This book revisits John Kenneth Galbraith's The Affluent Society from the perspective of the background to, and causes of, the 2008 global economic crisis. Each chapter takes a major theme of his book, distils Galbraith's arguments, and then discusses to what extent they cast light on current developments.

This book revisits John Kenneth Galbraith's classic text The Affluent Society in the context of the background to, and causes of, the global economic crisis that erupted in 2008. Each chapter takes a major theme of Galbraith's book, distils his arguments, and then discusses to what extent they cast light on current developments, both in developed economies and in the economics discipline. The themes include: inequality, insecurity, inflation, debt, consumer behaviour, financialization, the economic role of government ('social balance'), the power of ideas, the role of power in the economy, and the nature of the good society. It considers the current problems of capitalism and the huge challenges facing democratic governments in tackling them. Written in non-technical language, this book is accessible to students of economics and the social sciences as well as to those who would have read The Affluent Society and the general reader interested in contemporary affairs and public policy.

"EURO". The name of the single currency for the European Union has not been chosen casually by the Heads of State and Government during the Madrid Council of December 1995. After tough discus sions, it has been unanimously accepted. The intention was to recall to every single citizen that this new money would be his money, that it would be the expression of the new European environment carefully built since the "fifties" to avoid any return to war and barbarism in Europe. Confidence and positive expectations for a better future put in the European construction have thus been clearly linked to the confidence in the new European currency and vice-versa. Euro notes and coins will be the first expression, clear, material and universal (for any European citizen being young or old, rich or poor, but also for the rest of the world) of a European identity alongside the national one. Obviously, it is of the outmost importance that the change over to the euro, be as smooth and as citizen-friendly as possible.

The Architect and the Scaffold advances the limits of public discourse to provide insight into the challenges which evolution and research into the human genome poses to education in South Africa. The failure to provide full knowledge of some of the most relevant research of our time could do irreparable damage to our children and the scientific progress of our nation. The debates outlined in this book seek to fill the gaps in public knowledge and provide a frame of reference for educationalists, theologians and spiritual leaders to better understand the facts of everyday life.

'Food Wars is a heartening book which calls for a radical change in the way the world feeds itself. It offers a blueprint for a future where nobody goes to bed hungry.' Derek Cooper, founder presenter of the BBC's Food Programme 'An important book that should be read by everyone who cares about how the way food is produced affects our own health as well as that of the environment and our national economies.' Marion Nestle, author of Food Politics, and Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, New York University The emergence of global markets has a far-reaching impact on what we eat and on health, food security, social justice and quality of life. What matters now is not just what we eat, but how and where it has been produced, distributed and processed, and the assumptions upon which this production is based - a global politics of food and health. Food Wars argues that two conflicting paradigms (one developing food through integrating the 'life sciences', the other though 'ecology') are battling to replace the dominant industrial-productionist model of the 20th century, both grappling to attract investment, public support and policy legitimacy over the appropriate use of biology and food technologies.

While continually broadcasting the deaths of "illegal immigrants" who have drowned at sea, the majority of mass media incessantly feeds the panic over the "invasion" of Italy by poor immigrants from the Third World. This study is not merely an examination of the familiar limitations of the media, but an investigation of the comprehensive attitude in Italian society of rejecting foreigners who have been transformed into public enemies through a vicious cycle of panic and exclusion. Political dialogue has not proven very aware of the problem of acknowledging the civil rights of the new migrants. The recent cultural rediscovery of the "Italian nation" and the "Italian homeland" - that communal sentiment on which national belonging is based - is not separate from these recent disturbing developments. Not only does this appeal to the "Italian nation" prove weak, but it corresponds to a process of inferiorization of other societies: poorer nations, the underdeveloped regions of Italy itself, and the less wealthy areas in dominant regions. The political left and right both display this disturbing mentality. In this extensively documented, polemical book, Alessandro Dal Lago clearly takes a stand regarding the most profound impulses in Italian society. This study reveals that what is involved in the cultural discussion on migration are the most fundamental parameters and values upon which our democracy rests.

Widely adopted, this unique text critically evaluates the leading theories of international economic development, from classical economic and sociological models to Marxist, poststructuralist, and feminist perspectives. No other book provides such comprehensive coverage or links the theories as incisively to contemporary world events and policy debates. Reexamining neoliberal conceptions of economic growth, the authors show what a more just and democratic form of development might look like today. New to This Edition: Revised to reflect evolving global economic realities Updated with the latest concepts and empirical data Additional chapter on classical and neoclassical economics Increased coverage of real-world policy issues Now more accessible to undergraduates.

Widely adopted, this text critically evaluates the leading theories of international economic development, from classical economic and sociological models to Marxist, poststructuralist, and feminist perspectives. No other book provides such comprehensive coverage or links the theories as incisively to contemporary world events and policy debates. Reexamining neoliberal conceptions of economic growth, the authors show what a more just and democratic form of development might look like today.

In the 1960s and 70s, a new youth consciousness emerged in Western Europe which gave this period its distinct character. This volume demonstrates how international developments fused with national traditions, producing specific youth cultures that became leading trendsetters of emergent post-industrial Western societies.