U.S. Health in International Perspective

U.S. Health in International Perspective
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 421
Release: 2013-04-12
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0309264146

The United States is among the wealthiest nations in the world, but it is far from the healthiest. Although life expectancy and survival rates in the United States have improved dramatically over the past century, Americans live shorter lives and experience more injuries and illnesses than people in other high-income countries. The U.S. health disadvantage cannot be attributed solely to the adverse health status of racial or ethnic minorities or poor people: even highly advantaged Americans are in worse health than their counterparts in other, "peer" countries. In light of the new and growing evidence about the U.S. health disadvantage, the National Institutes of Health asked the National Research Council (NRC) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to convene a panel of experts to study the issue. The Panel on Understanding Cross-National Health Differences Among High-Income Countries examined whether the U.S. health disadvantage exists across the life span, considered potential explanations, and assessed the larger implications of the findings. U.S. Health in International Perspective presents detailed evidence on the issue, explores the possible explanations for the shorter and less healthy lives of Americans than those of people in comparable countries, and recommends actions by both government and nongovernment agencies and organizations to address the U.S. health disadvantage.

The Geography of United States Poverty

The Geography of United States Poverty
Author: Wendy Shaw
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 153
Release: 2015-11-19
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1317340965

Until this book was originally published in 1996 there had been little detailed research concerning the geographic location of the poor in America. The book examines the spatial distribution of the poor within the US and discusses the general characteristics of the poverty population. It explores the complex web of theory pertaining to poverty, presenting different categories: no fault theories, individual responsibility theories, societal responsibility theories, governemntal and institutional responsibility theories, and responsibility of the economic system theories. Information on poverty from the 1980s and 90s in the US is provided, as well as historical background. The problems and complexities associated with defining and measuring poverty are also discussed.

The SAGE Handbook of Social Geographies

The SAGE Handbook of Social Geographies
Author: Susan Smith
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Total Pages: 633
Release: 2010
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1412935598

"With clarity and confidence, this vibrant volume summons up 'the social' in geography in ways that will excite students and scholars alike. Here the social is populated not only by society, but by culture, nature, economy and politics." - Kay Anderson, University of Western Sydney "This is a remarkable collection, full of intellectual gems. It not only summarises the field of social geography, and restates its importance, but also produces a manifesto for how the field should look in the future." - Nigel Thrift, Vice-Chancellor, University of Warwick "The book aims to be accessible to students and specialists alike. Its success lies in emphasizing the crossovers between geography and social studies. The good editorial work is evident and the participating contributors are well-established scholars in their respective fields." - Miron M. Denan, Geography Research Forum "An excellent handbook that will attract a diversity of readers. It will inspire undergraduate/postgraduate students and stimulate lecturers/researchers interested in the complexity and diversity of the social realm.... As the first of its kind in the sub-discipline, it is a book that is enjoyable to read and will definitely add value to a personal or library collection." - Michele Lobo, New Zealand Geographer The social relations of difference - from race and class to gender and inequality - are at the heart of the concept of social geography. This handbook reconsiders and redirects research in the discipline while examining the changing ideas of individuals and their relationship with structures of power. Organised into five sections, the SAGE Handbook of Social Geographies maps out the 'connections' anchored in social geography. Difference and Diversity builds on enduring ideas of the structuring of social relations and examines the ruptures and rifts, and continuities and connections around social divisions. Geographies and Social Economies rethinks the sociality, subjectivity and placement of money, markets, price and value. Geographies of Wellbeing builds from a foundation of work on the spaces of fear, anxiety and disease towards newer concerns with geographies of health, resilience and contentment. Geographies of Social Justice connects ideas through an examination of the possibilities and practicalities of normative theory and frames the central notion of Social geography, that things always could and should be different. Doing Social Geography is not exploring the 'how to' of research, but rather the entanglement of it with practicalities, moralities, and politics. This will be an essential resource for academics, researchers, practitioners and postgraduates across human geography.

Social Science in America

Social Science in America
Author: Charles M. Bonjean
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Total Pages: 230
Release: 2014-07-03
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0292772629

This outstanding symposium concerns the development of the social sciences in the United States over its first two hundred years and was brought together by the editors of Social Science Quarterly as the journal's contribution to the nation's Bicentennial celebration. Six prominent scholars representing history, economics, sociology, political science, anthropology, and geography were invited to write essays about the general topic of the progress of the social sciences, and to pursue original lines of thought as well. Each was asked to address three key questions regarding their own discipline: (1) the distinctive contributions made to each discipline by American scholars; (2) the impact of these contributions upon American society; and (3) the relationship of these contributions to the character or nature of life in the United States. The result is a coherent collection of considerable breadth and exceptional quality. The essays include "Time's American Adventures: American History and Historical Writing since 1776" by William Goetzmann; "Economics: Its Direct and Indirect Impact in America, 1776-1976" by Joseph J. Spengler; "Sociology in America: The Experience of Two Centuries" by Robin M. Williams; "Understanding Political Life in America: The Contribution of Political Science" by Heinz Eulau; "Anthropology in America" by Walter Goldschmidt; and "Geography As a Social Science: Recent American Experience" by Kevin Cox.

Urban Geography

Urban Geography
Author: Michael Pacione
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 745
Release: 2009-03-16
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 1134043090

This is the most comprehensive and readable book on urban geography in the array of contemporary literature on the subject.

A Guide to Information Sources in the Geographical Sciences

A Guide to Information Sources in the Geographical Sciences
Author: Stephen Goddard
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 300
Release: 1983
Genre: Reference
ISBN: 9780389204039

Geography is a wide-ranging discipline and the number of information sources available is truly enormous. These include printed books and journal articles, maps, satellite photographs, archives, statistical information, and much else. One particular problem facing geographers is that when one studies a foreign country, information may be available only in the foreign country and difficult to obtain. This book discusses the information sources available to geographers.

Geography in America at the Dawn of the 21st Century

Geography in America at the Dawn of the 21st Century
Author: Gary L. Gaile
Publisher:
Total Pages: 854
Release: 2005
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9780199295869

Geography in America at the Dawn of the 21st Century surveys American geographers' current research in their specialty areas and tracks trends and innovations in the many subfields of geography. As such, it is both a 'state of the discipline' assessment and a topical reference. It includes an introduction by the editors and 47 chapters, each on a specific specialty. The authors of each chapter were chosen by their specialty group of the American Association of Geographers (AAG). Based on a process of review and revision, the chapters in this volume have become truly representative of the recent scholarship of American geographers. While it focuses on work since 1990, it additionally includes related prior work and work by non-American geographers. The initial Geography in America was published in 1989 and has become a benchmark reference of American geographical research during the 1980s. This latest volume is completely new and features a preface written by the eminent geographer, Gilbert White.

The Social Geography of Medicine and Health (RLE Social & Cultural Geography)

The Social Geography of Medicine and Health (RLE Social & Cultural Geography)
Author: John Eyles
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 241
Release: 2014-01-10
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1317907272

This book, originally published in 1983, drawing material from Europe, the USA, the Soviet Union and the Developing World, provides a comprehensive review of the key issues in medical geography. It sets the central problems of medical geography in a broad social context as well as in a spatial one and analyses changing conceptions of health and illness in detail. It also explores the pathological relationship between people and their environment and illustrates that social phenomena form spatial patterns which provide a good starting point for the examination of the relationship between medicine, health and society.