Opis: Why the Social Sciences Matter

Today's society is on the brink of new possibilities, yet it is also beset with challenges and problems. Banks are in trouble. Climate change threatens. The population is increasingly elderly. New health technologies pose new ethical questions. Globalization has changed the way we live. Public issues and private troubles are as interlaced as ever. And, big or small, problems need solutions based on accurate and suitable information, and on a proper understanding of the issues involved. This volume, consisting of specially-commissioned essays on topics of prime concern by leading social scientists at the cutting-edge of their respective research fields, takes a considered look at a range of problems facing society today, and considers possible solutions. It illuminates why a social scientific understanding gives us a grasp on a topic that would not be provided by those working in the fields of science, humanities or the arts; in other words, this book makes plain what is distinctive and thus invaluable about a social science perspective. Social scientists may be forgiven for being troubled by UK trends in funding undergraduate training and the 'impact' agenda in research. This volume, with the support of the Academy of Social Sciences, is timely in not only analysing pressing problems, but also helping make the case regarding the indispensability of the social sciences, and the rigour which the social sciences can inspire in our understanding of the world. "This book powerfully demonstrates that if some of the planet's most urgent problems are to be solved, then the social sciences are not just necessary but are in fact indispensable. Humanity today needs high-quality social science more than ever - this book brilliantly shows why and how this is so." - David Inglis, University of Exeter, UK "Eminent social scientists Professors Jonathan Michie and Cary Cooper have drawn together a distinguished group of world experts who document the enormous contributions that the social sciences can offer us all for a healthy, sustainable and peaceful future." - Julian Barling, Queen's School of Business, Canada "While numbers are at the center of great natural science that can launch rockets, human hearts are the pulse of great social science. Private trouble and personal suffering spill over into the public domain, addressed in the collective ills of this volume. Our great hope is that we can solve these problems that we have created. The solutions lie within this volume and the social sciences." - James Campbell Quick, University of Texas at Arlington, US 'This excellent and thought-provoking book deserves to be widely read by policy-makers as well as by students and others who think about our futures. The book makes great contributions to society.' - Greg Bamber, Monash University, AustraliaForeword; Howard Newby Introduction and Overview; Jonathan Michie, Cary L Cooper 1. Social Science, Parenting and Child Development; Pasco Fearon, Chloe Campbell, Lynne Murray 2. Health and Wellbeing; James Campbell Quick, Robert J Gatchel, Cary L Cooper 3. Climate Change and Society; John Urry 4. Waste, Resource Recovery and Labour: Recycling Economies in the EU; Nicky Gregson, Mike Crang 5. Poverty and Inequality; Rod Hick 6. The Economy, Financial Stability and Sustainable Growth; Jonathan Michie 7. Food Security, Rural Life and the Fate of Agriculture; Camilla Toulmin 8. Numbers and Questions: The Contribution of Social Science to Understanding the Family, Marriage, and Divorce; Mavis Maclean and Ceridwen Roberts 9. Crime, Policing and Compliance with the Law; Mike Hough 10. Understanding the Arab Spring; Stuart Croft, Oz Hassan 11. International Migration; Cathy McIlwaine

Szczegóły: Why the Social Sciences Matter

Tytuł: Why the Social Sciences Matter
Producent: Palgrave Macmillan
ISBN: 9781137269911
Rok produkcji: 2015
Ilość stron: 216
Oprawa: Miękka
Waga: 0.28 kg

Recenzje: Why the Social Sciences Matter