UID:
(DE-602)almahu_9949384515502882
Format:
1 online resource
ISBN:
9781351063449
,
1351063448
,
9781351063463
,
1351063464
,
9781351063456
,
1351063456
,
9781351063432
,
135106343X
Content:
Corruption, crime, economic inequality, religious fundamentalism, financial crises, environmental degradation, population ageing, gender inequality, large-scale migration This book tackles many of the most pressing problems facing societies today. The authors demonstrate that similar social mechanisms lie behind many of these seemingly disparate problems. Indeed, many societal problems can be traced back to behaviours that are perfectly rational and often well-intended from an individual perspective. Yet, taken together these behaviours can - paradoxically - give rise to unintended and undesirable outcomes at the society level. In addition to addressing the causes of societal problems, the book explains why some problems rank higher on the public agenda than others. Moreover, it is shown how government intervention may sometimes provide a cure, yet other times exacerbate existing problems or create new problems of its own. This book includes an extensive amount of data on trends and geographic variation in the prevalence of different problems, as well as telling examples - both recent and historical - from a variety of countries to support its key arguments. Employing a bold multidisciplinary approach, the authors draw on insights from across the social sciences, including sociology, economics, anthropology, criminology, and psychology. Throughout the book, students are introduced to analytical concepts such as free-riding, herding behaviour, principal-agent relations and moral hazard. These concepts are essential tools for better understanding the roots of many societal problems that regularly make headlines in the news. This improved understanding will, in turn, be critical for ultimately finding solutions to these problems.
Note:
Chapter 1: Introduction; Societal problems as public bads; A brief history of the problematic society; When does a problem become a societal problem?; Social norms and the organization of society; A typology of goods; A selection of ten societal problems; Bibliography; Chapter 2: Analytical framework; Social scientific explanations; Understanding individual actors; Complex aggregations: How micro-level actions translate into macro-level outcomes
,
Macro-micro-macro explanations using social mechanismsAuthority structures: Principal-agent relations; Problems due to information asymmetry: Moral hazard and adverse selection; Recommended readings; Bibliography; Chapter 3: The promises and pitfalls of state intervention; Varieties of state intervention; The rise of industrial capitalism and growing state intervention; Government expansion and the engineerability of society; Challenges to state intervention: New demands and limitations; Political processes and governments' toolkit; Recommended readings; Bibliography
,
Chapter 4: Welfare states: Affordability and perverse incentivesWorlds of welfare; The development of the welfare state; How different welfare states manage social risks; The costs and effectiveness of welfare states; Welfare states and the problem of perverse incentives; Limits to the welfare state; Future threats to the welfare state; Recommended readings; Bibliography; Chapter 5: Population growth while fertility drops; Population growth throughout the centuries; The demographic transition model; Explanations of fertility levels; Shifting age distributions
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Rapid population growth and overpopulationPopulation ageing; Recommended readings; Bibliography; Chapter 6: Migration and the multicultural society; The rising salience of migration; Explaining international migration; Is there an optimal level of immigration?; Immigrants' integration into the host society; Cultural persistence and social capital within migrant groups; The effect of ethnic and cultural diversity on social solidarity; Social segregation as an unintended consequence; Recommended readings; Bibliography; Chapter 7: Economic inequality; Economic inequality as a problem
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Measuring inequality: Lorenz curves and Gini coefficientsIncome inequality trends across the world; The top one percent in Western countries; Explanations of underdevelopment and poverty; The link between inequality, development, growth, and well-being; Recommended readings; Bibliography; Chapter 8: Gender inequalities; Discrimination and gender inequality as a problem; Gender inequality and emancipation in historical perspective; Gender as a source of inequality; Discrimination in the labour market; Trends in female labour force participation and educational attainment
Additional Edition:
Print version: Societal problems as public bads. London ; New York : Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2019 ISBN 9781138480209
Language:
English
Keywords:
Electronic books.
;
Electronic books.
DOI:
10.4324/9781351063463
URL:
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781351063463
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