The thirty-year period examined was characterized in West Germany by a number of inconsistent trends. While income and consumption levels increased as part of a "silent revolution," poverty also increased, especially during the 1980s. People's lifestyles changed, with less time spent on formal employment and more on household production and recreation. Individualization and pluralization began to dissolve the class structure, and social movements such as feminism and environmentalism gained some influence. Although hostility toward foreigners did not disappear, de facto immigrants were...

This book is concerned with the question of inequality - which points to a major structural problem in intra-national and inter-national respect. It covers the tension between the rich and poor in less developed countries as well as within richer countries in the process of globalisation. The main topics are the scope of disparities between the rich and poor, people's perception of wealth and poverty, and the concomitants of inequality which shape this relationship and influence its socio-economic consequences. In the tradition of social reporting, the book brings together authors from 15...

This book is concerned with the question of inequality - which points to a major structural problem in intra-national and inter-national respect. It covers the tension between the rich and poor in less developed countries as well as within richer countries in the process of globalisation. The main topics are the scope of disparities between the rich and poor, people's perception of wealth and poverty, and the concomitants of inequality which shape this relationship and influence its socio-economic consequences. In the tradition of social reporting, the book brings together authors from 15...