100 years after its philanthropist founder identified poverty, alcohol, drugs and gambling among the social evils of his time, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation initiated a major consultation among leading thinkers, activists and commentators to identify social evils in the 21st century.

Which underlying problems pose the greatest threat to British society in the 21st century? A hundred years after its philanthropist founder identified poverty, alcohol, drugs and gambling among the social evils of his time, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation initiated a major consultation among leading thinkers, activists and commentators, as well as the wider public. The findings have now been brought together in this fascinating book. Individual contributors range across the political spectrum but the book also reports the results from a web survey and consultation with groups whose voices are less often heard. The results suggest that while some evils - like poverty - endure as undisputed causes of social harm, more recent sources of social misery, such as an alleged rise in selfish consumerism and a perceived decline in personal responsibility and family commitment, attract controversy.

In this pamphlet, the author addresses a number of issues contributing to problems in contemporary society, among them poor diet, prostitution, marriage and divorce, the plight of orphans, and women in prisons. She suggests, in part, that better education for women and their enfranchisement will be a part of the remedy for these social evils.

Charles A. Ellwood's 'Sociology and Modern Social Problems' is a comprehensive and accessible text that offers an introduction to sociology through the lens of modern social issues. With a focus on the family as a typical human institution, Ellwood examines the elementary principles of sociology and applies them to problems such as immigration, poverty, and crime. The book emphasizes interpretation over social facts, and encourages students to work out their own systems of social theory. Ellwood also provides a brief list of select references in English for further reading.

The 14 clearly written articles included in this collection exemplify the best of sociological scholarship on drug and alcohol problems. The readings strike a balance between constructionist, epidemiological, and ethnographic approaches to the study of drinking, drug use, and related problems such as domestic violence, crime, and the spread of HIV/AIDS. Visit our website for sample chapters!