Using examples of democratic changes in former Communist states, Wejnert provides a dual-level conceptual framework that concentrates on objectification of the fundamental and unique roles of various mechanisms and components of transition. The first of these two levels is an integrative framework of the diverse social processes of transition. Here, the essays included examine the effects of global and domestic factors, and diffusion on the articulation of transition from communism. The second level is a similarly integrative framework of the interrelation of three distinct social entities of economy, polity, and culture as recorded at a time-point when the polity-economy-culture components of the transition are inserted into the processes of social change.

This collection brings together Eastern European, Russian, and American scholars as well as prominent political figures from democratically elected East European governments. Included are Jan Kavan, Vice-Prime Minister of the Czech Republic and Grzegorz Kolodko of Poland, the designer of the post-communist therapy economic plan. The theoretical and pratically oriented papers are enriched by the broad perspective of the book, making it particularly useful to scholars, students, and researchers of Eastern Europe and Russia.

This volume discusses the various interrelations that exist within and between social and political phenomena. This includes exploring the underlying social roots or origins of politics and power; the organisation, management, and process of political power structure; and the effects of political decision-making and power structures on the surrounding society and culture.

To challenge gender discrimination and to secure the world's prosperity and peace, we urgently need pro-girls and pro-women policies in the contemporary, globally developing world. Such policies could mark an era of building greater gender equality across the world by sheltering domains of women's well-being that are shown to decline. These needs can be best summarized by Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations in 2005: "When women are fully involved, the benefits can be seen immediately: families are healthier, they are better fed, their income, savings and reinvestment go up. And what is true for families is true of communities and, eventually, of whole countries." The desperately needed gender equality would honor women's place in the world, would greatly honor each country's political constituencies and enrich democratic institutions. This volume of Research in Political Sociology addresses a broad range of gender equality issues from women's status and opportunities at work, education, health, political participation, community involvement and global migration; from a vast domain of countries in Europe, America, Australia, Asia and Africa.

Populism comes in many guises. Both Berlusconi's personalization of politics and the Northern League's antiimmigrant regionalist movement are viewed as examples of the phenomenon of populism. A type of leftwing populism embodied by Hugo Chavez swept across Latin America. Insurgent and antisystem movements and parties in places as different as the Netherlands, India, Norway, Thailand, Russia and the United States have experienced what have been labeled populists movements. Such varied manifestations beg the question: what is populism? The objective of this edited volume is to provide an answer by examining "the many faces of populism." The unifying element across the different explorations of the phenomenon of populism is that there is a shared genus that allows for a typology of the different faces of populism and a demarcation of what is not a form of populism.

This book provides cutting edge information on safe motherhood in a global context. The chapters focus on research, program development and implementation, and policy dealing with various aspects of pregnancy, labor and delivery. Safe motherhood is a critical issue since healthy, safe motherhood is the prerequisite for a healthy, productive society. Writing about the situation in their countries, the authors are from Eastern Europe, America, Asia and Africa and are academic scholars and health practitioners. The book is multidisciplinary with scholars from sociology, gender studies, economics, social policy, social geography, population management and political science. Topics include lactation policy and misunderstandings of lactations in African countries and in the United States; postnatal stress disorder that is either understudied or not considered as a problem in many developing countries; potential causes of a decline of maternal health in democratizing states; the effect of geographical environment on reproductive health; and revelation of mysteries of consequences of pre-birth pain in the early life of children. Case studies provide examples of successful model programs. Solutions offered are based on utilizing available resources and technology in ways that maximize education and training of local health professionals and family members. This book was published as a special issue of Marriage and Family Review.

This book provides cutting edge information on safe motherhood in a global context. The chapters focus on research, program development and implementation, and policy dealing with various aspects of pregnancy, labor and delivery. Safe motherhood is a critical issue since healthy, safe motherhood is the prerequisite for a healthy, productive society. Writing about the situation in their countries, the authors are from Eastern Europe, America, Asia and Africa and are academic scholars and health practitioners. The book is multidisciplinary with scholars from sociology, gender studies, economics, social policy, social geography, population management and political science. Topics include lactation policy and misunderstandings of lactations in African countries and in the United States; postnatal stress disorder that is either understudied or not considered as a problem in many developing countries; potential causes of a decline of maternal health in democratizing states; the effect of geographical environment on reproductive health; and revelation of mysteries of consequences of pre-birth pain in the early life of children. Case studies provide examples of successful model programs. Solutions offered are based on utilizing available resources and technology in ways that maximize education and training of local health professionals and family members.

This book was published as a special issue of Marriage and Family Review.

