Society & Politics

The crisis of 2008 ended the illusion of a golden era in which many people imagined that prosperity and political calm would continue (read more)

The crisis of 2008 ended the illusion of a golden era in which many people imagined that prosperity and political calm would continue to spread indefinitely. In a world now racked by slowing growth and mounting unrest, how can we discern which nations will thrive and which will fail? Shaped by prize-winning author Ruchir Sharma's twenty-five years travelling the world, The Rise and Fall of Nations rethinks economics as a practical art. By narrowing down the thousands of factors that can shape a country's future, it spells out ten clear rules for identifying the next big winners and losers in the global economy.

Each rule looks at a nation's political, economic, and social conditions in real time to filter out the hype and noise. 'People Matters' shows how slow population growth is eroding economic growth, and ranks nations by how well they respond. The 'circle of life' describes the way cycles of political complacency and revolt fuel economic booms and bust.

Pub Date:07/06/2016 (hide)

'A very good guide to the state we're in' Paul Krugman, New York Review of Books 'A well-written, thought-provoking book by one of (read more)

'A very good guide to the state we're in' Paul Krugman, New York Review of Books 'A well-written, thought-provoking book by one of America's leading economic thinkers and progressive champions.' Huffington Post Do you recall a time when the income of a single schoolteacher or baker or salesman or mechanic was enough to buy a home, have two cars, and raise a family? Robert Reich does - in the 1950s his father sold clothes to factory workers and the family earnt enough to live comfortably. Today, this middle class is rapidly shrinking: American income inequality and wealth disparity is the greatest it's been in eighty years. As Reich, who served in three US administrations, shows, the threat to capitalism is no longer communism or fascism but a steady undermining of the trust modern societies need for growth and stability.

With an exclusive chapter for Icon's edition, Saving Capitalism is passionate yet practical, sweeping yet exactingly argued, a revelatory indictment of the economic status quo and an empowering call to action.
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'Important, brave and necessary' Naomi Wolf As political change sweeps the streets and squares, parliaments and presidential palaces (read more)

'Important, brave and necessary' Naomi Wolf As political change sweeps the streets and squares, parliaments and presidential palaces of the Arab world, Shereen El Feki has been looking at upheaval a little closer to home - in the sexual lives of men and women in Egypt and across the region. The result is an informative, insightful and engaging account of a highly sensitive, and still largely secret, aspect of Arab society. Sex is entwined in religion and tradition, politics and economics, gender and generations, so it makes the perfect lens for examining the region's complex social landscape.

From pregnant virgins to desperate housewives, from fearless activists to religious firebrands, Sex and the Citadel takes a fresh look at the sexual history of the Arab region, and brings new voices to the debate over its future. This is no peep show or academic treatise. Sex and the Citadel is a highly personal, often humorous, account of one woman's journey to better understand Arab society at its most intimate, and in the process, better understand her own origins.
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The Royal Bank of Scotland was once one of the most successful and profitable financial institutions in the world; revered, admired (read more)

The Royal Bank of Scotland was once one of the most successful and profitable financial institutions in the world; revered, admired and trusted by millions of savers and investors. A trusted employer for tens of thousands of people, with branches on nearly every high street in the land. Now, the very mention of the bank's name causes fury and resentment, and the former CEO, Fred Goodwin, is regarded by many as the one of the principal culprits of the worst financial crash since 1929.

Now, for the first time, award-winning financial journalist Ian Fraser reveals how the 'light touch, limited touch' approach to financial regulation of New Labour and the aggressive, confrontational, autocratic and reckless style of Fred Goodwin led to disaster, not just for the Royal Bank of Scotland, but for everyone in the UK. And as more toxic secrets are revealed about Libor rate fixing and excessive bonuses, he looks at the future for the bank and examines its chances of ever regaining the public's trust.

Amazon UK comparison price - £14.99 (plus any postage cost). (hide)

Small state behavior has been largely ignored by academics in both international relations and strategic/intelligence studies. Yet, (read more)

Small state behavior has been largely ignored by academics in both international relations and strategic/intelligence studies. Yet, when we analyze the root causes of war, insurrections, rebellions, revolutions and general sociological human behavior, it is the small state actors that are usually at the epicenter of the tumultuous event. It is the spark from inside the small state actor - whether it is Serbia, Czechoslovakia, Cuba, Vietnam, Kuwait, Iraq or Syria -- that seemingly leads to internal and external confrontations that inevitably involve much larger states.

