This work makes extensive use of seven well-developed historical case studies describing the evolution of public old-age security in industrial nations (Germany, United Kingdom, Sweden, and the United States) and developing nations (Brazil, Nigeria, and India). The authors focus on specifying contexts in which general theoretical perspectives can be used to account for these developments. One of the few studies which integrates historical and quantitative data, this accessible work will prove helpful to students and researchers of the welfare state, aging policy, and comparative...

Despite having similar economies and political systems, high-income nations show persistent diversity. In this pioneering work, Fred C. Pampel looks at fertility, suicide, and homicide rates in eighteen high-income nations to show how they are affected by institutional structures. European nations, for example, offer universal public benefits for men and women who are unable to work and have policies to ease the burdens of working mothers. The United States, in contrast, does not. This study demonstrates how public policy differences such as these affect childbearing among working women,...

This analysis of the growth of welfare spending examines the relative impact of class and status groups versus demographic composition and political structures. Special attention is given to the role of the aged as representative of the importance of ascription and middle-class groups in welfare growth, and to the effect of welfare spending on income inequality. Aggregate cross-national data from the UN, ILO, and the World Bank are analyzed and the conclusion is drawn that a large aged population, especially in combination with democratic political processes, is a direct and crucial influence...

Fred C Pampel describes how age combines with other components of inequality by comparing the influence of group membership on social inequality before and after the life course transition to old age. He looks at the differences in public policy and how age inequality - more than the other sources of inequality - relates closely to government policies and studies other societies in which both age group differences and overall inequality differ from those in the United States. Pampel makes comparison of the United States with other nations a central component of the book, providing greater...

Smoking remains the number one preventable cause of death in the US. Pampel (sociology, Institute of Behavioral Science, U. of Colorado) traces the rise of the tobacco industry and the current legal onslaughts on it. His useful guide includes government regulations, landmark court cases, resources,

Is membership in a group ever a sufficient reason for special investigation, or do such actions always violate civil liberties? Is racial profiling effective in crime prevention? Racial Profiling addresses these and other related questions and explores the highly charged controversies that they reflect. It provides an overview, reference resource, and research guide that will interest not only students, teachers, and librarians but also activists, policymakers, participants in the criminal justice system, and members of the public interested in issues of race and crime.

Food is an intrinsic part of every society, but recently it has become a source of worry for many Americans and government officials. It has been estimated that more than 76 million people in the United States - more than a quarter of the population - suffer from food poisoning each year. There also lurks potential for food contamination from food brought in from other countries, as well as threats of bioterrorism. Despite these risks, most Americans take the safety of their food for granted and take very minimal precautions when preparing or handling food. New techniques to ensure food...

It is impossible to ignore the relentless media reports of various human-made and natural disasters and the constant threats they pose to our society. Beyond the news headlines, recent disasters have prompted the restructuring of the U.S. government, namely the formation of the Department of Homeland Security and the reorganization of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). With the ever-present threat of disasters from hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, wildfires, landslides, drought, winter storms, nuclear accidents, terrorist attacks, and chemical contamination, the role...

Rights of the Elderly provides an overview of the history of this timely topic and the opinions surrounding it--from the Social Security Act of 1935 to the current activism of groups such as AARP and the Gray Panthers. Examining recent court cases such as Kathi Cooper et al. v. IBM Personal Pension Plan and IBM Corporation and documents such as The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, this new volume provides multiple perspectives and decisions surrounding this issue while also plotting a course for the future of legislative action. A comprehensive and up-to-date overview essay,...