The inscription on the internal pedestal of the Statue of Liberty proclaiming "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses" today is an ideal of another age. Compared with those of other developing countries, U.S. poverty rates are extraordinarily high, as are the odds of remaining in poverty intergenerationally. No longer do…

In the June "Kappan," Marc Tucker summarized the "Tough Choices" report, the sequel to a report issued in 1990 by a predecessor group, which attributed the nation's low productivity growth in the 1970s and 1980s to inadequate American schools. The authors critiqued it and charged Tucker with trying to stampede policy makers into adopting reckless…

In this article, the author reports from the World Social Forum, the annual gathering of campaigning groups and activists who believe that "another world is possible." The theme of the seventh forum, "People's struggles, people's alternatives," united 50,000 people from diverse cultures and backgrounds who gathered in Nairobi…

It is commonly believed that today's young college and university students possess an "advanced" market mentality and show a degree of adaptation to market conditions that is higher than in the older generation. Those who share this point of view assert that the market is fundamentally changing the structure of people's thinking,…

Investigates the concept of social welfare and the achievement of social welfare goals in China, in the context of the unique political and social background of the country. Social welfare is seen more as a means to attain socialist ends rather than as an end in itself. (JAC)

There is need to assess the impact of migration on the Caribbean ecosystems. As a 150-year-old institution, emigration is related to the carrying capacity of the islands and the need to export the surplus population when capacity is threatened. Emigration, however, is a deterrent to development and individual independence. (KC)

Examines whether the human world is threatened by a decline in respect for life, questioning some of the convictions and assumptions which underlie this diagnosis and the concomitant demand for an education in the value of life. The paper discusses the meaning of life, human existence, the sacredness of life, and the question of meaning and…

We evaluate the effects of marital resources and early-life experiences on recent domestic violence and attitudes about wife abuse among 2,074 married Cambodian women. Household standard of living was negatively associated with physical domestic violence. Women with 8-13 fewer years of schooling than their husbands more often experienced physical…

The paper looks at the process of democratisation in Cameroon and its failure to respond to the basic tenets of democracy that meets the aspirations of the people. It argues that though there have been some quasi moves following the collapse of the Soviet Union in trying to open the political space, this has been done to meet donors wish and not…

The transition from experience-based teachers to expertise-based ones has marked a significant phase in the history of human education. The conceptive transition from the general "occupational ethics" of teachers to "professional ethics" is actually an important aspect of the transition from experience-based to expertise-based…

Research has established that those with higher social status have better health. Less is known about whether this relationship differs cross-nationally and whether it operates similarly across different institutional arrangements. To examine the relationship between stratification and health, two Western, industrialized societies at opposite ends…

This article summarizes findings from a recent study of 451 Career Technical Education (CTE) and non-CTE students as drawn from seven high schools supported by an area career technical center. One aspect of this study examined each group's academic standing and their socioeconomic status, including the household living arrangements and the family…

In January 2005, the Roma Education Fund (REF) came into existence as a Swiss foundation with the goal of increasing the inclusion of Roma children in mainstream classes in Central and Eastern Europe. The fund gives priority to countries that make a political commitment to design and finance actions to improve Roma living conditions, by taking…

Discusses the socioeconomic causes of the disproportionate level of poverty found among women aged 65 and over. Reasons why Social Security programs are essential for maintaining minimal standards of living for many older women are presented. Specific proposals for bringing about change are included. (AM)

Compares the functional and exploitive impact of social stratification. A case study of the Mayan culture indicates that, as social inequality increases, the standard of living for the majority does not. (AM)