The Sociology of Debt

In recent years, and particularly since the global economic crash, the issue of debt has moved centre stage in social, political, and economic thought. Although processes of financialisation have meant that extreme indebtedness has been a latent global problem since the 1980s, it was only in the wake of the crash that debt became a manifest systemic issue. This was because it was no longer possible to endlessly defer repayment into the future on the basis of a fantasy of ceaseless growth because it suddenly became clear that the financial system was not good for the debts it had distributed across the globe. Given this crisis, endless finance and repayment projected into the distant future has been transformed into ‘the dead weight of debt’ and led to the emergence of a new class system based upon creditors and debtors. The emergence of this new situation challenges sociologists and policy-makers to think about possible solutions to the socio-economic horror of debt bondage that threatens to destroy the future of not only deeply indebted individuals and their families, but also generations to come who currently stand to inherit a decrepit society that seems hopelessly trapped between a fantasy of endless growth based in financial speculation and a dim recognition of the need for sustainability that finds violent rearticulation in austerity and common sense narratives about the need to balance the books. In this book key thinkers on the topic of debt debate the social, political, and economic, meanings of the state of indebtedness.

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 101-115
Author(s):  
Stanislav Percic

The analysis of the meaning of the social welfare is a topic of great interest for researchers, as well as for policy makers. While some researchers or economists believe that social welfare is limited to the standard of living of the society, others describe it as a material and spiritual welfare of the society and make a distinction between the social welfare of those in need of a special attention from society and general welfare of the whole society. In order to understand the true meaning of the concept of social welfare, this research focuses on an incursion into the historical past of the economic thought. The aim of the present study is to analyse the social welfare or other terms related to welfare from the perspective of the main schools of economic thought. The research reveals that the representatives of the largest schools of economic thought have not overlooked terms such as prosperity, happiness, satisfaction, usefulness, wealth, building a solid foundation to what we know today as social welfare.


2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 384-419
Author(s):  
Gabriel Henderson

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, despite growing political, scientific, and popular concern about the prospect of melting glaciers, sea-level rise, and more generally, climate-induced societal instability, American high-level science advisers and administrators, scientific committees, national and international scientific organizations, and officials within the Carter administration engineered a politics of restrained management of climate risk. Adopting a strategy of restraint appeared optimal not because of a pervasive disinterest in or ignorance of the potentially catastrophic consequences of climate change. Rather, this administrative decision was rooted in widespread skepticism of the public’s ability to regulate their panic given popular dissemination of alarming scenarios of the future. Their concerns were not epistemic; they were sociopolitical. Broad-based appeals to moderation directly informed both scientists and the administration’s eventual decision in 1980 to minimize executive involvement. Despite some environmentalists’ and scientists’ calls for a more proactive position aligned with their ethical perspectives about the future implications of climate change, these linguistic cues of moderation became powerful heuristics that helped shape and anchor assessments of climate risk, calibrate scientists’ advice to policy makers, and regulate public apprehension about climate risk. Ultimately, officials within and outside the science community concluded that the likely short-term costs incurred from immediate action to curb fossil fuel emissions were greater than the social and political costs incurred from maintaining what was considered to be a tempered approach to climate governance in the near-term.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 189-200
Author(s):  
Rabia Demir

Events such as illness, death, violence, and war deeply affect the life of the individual or the social structure and cause radical changes and traumas. In the historical process of art, it is seen that artists are not indifferent to traumas, on the contrary, traumas constitute the center of their work. This article examines how the letter is handled as a means of communication between the artist and the audience in contemporary artworks that want to face personal or social traumas. In this context, examples of contemporary art that want to be aware of the traumas experienced, to tell them, to come to terms with the past and to achieve improvement in the name of the future, and using the letter as a means of expression, are included. In these works, where the letter is used as a means of expression and communication, the writer, reader or listener changes; the letter is written/read/listened to by the artist or the audience. Thus, the audience plays an important role as well as the letter in the emergence and completion of the work. This, in turn, turns the works into an interactive space, allowing to face the past and to realize the trauma experienced.


1986 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 465-472
Author(s):  
Robert L. Craig

Human resource development will become increasingly complex in years to come, not only in terms of techniques, but, more importantly, in how top management perceives the training function and how it is accommodated within the organization. This article highlights significant trends in these organizational dimensions of human resource development, including: the serious attention given to training by senior management and national policy makers; accounting and measurement imperatives placed on training; and structural changes in the sources of training such as the rise of decentralization and the reliance on external providers.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
S Azam

Abstract 'Futures' is a way of thinking about future uncertainty. It is not about predicting the future but is about developing alternative futures or scenarios and using them to inform how best to move towards the preferred future. This approach has been explored and applied to Wales, the UK, which has the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. This Act has been globally recognised as a unique sustainable development legislation, putting Wales at the forefront of creating a different future for generations to come. Whilst most public bodies have always had responsibilities in delivering a range of services to support health and wellbeing, one of the key innovative requirements of the Act is the focus on the 'future', which by definition requires new and different approaches. This in turn means new tools, new skills and a new and different mind-set in which planners, commissioners, policy makers and service providers need to take a long-term view to addressing health and well-being. The presentation will explore the various approaches, methods and tools for 'futures' thinking and how this innovative agenda is progressing in Wales.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 154-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashish Mathur