The global spread of COVID-19 has led to devastating effects on countries worldwide in terms of population health, economy, politics, and sustainable development. Systemic Inequality, Sustainability and COVID-19 provides an opportunity to engage in a critical dialog on the consequences and interactions of COVID-19 with social inequalities and environment management. The pandemic has shattered personal lives, families, businesses, countries' health systems, education, economy, and sustainable development. COVID-19's impact is most visible among disadvantaged populations as the pandemic amplified the already profound social inequalities and problems of environmental justice existing in developed and developing countries alike. Understanding that it is critical to determine the scope, magnitude, and scale of pandemic effects on the most vulnerable groups and environmental sustainability, this book addresses the impact of COVID-19 on countries' development, exploring the consequences and interactions of COVID-19 with social inequalities and sustainable development. Taking a global perspective, this edited collection is vital to understanding countries' progress and development during and after the pandemic in this extraordinary moment in human history.

This volume highlights the ways in which scholarly analysis has contributed to a rich understanding of the links between spreading democracy, gender equality, and environmental protection. Combining theoretical, empirical, and policy perspectives, the volume includes cutting-edge debates on the meaning of democracy and the processes of its development, as well as the response of democracies to environmental and gender concerns. In particular, the volume answers questions applicable to the situation of women in the democratizing world as well as to environmental problems, linking together the issues of gender and environment. It discusses the difference between democratic and non-democratic countries in terms of protection and care for their citizens; security of women's rights and women's opportunities offered by democratic vs. non-democratic states; relations between environmental issues and gender; and women's response to environmental problems.

This book explores the course and causes of the worldwide diffusion of democracy through an assessment of the political and economic development of individual countries from the year 1800 to 2005. Using this extended range of data and examining multiple variables, Barbara Wejnert creates a conceptual model for the diffusion of democracy and to measure national democratization. The author characterizes each nation's political system, its networking with other countries, level of development, and media advancement, in order to pinpoint what leads to national and regional progress to, or regress from, democratization. Her innovative findings challenge established thinking and reveal that the growth of literacy does not lead to democratization but is instead an outcome of democracy. She also finds that networks between non-democratic and democratic states are more important to a nation's democratization than financial aid given to non-democratic regimes or the level of national development.

In this text, "Research in Political Sociology", the imperative and current issues of democratic trends are presented by scholars from Asia, Europe, Latin America and the United States. The volume addresses worldwide changes and developments of democratization from historical and contemporary perspectives. It presents discourses on the diffusion of democracy, paths of democratic transitions, worldwide trends towards democratization, as well as discussion about democracy in retreat. Cross-cultural, comparative studies sit alongside case studies of individual countries including democratic development in the United States, post-colonial and post-Soviet democratization trends, and most recent experiences of countries that have undergone democratization growth or democracy in retreat in the first decade of this century. This volume can be used by political sociologists to strengthen and develop the unique skills and interests they bring to sociology. It is pertinent to researchers from political science, sociology, anthropology, economics, and to policy makers from across the globe working on democratic transition and democratization/re-democratization issues.

This volume is part of an annual series which brings together studies of current issues in the former USSR and Eastern Europe, providing coverage of both domestic and international developments. It is designed to bridge the gap between specialist research and journalistic accounts.

This volume addresses issues of political and economic globalization and worldwide connectedness of countries posing a question whether it symbolizes progress or regress for world's societies. Starting with the notion of modernization resulting from globalized development, and supported by the notion of "the end of civilization and the last men" envisioned as outcomes of worldwide democratization, the collection of papers focuses on economic and political issues experiences by countries at the time of rapid diffusions of democracy and of global market economy. The case studies of pertinent political issues such as international migration, human rights and international conflict, political interventions, tolerance and equality, environmental protection and green energy, and economic justice are discussed by authors focusing on modern societies of developed and developing world. The concluding chapter provides a summary of presented topics in form of a discussion forum on outcomes of globalization.

Volume 19 in the "Research in Political Sociology" series is devoted to health problems, challenges and accomplishments in democratic societies. It includes papers addressing health systems, health policies, obstacles to societal healthy behaviors, and/or health conditions that are experienced in democratic societies in the world. The democratic society is understood in a broadly defined term. It includes developed Western democracies, as well as less developed or underdeveloped countries that have democratic system. According to such definition, the category "democracies" includes democratic countries that have well established democratic system and respect broad network of people rights, as well as democracies that are formally consider democratic states but de facto respect only a few rights or their governments are guided by limited democratic principles. Therefore, the collection of the 19th volume of "Research in Political Sociology" includes papers addressing these issues in a broad spectrum of countries from India, Sri Lanka and Tanzania, to Sweden, Canada and the United States.

This book explores the course and causes of the worldwide diffusion of democracy through an assessment of the political and economic development of individual countries from the year 1800 to 2005. Using this extended range of data and examining multiple variables, Barbara Wejnert creates a conceptual model for the diffusion of democracy and to measure national democratization. The author characterizes each nation's political system, its networking with other countries, level of development, and media advancement, in order to pinpoint what leads to national and regional progress to, or regress from, democratization. Her innovative findings challenge established thinking and reveal that the growth of literacy does not lead to democratization but is instead an outcome of democracy. She also finds that networks between non-democratic and democratic states are more important to a nation's democratization than financial aid given to non-democratic regimes or the level of national development.