This thematically structured text offers an ideal introduction to the positive and negative effects of globalization on human welfare in industrial and developing societies. It documents the effects of globalization on economic growth, income distribution, poverty, education, health, social care and the environment. It pays special attention to the effects of globalization on ethnic and gender issues and concludes with an assessment of the possibilities of global social policy. It will appeal to undergraduates in the social sciences both as a basic text and a reference book.

An essential introduction to rights-based approaches in social policy, this text critically explores how social rights underpin human wellbeing. It discusses social rights as rights of citizenship in developed welfare states and as an essential component within the international human rights and human development agenda. It provides a valuable introduction for students and researchers in social policy and related applied social science, public policy, sociology, socio-legal studies and social development fields. Taking an international perspective, the first part of the book considers how social rights can be understood and critiqued in theory – discussing ideas around citizenship, human needs and human rights, collective responsibility and ethical imperatives. The second part of the book looks at social rights in practice, providing a comparative examination of their development globally, before looking more specifically at rights to livelihood, human services and housing as well as ways in which these rights can be implemented and enforced. The final section re-evaluates prevailing debates about rights-based approaches to poverty alleviation and outlines possible future directions. The book provides a comprehensive overview of social rights in theory and practice. It questions recent developments in social policy. It challenges certain dominant ideas concerning the basis of human rights. It seeks to re-frame our understanding of social rights as the articulation of human needs and presents a radical new 'post-Marshallian' theory of human rights.

Globalization - the growing integration of economies and societies around the world, is a complex process. The focus of this research is the impact of economic integration on developing countries and especially the poor people living in these countries. Whether economic integration supports poverty reduction and how it can do so more effectively are key questions asked. The research yields 3 main findings with bearings on current policy debates about globalization. Firstly, poor countries with some 3 billion people have broken into the global market for manufactures and services, and this successful integration has generally supported poverty reduction. Secondly, inclusion both across countries and within them is important as a number of countries (pop. 2 billion) are failing as states, trading less and less, and becoming marginal to the world economy. Thirdly, standardization or homogenization is a concern - will economic integration lead to cultural or institutional homogenization?

This thematically structured text offers an ideal introduction to the positive and negative effects of globalization on human welfare in industrial and developing societies. It documents the effects of globalization on economic growth, income distribution, poverty, education, health, social care and the environment. It pays special attention to the effects of globalization on ethnic and gender issues and concludes with an assessment of the possibilities of global social policy. It will appeal to undergraduates in the social sciences both as a basic text and a reference book.

Contributed articles with special reference to India and South Asia in general.

Human rights are traditionally understood as protecting individual freedom against intrusion by the State. This title argues instead that human rights are based on a richer view of freedom, going beyond absence of coercion and focussing on the ability to exercise freedom.

As religion continues to regain its centrality in both academic and policy circles around the world, this book presents a new framework which examines the complex social and political dynamics shaping social welfare in the Middle East. Based on an in-depth study of the major Muslim and Christian religious welfare organisations in Lebanon (including Hezbollah), and drawing upon supplementary research conducted in Iran, Egypt and Turkey, the book argues that religion is providing sophisticated solutions to the major social and economic problems of the Middle East. It will be of use to students and academics of social policy, sociology, politics and Middle Eastern studies.

Theorising Irish Social Policy addresses theoretical and conceptual debates underpinning Irish social policy and is an advanced text for courses in social policy as well as being intended for academics, researchers, policy analysts and policy makers. It will be an invaluable aid for students who in the past were left to their own devices in the task of relating internationally developed themes and frameworks to Irish developments. The book is comprehensive in its choice of themes which include an introductory discussion on locating Irish social policy, followed by chapters written by leading Irish academics on globalisation; communitarianism, social capital and subsidiarity; individualisation; women, autonomy and bodily integrity; fathers, identity and well-being; poverty and insecurity; equity, efficiency and health care; difference and social diversity; rights and judicial activism.Theorising Irish Social Policy is part of the University College Dublin Press series of social policy texts, which include Contemporary Irish Social Policy (1999), Irish Social Policy in Context (1999), Disability and Social Policy in Ireland (2003) and Mental Health and Social Policy in Ireland (forthcoming, 2005).

The White Paper for Social Welfare adopted by Parliament in 1997 provided a policy framework to shift social welfare from meeting the needs of a small minority to a social development perspective. This policy change has required the complete overhaul of th e current welfare system with far-reaching implications for human and financial resources policy and legislative reform in line with the new constitution and the Bill of Rights changes in institutional arrangements and trade-offs between different sectors and interests in society. In the past social work education was not developmentally orientated and tended to borrow uncritically from North American and European theory and practice. There was a lack of South African and African literature in the field of welfare and development. In addition to the need for the renewal of social work education in South Africa, there was also a need for the re-orientation of existing social workers to implement new welfare thinking and to app r a ise theory and practice critically.