It is commonly assumed that better living standards will boost subjective well-being. The post-apartheid South African government subscribes to this idea; its social policies aim to provide "a better life for all". Since the coming of democracy in 1994, the state has built over 3 million houses and supplied electricity and clean water to…

The purpose of the study was to reach a close understanding of villagers' experience of change in the changing context of the Turkish Republic. The poetry books of two renowned literary figures Mehmet Basaran and Talip Apaydin were studied to investigate villagers' reactions and responses to various national changes. The literary work of these…

In 2007, nearly one in five or 18 percent of children in the U.S. lived in poverty (KIDS COUNT Data Center, 2009). Many of these children come from minority backgrounds. African American (35 percent), American Indian (33 percent) and Latino (27 percent) children are more likely to live in poverty than their white (11 percent) and Asian (12…

After the fall of the Soviet Union and its transition in the 1990s towards a democratic form of government, Mongolia was forced to embark upon a complete series of reforms within society, including within its education sector. Mongolia's higher education sector was significantly affected by this change. Private higher education institutions…

Who are the satisfied South Africans 10 years into democracy? How do material factors contribute to their life satisfaction? These are the questions addressed in this paper. Earlier South African research has consistently found a close positive relationship between life satisfaction and material standards of living in the apartheid and…

In June and July 2004, the Institute for Comprehensive Social Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with the Russian Federation office of the F. Ebert Foundation, carried out a repeat survey on the topic of "Citizens of the New Russia: How Do They Feel about Themselves, and What Society Would They Like to Live…

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…

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)

Describes some taproots of a human growth ideology and presents notions on the relatedness of personal growth to societal functioning. Focuses on fifteen points vital to the union of humans and society. (Author/RK)

In Germany, processes can be observed that have long been out of keeping with the principle of equality of opportunity. Unemployment is concentrated in the structurally weak peripheral areas, in Eastern Germany in particular; emigration of young and better-educated people to the West is not diminishing, but contrary to expectation is again on the…

In the last of a series of articles by chief education officers, the author argues that schools must prepare pupils for a world very different from our own. (Editor/RK)

Presents two drafts of the Russian government's "Conception of Preschool Upbringing." Suggests in the first draft that goals for renovating the Russian kindergarten include enhancing child health, educational goals, and living conditions. Explores in the second draft the roles of individual development, interaction, learning, labor, and…

The role of the Navajo in development of the Southwest and the effects of southwestern development on the life of the Navajo are depicted. Some 91 pages of facts are pieced together from archaeological and linguistic research, from chronicles of Spanish conquistadores and their successors (or historical writings based on these documents), and from…

A series of surveys taken from 1953-73 assessed postwar attitudes of the Japanese toward religion, tradition, culture, politics, and aesthetics. Findings indicate that Japanese attitudes have become more oriented to the individual than to society. Available from: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Smithsonian Inst., Washington, DC…

Reports some major findings of a study by the Urban Institute which collected and displayed available social and economic measurements that would give a balanced picture of the status of blacks and whites in the 1960-68 period. (Author/JM)