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Foundations of Futures Studies
Futures studies is a new field of inquiry involving systematic and explicit thinking about alternative futures. Wendell Bell's two-volume work Foundations of Futures Studies is widely acknowledged as the fundamental work on the subject. In Volume 2, Bell goes beyond possible and probable futures to the study of preferable futures. He shows that concern with ethics, morality, and human values follows directly from the futurist purposes of discovering or inventing, examining, and proposing desirable futures. He examines moral judgments as an inescapable aspect of all decision-making and conscious action, even in the everyday lives of ordinary people.Now available in paperback with a new preface from the author, Volume 2 of Foundations of Futures Studies moves beyond cultural relativism to critical evaluation. Bell compares depictions of the good society by utopian writers, describes objective methods of moral judgment, assesses religion and law as sources of what is morally right, documents the existence of universal human values, and shows that if human beings are to thrive in the global society of the future, some human values must be changed.
Foundations of Futures Studies, Volume 1
Futures studies is a new field of inquiry involving systematic and explicit thinking about alternative futures. It aims to demystify the future, make possibilities for the future more known to us, and increase human control over the future. Author Wendell Bell brings together futurist intellectual tools, describing and explaining not only the methods, but also the nature, concepts, theories, and exemplars of the field. Now available in paperback with a new preface from the author, Foundations of Future Studies is the fundamental work on the subject. Bell illustrates how this sphere of intellectual activity offers hope for the future of humanity and concrete ways of realizing that hope in the real world of everyday life. His book will appeal to all interested in futures studies, sociology, economics, political science, and history.
Programs
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Technology and Social Complexity
Technology and Social Complexity explores the continuities between today's incredibly powerful new technology and the simpler technologies of the past. It shows that the diverse phenomena encompassed by the term "technology" can be analyzed coherently within the framework of the same concept. This book provides a broad historical and comparative perspective within which the complex relationships between technology and society can be more clearly understood. Topics discussed include the concept of technology; social evolution and other forms of social change; characteristics of technology in societies of different types; and the sources, directions, and implications of technological progress.
Natural Hazards and Public Choice
Natural Hazards and Public Choice: The State and Local Politics of Hazard Mitigation presents a research project that emerged from a concern for estimating the balance of support versus opposition to prospective social policies that aim to reduce the risks of damage or injuries from major natural hazard events via the regulation of land use and establishment of building and occupancy standards in high-risk areas. The volume begins with an overview of the research project and the main findings. Separate chapters describe the study design; assess the views of politically influential people regarding the seriousness of natural hazards; measure the support for federal disaster policies; and consider public opinion on hazards-mitigation issues in California. Subsequent chapters cover the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP); patterns of activity, influence, and power among key positions and groups in local communities with respect to issues involving disasters; and hazard mitigation activities at the state level.
Evaluation
Abstract: Evaluation: A Systematic Approach would be most useful to program developers and evaluators or students of social research. As the title indicates, the book helps the program administrator or evaluator systematically look at the evaluation process and techniques in relation to the total program development process. An important chapter is one that helps practitioners or evaluators recognize that evaluations must be tailored to the program for effective fine-tuning and refinement. An underlying function of this book is helping the program developer and administrator become more accountable for program results. The chapter Program Monitoring and Accountability helps in the assessment of whether or not the program is reaching the appropriate target population and whether or not the delivery of services is consistent with program design specifications. The purpose and value of various monitoring techniques are identified.
