This paper suggests that sharply divergent images of children in Bangladesh reflect different "imagined communities" of society and polity, local and global. Universal concepts of "the rights of the child" contrast strongly with a local culture of "guardianship", as the key social institution that governs children's…

Asserts that O'Neill's book is excellent critique of liberalism and its neglect of children, but that suggestions for implementing covenant theory (rather than contract theory) as the basis for societal thinking and policy-making, although appealing, are problematic; paradoxically, in order to re-establish close relations between people, calls…

Examines the impact of fertility, family changes, and employment trends on parenthood in Scandinavia. Maintains that the most vulnerable aspect of responsible parenthood is the privatization of the family and feminization of childhood. Parenthood as private choice may encourage societal nonresponsibility for children. The high risk of parental…