To date, a book length analysis like this has yet to be published. The scope of this project is to provide an analysis of a sampling of small state's behavior in order to build on a unifying theory of security/intelligence studies. This analysis will necessarily survey the breadth of security/intelligence studies from Clausewitz to current applicable United Nations' Resolutions and international law.

Published:20 Aug 2018
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Discover how the life of the Millennial is a non-stop mix of selfies and startups, Kardashians and kale, kombucha and crowdfunding, (read more)

Discover how the life of the Millennial is a non-stop mix of selfies and startups, Kardashians and kale, kombucha and crowdfunding, anxiety and activism, experiences and entitlement. Do you feel as nervous about your life prospects as you are about securing the last available table at your favourite brunch spot? Are you equally outraged by the myriad injustices in the world as you are by changes to Instagram meaning your selfies won't be seen by your followers? If the answer is yes, then chances are you are a Millennial. So what exactly is that? If you were born between the early 1980s and the turn of the century (give or take), then it's you.

This hilarious guide, which features profiles and observations of this most self-interested of generations, plus a series of fun quizzes, will reveal exactly what it is that makes a Millennial tick, from freaking out about rent prices to checking out the latest BuzzFeed listicle.
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Social Problems in the UK: An Introduction is the first textbook on contemporary social issues to contextualise social problems within (read more)

Social Problems in the UK: An Introduction is the first textbook on contemporary social issues to contextualise social problems within the disciplines of sociology, social policy, criminology and applied social science. Drawing on the research and teaching experience of academics in these areas, this much-needed textbook brings together a comprehensive range of expertise. Social Problems in the UK discusses the strengthening and changing character of social construction, providing a new and invigorated way of studying the issues for all social science students.

This clear, accessible textbook guides students in approaching the methodology, theory and research of social problems, and introduces the key topics in the area: * migration and 'race' * work and unemployment * poverty * drugs, violence and policing * youth, sub-culture and gangs * childhood and education Social Problems in the UK provides a number of helpful pedagogical features for ease of teaching and learning, including: case studies; links to data sources; textboxes highlighting examples, key figures etc.; study questions, and tips on how to undertake literature reviews and use journals and databases. (hide)

In his landmark 1942 report on social insurance Sir William Beveridge talked about the 'five giants on the road to reconstruction' (read more)

In his landmark 1942 report on social insurance Sir William Beveridge talked about the 'five giants on the road to reconstruction' - the giants of Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor, and Idleness. Social Progress in Britain investigates how much progress Britain has made in tackling the challenges of material deprivation, ill-health, educational standards, lack of housing, and unemployment in the decades since Beveridge wrote. It also asks how progress in Britain compares with that of peer countries - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden and the USA. (hide)

The Sociology of Development Handbook gathers essays that reflect the range of debates in development sociology and in the interdisciplinary (read more)

The Sociology of Development Handbook gathers essays that reflect the range of debates in development sociology and in the interdisciplinary study and practice of development. The essays address the pressing intellectual challenges of today, including internal and international migration, transformation of political regimes, globalization, changes in household and family formations, gender dynamics, technological change, population and economic growth, environmental sustainability, peace and war, and the production and reproduction of social and economic inequality.
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Sodas are astonishing products. Little more than flavored sugar-water, these drinks cost practically nothing to produce or buy, yet (read more)

Sodas are astonishing products. Little more than flavored sugar-water, these drinks cost practically nothing to produce or buy, yet have turned their makers - principally Coca-Cola and PepsiCo - into multibillion dollar industries with global recognition, distribution, and political power. So how did something so cheap come to mean so much and to have such devastating health and food policy consequences? Soda Politics is a story of the American food system at work, written by the incomparable NYU scholar and public health champion Marion Nestle.

It is the first book to focus on the history, politics, nutrition, and health impact of soda, asking how we created this system, what its problems are, and what we can do to change things. Coke and Pepsi spend billions of dollars a year on advertising and lobbying to prevent any measures to limit soda, a product billed as "refreshing," "tasty," "crisp," and "the real thing" that also happens to be a major cause of health problems, from obesity to Type II diabetes. They target minorities, poor people, and children, and are involved in land and water grabs in underdeveloped countries, where they also have redoubled their efforts at building their market share. (hide)