Social entrepreneurs are related to the issues of social justice and fairness to the society taking the ventures in the public interest. This type of entrepreneurship is related to the promoting the activities on low profit or no profit to benefit the weaker sections in such a way that they are can live a better life. The leadership and decision-making have to be in the interest of society and for the future too. The world of social entrepreneurship is created by the values of self efficiency with the faith to build an honest world of hope and respect...the basic qualities guiding the social entrepreneurial behaviour to form the business empires depends on the quality of social and moral judgement supported by the social norms. The society in turn supports people who work for the benefit of human survival so that the future is built on the values of sustainability and trust and hope. The generations to come, need the resources for the growth of the society and civilisation as a whole. They should use them in such a way that they are able to build the source for sustainable management of resources and for the larger benefit of the society. The basic aim of the paper is to analyse the issues and trends associated with the social fairness and to frame a strategic base for the better design of the social entrepreneurship variables. The basic objective of this paper is to identify and build the entrepreneurship abilities that shape the social entrepreneurial behaviour.


Webology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (Special Issue 04) ◽  
pp. 993-1006
Author(s):  
Mansurali Anifa ◽  
Swamynathan Ramakrishnan ◽  
P. Mary Jeyanthi

A pandemic like COVID-19 that has the capacity to turn any economy upside down will always have a significant influence on the social Behavior and habits of population all over the world. COVID-19 pandemic is a historic challenge for any economy to overcome as they have no prior preparation. Lack of testing kits, insufficient ventilators and community spread has forced countries to impose indefinite shutdown that has made major markets to suffer. The goal of this paper is to study the buying behavior of consumers during covid-19. This paper also focuses on the factors that influence consumer’s behavior and perceptions during the pandemic. A quantitative view has been adopted to achieve the objectives of the study. With limited online buying options and higher risk of getting infected with brick & mortar shopping, it is important to understand consumer buying Behavior that can help policy makers, manufacturers, and companies to better deal with similar crisis in the future.


foresight ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Effie Amanatidou ◽  
Ozcan Saritas ◽  
Denis Loveridge

Purpose This paper aims to present a set of strategic options for Research and Innovation (R&I) stakeholders in the light of new and emerging ways of organising and performing research. Design/methodology/approach The paper first reviews the evolution of the R&I landscape and identifies the most influential stakeholders engaged in R&I. In the light of the scenarios developed for the year 2030, a set of strategic options are identified and assessed for each stakeholder group. Findings R&I systems are now more complex than 50 years ago and will be even more in the future. Radical changes are expected in terms of the ways research is funded, organised and carried out. Some of these transformations are captured by the scenarios developed. The analysis of scenarios indicated that their feasibility and desirability differ across different sectors of industry, and research areas within the research landscape. Research limitations/implications Scenarios and strategies presented in the paper bring new considerations on the way research activities are practiced. Further research is considered to be useful on the new modes of research and implications for academia, industry, society and policy makers. Practical implications The discussion around the responses of different stakeholders vis-à-vis specific scenarios about the future in R&I practices and organisation gives a practical view about how to deal with associated emerging trends and issues. Social implications Society is a crucial stakeholder of all R&I activities. The transformative scenarios suggest that society will not only be playing a reactive role on the demand side but also more proactive role on the supply side in the decades to come. Originality/value The paper is based on work undertaken within the Research and Innovation (RIF) 2030 project. As R&I activities will be important for the development and competitiveness of the EU and its member states, the work presented here is considered to be of value by highlighting how to create more resilient strategies in a fast-changing R&I landscape.


Crisis ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 202-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl Andriessen ◽  
Dolores Angela Castelli Dransart ◽  
Julie Cerel ◽  
Myfanwy Maple

Abstract. Background: Suicide can have a lasting impact on the social life as well as the physical and mental health of the bereaved. Targeted research is needed to better understand the nature of suicide bereavement and the effectiveness of support. Aims: To take stock of ongoing studies, and to inquire about future research priorities regarding suicide bereavement and postvention. Method: In March 2015, an online survey was widely disseminated in the suicidology community. Results: The questionnaire was accessed 77 times, and 22 records were included in the analysis. The respondents provided valuable information regarding current research projects and recommendations for the future. Limitations: Bearing in mind the modest number of replies, all from respondents in Westernized countries, it is not known how representative the findings are. Conclusion: The survey generated three strategies for future postvention research: increase intercultural collaboration, increase theory-driven research, and build bonds between research and practice. Future surveys should include experiences with obtaining research grants and ethical approval for postvention studies.


2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-137
Author(s):  
Roxanne Christensen ◽  
LaSonia Barlow ◽  
Demetrius E. Ford

Three personal reflections provided by doctoral students of the Michigan School of Professional Psychology (Farmington Hills, Michigan) address identification of individual perspectives on the tragic events surrounding Trayvon Martin’s death. The historical ramifications of a culture-in-context and the way civil rights, racism, and community traumatization play a role in the social construction of criminals are explored. A justice orientation is applied to both the community and the individual via internal reflection about the unique individual and collective roles social justice plays in the outcome of these events. Finally, the personal and professional responses of a practitioner who is also a mother of minority young men brings to light the need to educate against stereotypes, assist a community to heal, and simultaneously manage the direct effects of such events on youth in society. In all three essays, common themes of community and growth are addressed from varying viewpoints. As worlds collided, a historical division has given rise to a present unity geared toward breaking the cycle of violence and trauma. The authors plead that if there is no other service in the name of this tragedy, let it at least contribute to the actualization of a society toward growth and healing.


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