This book brings together essays on modernity, social integration, social differentiation and social exclusion by Lockwood, Mouzelis and other eminent social theorists. At the same time it addresses critical issues facing Western democracies, such as social exclusion, the underclass, unemployment, new inequalities, globalization and the new competitive environment. Its novelty lies in the imaginative way it uses social theory to critique old, and suggest new, policies and political practices.

Can the needs of capital ever be reconciled with the needs of people? To what extent can social policies bridge the gap between social rights and human welfare, and economic competitiveness in a global world? This text aims to throw new light on these perennial questions via a series of essays.