A Comparative Perspective on Major Social Problems

by Rita J. Simon (Editor)

In this volume Rita J. Simon brings together a clearly organized and accessible collection of scholarly essays on the world's most pressing social problems. Each of the contributors address a specific issue―gambling, prisons, alcohol, AIDS, rape, prisons, juvenile justice, abortion, and guns―by examining the institutions and laws different societies have developed for containing them. Each of the countries selected represents a range of variations in political, economic, religious/ethical/social orientations and characteristics. This comparative and interdisciplinary world perspective makes Simon's edited volume uniquely relevant to political scientists, sociologist, criminologists, psychologists and the broader audience of scholars and laypeople interested in the study of contemporary social problems.

304 pages, Hardcover

First published May 25, 2001

About the author

Rita J. Simon is a University Professor in the School of Public Affairs and the Washington College of Law at American University in Washington, D.C. She has published more than forty books and is currently the editor of Gender Issues.