This paper focuses on three main subjects: (1) monitoring quality of life (QoL) in old age; (2) international and interdisciplinary collaboration for QoL research; and (3) computer-based technology and infrastructure assisting (1) and (2). This type of computer-supported cooperative work in the social sciences has been termed eHumanities or…

World social development has arrived at a critical turning point. Economically advanced nations have made significant progress toward meeting the basic needs of their populations; however, the majority of developing countries have not. Problems of rapid population growth, failing economies, famine, environmental devastation, majority-minority…

Finds that Khrushchev's and Brezhnev's regimes are characterized by improvements in living standards and reduction in social equalities. However, each regime differs in regard to priorities and the pace of progress. Evaluation of the two eras must consider incremental, industrialization, and collectivization eras. (KC)

Using the perspective of sociology and social welfare, the report focuses on issues and concerns by considering the concepts and underpinnings of personal development, social development, community development, women's issues, rural social welfare, and self-help. Contexts are the social development and social welfare of total societies as well as…

Noting that the well-being of children and that of mothers cannot be separated, this report provides information on the well-being of mothers worldwide. The report compares the status of mothers in 20 industrialized nations and in 86 developing countries, and creates a Mothers' Index measuring the overall status of mothers. The Mothers' Index is a…

Noting that the well-being of children and that of mothers cannot be separated, this report uses the Mothers' Index to compare the well-being of mothers and children in 17 developed countries and 77 developing countries. The Mothers' Index is a composite of elements contributing to a woman's well-being, including health status, educational status,…

Education is one of the major problems connected with the economic and social distribution of the total resources of the world. Examples of the educational gap between rich and poor countries can be seen by statistical comparisons between Peru and Czechoslavakia and between Guatemala and Denmark which show how unevenly educational resources are…

This report describes a one-day conference intended to advance knowledge concerning social change in Japan and the United States. Characterizing the change as one from industrial production dominance to knowledge production dominance; the conference addressed related questions such as defining post-industrial society, informational society, and…

The literature on employment growth in the United States and selected industrialized countries and the wage, benefits, and job security characteristics of new and existing jobs were analyzed to determine how job growth and quality in the United States during the 1980s and 1990s compares to that in other industrialized countries. Among the study's…

This book contains a comparative survey of efforts to organize female workers in trade unions in both developing and industrialized nations and 19 case studies of efforts to organize female workers in selected occupations. The following papers are included: "A Comparative Survey" (Swasti Mitter); "The Union of Women Domestic…