The Commonwealth Yearbook is the essential annual guide to the Commonwealth, its members, and organizations. The 2006 Yearbook has been fully updated and includes articles on: ·The "good offices" role of the Commonwealth in promoting democracy and conflict resolution ·Commonwealth initiatives on reducing the impact of natural disasters, especially in small island states · Working for a fairer deal in international trade for developing countries ·The challenge of debt and debt management in developing countries and the Commonwealth Secretariat's widely used debt management software ·A full reference section and comprehensive profiles on the member states

Social work and social policy in the United States have always had a complex and troubled relationship. In The Altruistic Imagination, John H. Ehrenreich offers a critical interpretation of their intertwined histories, seeking to understand the problems that face these two vital institutions in American society.Ehrenreich demonstrates that the emphasis of social work has always vacillated between individual treatment and social reform. Tracing this ever-changing focus from the Progressive Era, through the development of the welfare state, the New Deal, and the affluent 1950s and 1960s, into the administration of Ronald Reagan, he places the evolution of social work in the context of political, cultural, and ideological trends, noting the paradoxes inherent in the attempt to provide essential services and reflect at the same time the intentions of the state. He concludes by examining the turning point faced by the social work profession in the 1980s, indicated by a return to casework and a withdrawal from social policy concerns.

The Communication Yearbook annuals publish diverse, state-of-the-discipline literature reviews that advance knowledge and understanding of communication systems, processes, and impacts across the discipline. Sponsored by the International Communication Association, each volume provides a forum for the exchange of interdisciplinary and internationally diverse scholarship relating to communication in its many forms. This volume re-issues the yearbook from 1984.

The European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment was adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in June 1987. It entered into force in February 1989 and all 47 member States are Parties to the Convention. The Convention has already established itself as an important human rights instrument. Its approach is quite different from that of the European Convention on Human Rights. Whereas the ECHR provides a remedy for particular human rights violations after the event, the Convention for the Prevention of Torture (ECPT) seeks to prevent human rights violations, through a system of visits to places of detention. The Convention is intended to be an integrated part of the Council of Europe system for the protection of human rights, placing a proactive non-judicial mechanism alongside the reactive judicial mechanism established under the ECHR. The Yearbook of the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture offers an essential annual overview of developments in relation to the ECPT. Part One contains general information. Part Two is about the European Committee for the prevention of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (CPT). Part Three is a general report on the activities of the European Committee for the prevention of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Part Four contains reports on visits by the European Committee for the prevention of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and responses of governments. Bilingual: English and French; 2-volume set.

Addresses the question of how aspiring occupations became professions and, in particular, examines how social workers historically went about this profession-building process and with what consequences. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR