A new paper presents a strong case for life satisfaction scales (Diener et al. in "Soc Indic Res," 2012). However, it underestimates two important weaknesses in subjective wellbeing (SWB) measures: the contrast between individual satisfaction and social discontent; and the contradictory evidence on the benefits of personal freedom. This commentary…

Since 1935, Social Security has provided a vital safety net for millions of Americans who cannot work because of age or disability. This safety net has been especially critical for Americans of Latino decent, who number more than 50 million or nearly one out of every six Americans. Social Security is critical to Latinos because it is much more…

Russia's future is put in jeopardy by a decline in both the size of the population and its health and human capital. There is an urgent need for policies to deal with this problem.

Equity is a major concern for all development actors. Although Sri Lanka has successfully addressed equity issues in education sector there are unresolved factors and variables those perpetuate inequity. There are emerging new equity issues those that Sri Lanka needs to address. The changing population dynamics and the huge middle class population…

Crimes committed by juveniles are among the most urgent social problems. Juvenile crime is as prevalent as crime itself is, and it has not been solved completely in any society and cannot be solved through law enforcement measures alone. In this article, the authors discuss the dynamics and structure of juvenile crime in Russia and present data…

Argues that recent work in research methods in sociology consists largely of adapting methods developed elsewhere (statistics, demography, economics) for answering relatively simple questions about social change. These questions reflect practical as well as theoretical concerns. Discusses social indicators, social forecasting, cohort, occupational…

Explores social changes which may account for changes in the type and prevalence of humor in French society. (AM)

The surfacing of battered wives as a specific problem comes out of the many social changes occurring in Britain and many other countries in the 1960's. It comes in part from the growing number of marriages, the peaking of the baby boom in 1959, a decrease in family size, and a steady growth in female labor force participation. Importantly, women's…

Young people's experiences of transitions are moving away from traditional normative expectations, because the patterning of youth transitions is becoming increasingly pluralized. From aggregate European statistics, descriptions of changes in patterns in educational training, family separation, partnership building, and entry into the labor market…

After briefly noting trends in major changes occurring in American society during the past 20 years, this booklet cites and interprets some specific changes taking place in family demographics during the past decade. While it is argued that general trends in family characteristics and child health and development are beginning to show signs of…

Proposes that anthropology improve its capacity to anticipate sociocultural changes, especially the rapid change processes that characterize the current "telemicroelectronic revolution." Presents findings of a study of the introduction of microcomputers into schools near Silicon Valley, California, to illustrate the ongoing development…

This book focuses on 10 major trends expected to change society and affect education in the 21st century. The 10 trends are as follows: (1) for the first time in history, the old will outnumber the young; (2) the country will become a nation of minorities; (3) social and intellectual capital will become the primary economic values in society; (4)…

Our editor-at-large puts questions to a political scientist--the former higher-education advisor to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq--who replies with skepticism about prospects for our efforts to restore a university system in Iraq and reconstitute that troubled society in our image. Building an informed democracy, John Agresto…

Examines the future of the educational community, suggesting that there is an emerging "Knowledge Society" in which knowledge workers give the society its character, leadership, and social profile. Discusses the implications of such a social model for the North Central Association, an accreditation association. Provides summaries of the…

Maintains that, as a historian, social critic, and moralist, Christopher Lasch was a powerful presence in U.S. intellectual life. Presents an interview with Lasch prior to his death in February 1994. Reports that Lasch believed that optimism is a kind of investment in the future whereas hope is the rejection of envy and resentment. (CFR)