sector workers and interviews with
slum dwellers and politicians. The book contributes significantly
to scholarship on opposition parties and elections in Africa, party
linkages, populism, and democratic consolidation.
Winner of the 2011 Paul Davidoff award
This is a book about poverty but it does not study the poor and
the powerless; instead it studies those who manage poverty. It
sheds light on how powerful institutions control "capital," or
circuits of profit and investment, as well as "truth," or
authoritative knowledge about poverty. Such dominant practices are
challenged by alternative paradigms of development, and the book
details these as well. Using the case of microfinance, the book
participates in a set of fierce debates about development - from
the role of markets to the secrets of successful pro-poor
institutions. Based on many years of research in Washington D.C.,
Bangladesh, and the Middle East, Poverty Capital also grows out of
the author's undergraduate teaching to thousands of students on the
subject of global poverty and inequality.
Originally published in 1924, Unemployment Relief in Great Britain
takes up the history of unemployment relief in Great Britain,
focusing on the after effects of the post-war period and the Great
Depression. Primarily, the book provides a detailed study of
England's experience with compulsory unemployment insurance and
public employment exchanges. The book provides an intriguing study
that will appeal to sociologists and historians alike, adeptly
weaving practical aspects of the insurance acts, and the
administration of employment exchanges.
Available Open Access under CC-BY-NC licence. Climate change is the
main challenge facing developed countries in the 21st century. To
what extent does this agenda converge with issues of poverty and
social exclusion? Climate change and poverty offers a timely new
perspective on the 'ecosocial' understanding of the causes and
symptoms of, and solutions to, poverty and applies this to recent
developments across a number of areas, including fuel poverty, food
poverty, housing, transport and air pollution. Unlike any other
publication, the book therefore establishes a new agenda for both
environmental and social policies which has cross-national
relevance. It will appeal to students in social policy, public
policy, applied social studies and politics and will also be of
interest to those studying international development, economics and
geography
Climate change is the main challenge facing developed countries in
the 21st century. To what extent does this agenda converge with
issues of poverty and social exclusion? Climate change and poverty
offers a timely new perspective on the 'ecosocial' understanding of
the causes and symptoms of, and solutions to, poverty and applies
this to recent developments across a number of areas, including
fuel poverty, food poverty, housing, transport and air pollution.
Unlike any other publication, the book therefore establishes a new
agenda for both environmental and social policies which has
cross-national relevance. It will appeal to students in social
policy, public policy, applied social studies and politics and will
also be of interest to those studying international development,
economics and geography
From politics, economics, and society to health and environment,
this volume presents 31 diverse angles on the inequality and
poverty in contemporary South Africa and places them in a global
context. Designed and written as a reflection of critical issues,
this study provides an emerging picture that shows the need to
accelerate the pace of poverty eradication and to change the
developmental trajectory of South Africa. The in-depth analyses
deal with topics that include ideology and modern and traditional
leadership; the role of national, provincial, and local government
in poverty alleviation; development, economic growth, employment
creation, and housing; the media; social cohesion; HIV and AIDS;
climate change; regionalism and continental power relations; and
the impact of global economics on South Africa. This accessible and
fascinating research is aimed at the general interest reader as
well as the specialist and is destined to become the research
reference for the next decade.
In comparison to other social groups, India's rural poor - and
particularly Adivasis and Dalits - have seen little benefit from
the country's economic growth over the last three decades. Though
economists and statisticians are able to model the form and extent
of this inequality, their work is rarely concerned with identifying
possible causes. Employment, Poverty and Rights in India analyses
unemployment in India and explains why the issues of employment and
unemployment should be the appropriate prism to understand the
status of wellbeing in India. The author provides a historical
analysis of policy interventions on behalf of the colonial and
postcolonial state with regard to the alleviation of unemployment
and poverty in India and in West Bengal in particular. Arguing
that, as long as poverty - either as a concept or as an empirical
condition - remains as a technical issue to be managed by
governmental technologies, the 'poor' will be held responsible for
their own fate and the extent of poverty will continue to increase.
The book contends that rural unemployment in India is not just an
economic issue but a political process that has consistently been
shaped by various socio-economic, political and cultural factors
since the colonial period. The analysis which depends mainly on
ethnography extends to the implementation of the 'New Rights
Agenda', such as the MGNREGA, at the rural margin. Challenging the
dominant approach to poverty, this book will be of interest to
scholars working in the fields of South Asian studies, Indian
Political Economy, contemporary political theories, poverty
studies, neo-liberalism, sociology and social anthropology as well
as development studies.
Poverty is not a neutral phenomenon, nor are social inclusion
programmes neutrally conceived, designed and implemented.Their
ultimate nature is built upon ideas, values, actors, politics and
economic constraints.This topical book is one of the first to
examine the social and political construction of anti-poverty
programmes in Central Eastern Europe and their transformation from
communist rule to the current economic crisis. It covers the
approach towards the 'parasite' poor through to Guaranteed Minimum
Income Schemes and illustrates how the distinction between
different categories of 'deserving' and 'undeserving' poor has
evolved over the years as the result of changing paradigms,
combined with the pressure exerted by domestic and international
actors, the European Union and the World Bank among others. This
text breaks new ground for social policy students and scholars
interested in understanding how differently post-communist welfare
states have represented, legitimised and dealt with poverty, need
and social justice in accordance with divergent normative
frameworks constructed at national level.
Global economic recovery in the aftermath of the Great Recession
has not been experienced equally: while the share of wealth owned
by the richest 3% has grown, the share owned by the poorest 90%
continues to decline, as reported by Oxfam in 2016. This wealth
divide disproportionately affects racial and ethnic minority
communities. This book underscores the importance of financial
capability and asset building (FCAB) practice, policy and research
during a period when vulnerable populations face increasingly
difficult economic and financial realities. At the same time,
retrenchment and privatization of government-sponsored social
services have eroded the safety net available for families
experiencing poverty or near-poverty conditions. The proliferation
of products and services available from both formal and informal
financial institutions highlights the need to promote FCAB to avoid
and/or recover from financial difficulties, crises and poverty. The
contributors to this volume disseminate findings from interventions
designed to increase financial knowledge, financial management and
financial access across several vulnerable populations, including
immigrant communities. Further, they demonstrate the need for
culturally sensitive FCAB service delivery, considering
opportunities and barriers posed by past and current life
situations, experiences and environments experienced by different
populations. The book is aimed at policymakers, researchers and
practitioners who assist financially vulnerable people. This book
was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of
Community Practice.
This study, first published in 1993, analyses the relationship
among poverty, food insecurity and commercialization in rural China
by employing agricultural household models. Data are derived from a
10,000 household subsample of the annual rural household
consumption and expenditure survey.
This book is open access under a CCBY license. This book
investigates child poverty from a philosophical perspective. It
identifies the injustices of child poverty, relates them to the
well-being of children, and discusses who has a moral
responsibility to secure social justice for children.
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