Can women - or men - in fast-track jobs have it all? Or are they being forced into delayed parenthood - or even denied parenthood? Do fast track workers who reduce their hours to accommodate family obligations stay on track, or do they become ineligible for top level promotions? Is the "mommy track" a temporary way station or total derailment? Are organizations and professions foregoing their most talented employees due to these high time demands and scheduling inflexibility?

With the increase of women in these fast-track fields, these questions affect more workers, drawing new...

Life-course criminology has generated new energy and provoked sharp debate over competing ideas about the fundamental relationship between age and crime. A major catalyst for this debate - a 2003 American Society of Criminology (ASC) conference session entitled "Age, Crime, and Human Development: The Future of Life-Course Criminology," chaired by the editors of this issue - provided a springboard for this special issue of The Annals.

With an eye to the future, this special issue provides critical debate on patterns of age and crime across the full life course -...

In October 2006, an international conference titled "The Politics of Consumption/The Consumption of Politics" drew leading scholars from Europe and North America. Using theory and research, the conference spurred lively discussion as well as the insightful papers included in this special volume of The ANNALS.

Drawing from a myriad of disciplines, including political science, sociology, communication, media studies, and economics, this volume is a must-have for scholars, professionals, and policymakers who want to better understand modern consumer society and its implications for the...