In Psychonomics and Poverty: Towards Governance and a Civil Society, Ramesh Deosaran describes a novel, multidisciplinary approach to the study of poverty. He uses what he terms "photosociology" as a tool for painstaking research, and he presents "profiles of poverty" which effectively match the stark faces of the poor to statistical data.

The issues surrounding the academic under-performance of the government secondary schools in Trinidad and Tobago, compared with the denominational assisted schools have been debated for many years. An equally persistent issue surrounds the placement in the secondary schools and the inequalities which many persons perceive to be inherent in the process.

In this masterly study, Professor Ramesh Deosaran examines the nature and dimensions of inequality in opportunities for education, and their relationship to gender, race, family background and socio-economic status. He...