This book explores how the uncertainties of the 21st century present existential challenges to civil society. Presenting original empirical findings, it highlights transferable lessons that will inform policy and practice in today’s age of uncertainty.

This book, grounded in a human rights framework, takes a close look at social work approaches and practices in Southeast Europe. Human rights are central in today's understanding of social work as an academic discipline and as a professional practice. Looking at social work through a human rights lens unmasks inequality and discrimination, promotes ethical engagements, and contributes to the social, political, and economic betterment of society. Moreover, human rights and social work are interdependent and have far-reaching implications at macro, mezzo, and micro levels both in the realm of social policy and in professional practice. This collection of eight chapters provides an overview of human rights practices in social work in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Romania, and Slovenia. It presents state-of-the-art research on human rights and social work through individual country-focused chapters. In addition, it includes an integrative introductory chapter that identifies and discusses the commonalities and differences across the region as well as future directions. The book takes an integrated approach with conversations among the contributors on three main questions: What is the state of human rights in social work? How are human rights practiced in social work? What are the prospects for an integrated approach to human rights in social work in contemporary Southeast Europe? Human Rights in this Age of Uncertainty is essential reading for social work academics and practitioners in Southeast Europe due to its geographic focus and standpoints from the specific countries of the region. The book also should appeal to a wider European audience (especially as the book features chapters from both inside and outside of the European Union), as well as to an international audience of social work scholars. In addition, policy-makers may find the book a useful resource because human rights discourse features prominently in the international approaches to welfare systems across Southeast Europe as part of the Europeanisation processes currently at play.

In turbulent global times, your study of this subject is increasingly necessary and urgent. Featuring a new chapter on critical theories, and revised to take a less Eurocentric approach to concepts and case studies, this new edition allows you to tackle global politics' important concepts, debates and problems: -How can theories help us to understand the politics of a global pandemic? -Do we live in a 'post-truth' world of 'fake news' and disinformation? -Does international aid work? -Does the United States remain a global hegemon? -What is the Anthropocene and how does it shape global politics? -Are global politics constrained by a 'North-South' divide? -What are the possible futures of global politics – and the politics of outer space? Delving into topics as diverse as anarchy, intersectionality, Confucianism, and neoconservatism, boxed features give you confidence in political analysis: -Focus on: learn more about the global colour line or the tragedy of the commons -Key figures: discuss the ideas of Hans Morgenthau, Frantz Fanon or bell hooks -Debating: argue whether the United Nations are obsolete, or whether nuclear weapons promote peace -Global politics in action: apply your learning to the migration crisis in Europe or the Arab Spring -Approaches to: consider human rights or the Covid-19 pandemic from the perspective of realist, liberal, postcolonial, Marxist, feminist, constructivist and post-structuralist theory -Global actors: understand the significance of Black Lives Matter, Amnesty International or the International Monetary Fund. Spanning the development of global politics, from the early origins of globalization through to the return of multipolarity in the twenty-first century, this is an essential text for undergraduates studying global politics and international relations.

This groundbreaking text on globalization provides a comprehensive and enlightening overview of globalization issues and topics. Emphasizing the theory and methods that social scientists employ to study globalization, the text reveals how macro globalization processes impact individual lives—from the spread of scientific discourse to which jobs are more or less likely to be offshored. The author presents a clear image of "the big globalization picture" by skillfully exploring, piece by piece, a myriad of globalization topics, debates, theories, and empirical data. Compelling chapters on theory, global civil society, democracy, cities, religion, institutions (sports, education, and health care), along with three chapters on global challenges, help readers develop a broad understanding of key topics and issues. Throughout the text, the author encourages readers to relate their personal experiences to globalization processes, allowing for a more meaningful and relevant learning experience.

Through theories of metagovernance and case studies of mobilisations against economic and social problems, Bob Jessop explores the idea of civil society as a mode of governance. Reviewing concepts of self-emancipation and self-responsibilisation, he challenges conventional thinking and identifies lessons for future social innovation.

Futurevision represents a new stage in the evolution of near term research and speculation into the world of tomorrow. This volume, which brings together twenty-five leading experts in a variety of social and scientific areas, attempts to foresee likely harmful or undesirable results of advances hi scientific and technological ingenuity. In developing an early-warning system designed to elicit prudent reflection and timely action, futurism has now entered the mainstream of social thought. The volume is divided into eight categories: the future of work, education, management, sustainability, projections about the future, decline or revitalization, medical ethics, and the global scene as such. Among the major issues taken up are the threat of persistent technological unemployment in high-tech societies, approaches to teaching about the future, new forms of specialization and speculation, virtual learning in simulated contexts, planning models in business and industry that permit rapid shifts, changes in the economy that result from a move from a product to a service-based economy, patterns of innovation in agriculture using less space to feed more people, and the general analysis of forecasting and predicting future events with present methodologies. Futurevision aims to recast the basic fault lines of current social, scientific, and technological analysis. The volume emphasizes long-term perspectives, future relevant research and thinking, weapons analysis and warfare, population and planetary exploration--examining what constitutes significant knowledge in this new environment--and the broad area of learning and caring hi meaningful contexts. There is a new seriousness in future research that will be appealing to students and teachers and researchers of sociology, psychology, and economics, especially those working with current data and qualitative research techniques.

Presents a collection of comparative studies of civil society around two main issues: the comparison and analysis of civil society regimes in relation to different constructions of citizenship and welfare states and the role of civil society in governance and active participation of citizens.

This volume provides a compendium of papers presented at the 36th World Congress of the International Institute of Sociology, papers which address issues related to the age of globalization and social change, including cultural diversities, migration and equality, social transformation, and national identity.

This volume explores how the uncertainties of the 21st century present existential challenges to civil society. Presenting original empirical findings, it highlights transferable lessons that will inform policy and practice in today's age of uncertainty.

These days, science is everywhere. It pervades our whole society. Sometimes it is just a clutter of commonplace frivolities, like new fashion fabrics. Sometimes it miraculously preserves our life, like penicillin. Sometimes, like climate change, it looms over us as a portent of doom: sometimes it promises a way of escape from such a fate. Sometimes, like a nuclear warhead, it enshrouds us in political terror: sometimes, like a verification technology, it offers an antidote to such evils. How should we respond to this ambiguous and ubiquitous thing called science?