Youth in South and Central Asia: A Discourse of Changes and Challenges aims at presenting the well-rounded accounts and analysis vis--vis young peoples transitions and cultures in South and Central Asia. Interdisciplinary in its approach, the book scrutinizes themes including globalization, cultural practices, education, labour market, migration, social security and mental health issues among youth. To this end, the book makes a significant contribution to youth studies in Asia.

"The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic marks the most significant, singular global disruption since World War II, with health, economic, political, and security implications that will ripple for years to come." -Global Trends 2040 (2021) Global Trends 2040-A More Contested World (2021), released by the US National Intelligence Council, is the latest report in its series of reports starting in 1997 about megatrends and the world's future. This report, strongly influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, paints a bleak picture of the future and describes a contested, fragmented and turbulent world. It specifically discusses the four main trends that will shape tomorrow's world: - Demographics-by 2040, 1.4 billion people will be added mostly in Africa and South Asia. - Economics-increased government debt and concentrated economic power will escalate problems for the poor and middleclass. - Climate-a hotter world will increase water, food, and health insecurity. - Technology-the emergence of new technologies could both solve and cause problems for human life. Students of trends, policymakers, entrepreneurs, academics, journalists and anyone eager for a glimpse into the next decades, will find this report, with colored graphs, essential reading.

This book takes a people-centred approach to the ever-fluid and rapidly-transforming professional world of public relations (PR) in the age of digital platforms. As everyday PR work becomes increasingly shaped by the platform economy, this is transforming how the PR profession talks about itself, its issues and concerns. Drawing on different textual genres and discursive strategies, the author examines the shifting boundaries between PR and adjacent fields such as advertising, marketing and journalism – and illuminates varied lifeworlds of PR professionals from different backgrounds, races and genders. Written for academics, practitioners and those interested in the world of public relations, the book will also be enjoyed by young professionals working in this interesting and fast-changing occupation.

This book analyses and discusses the multiple dimensions of social exclusion/inclusion seen in South Asia. It not only captures how ‘social exclusion’ is intrinsic to deprivation or deprivation in itself, but also the processes of political engagement and social interactions that the socially excluded develop as strategies and networks for their advancement. Consequently, the book goes beyond structures or agency, and examines the question of a more dynamic approach to provide spaces for the ‘socially excluded’ to self-manage exclusion, thereby raising discussions around the contested positions that underlie development discourse on social inequality. While social exclusion linked to identities is studied, the book argues that hierarchies and inequalities based on social identities cut across and affect various groups of excluded. Consequently, these phenomena create or lead to various processes of exclusion. The book illustrates that social exclusion should not be limited to privileging the differences that characterize the exclusionary processes, but should also comprise underpinning strategies of ‘inclusion’, emphasizing the need to focus on imperatives ‘to include’. As a result, the book acknowledges that social exclusion is not limited to analyzing the different identities that face exclusion, but also understanding the systems and processes that create social exclusion, or create opportunities for inclusion of the excluded.The book addresses readership across academic disciplines (including in the growing field of state capacity and governance), and practitioners (administrators and policy-making communities). Conclusively, the book, provides a platform to intensively exchange the multifaceted and critical issue of social exclusion/inclusion, and thus contributes to inclusive sustainable development discourse.

Forced migration in the 21st century is inextricably linked to three global developments: climate change, rapid urbanization and the lack of solutions faced by millions of forcibly displaced people. By adding a focus on the disciplines of history and philosophy, this erudite Handbook challenges narratives on forced migration and explains these contemporary challenges in a unique light.

This book explores trends in the practice of school counselling in East and Southeast Asia in response to socioeconomic changes, developments in education and schooling, the growth of technology, and the legacy of the recent COVID-19 pandemic. The volume adopts an ecological perspective, taking into account both schools’ institutional contexts and the sociocultural settings in which school counsellors work. Chapters focus on the needs, perspectives, and expectations of different stakeholders and explore the changing roles and identities of school counsellors. Contributions from Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam provide a wide-ranging account of the development of school counselling in the region and set out key themes and priorities for this fast-developing field. Academics in the field of school counselling, practising school counsellors, academics involved in training programmes for school counsellors and students will find this an invaluable volume. More broadly, this text will be of interest to individuals involved in accrediting bodies for international schools in Asia, and school leaders tasked with overseeing counselling provision and that of well-being.