Includes bibliographical references.

Introduction: Global Social Issues in Perspective -- A -- Adoption -- Affirmative Action -- AIDS/HIV -- Alcohol Use and Abuse -- Animal Rights -- Antiquities Theft and Restitution -- Arms Trade -- Aviation Security -- B -- Biodiversity and Extinction -- Brain Drain and Talent Mobility -- C -- Cancer -- Capital Punishment -- Cardiovascular Disease -- Child Labor -- Children's Rights -- Climate Change -- Conservation and Recycling -- Consumer and Investor Rights and Protections -- Corporate Social Responsibility -- Credit and Debt, Personal and Business -- Crime, Organized -- Crime, Violent -- Crimes Against Humanity -- Cultural, Historic, and Linguistic Preservation -- Cybercrime -- D -- Defense Spending -- Deficits and Sovereign Debt -- Deforestation -- Desertification -- Diabetes -- Digital Divide -- Disability Rights -- Domestic Violence -- Drug Abuse -- Drug Resistance -- Drug Trade -- E -- Education, Higher -- Education, Primary and Secondary -- Elections and Voting -- Energy, Alternative -- Environmental Illnesses -- Environmental Justice -- Ethnic and Religious Conflict -- F -- Failed States and Nation-Building -- Fair Trade -- Farm Policy -- Financial Crises -- Fishing and Fish Stocks -- Food and Drug Safety -- G -- Gambling -- Gastrointestinal Disease -- Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues -- Genetically Engineered Crops and Foods -- Government Corruption and Transparency -- H -- Health Care -- Hepatitis -- Homelessness -- Housing Costs, Finance, and Affordability -- Human Rights -- Hunger and Malnutrition -- I -- Identity Fraud -- Immigration, Illegal and Irregular -- Indigenous Peoples' Rights -- Inequality, Income and Wealth -- Infant Mortality -- Influenza -- Infrastructure -- Intellectual Property Rights -- K -- Kidnapping and Hostage-Taking -- L -- Land Mines -- Law, Rule of -- Literacy --

M -- Marriage and Divorce -- Mental Health -- Migrant Labor -- Mining Issues -- Money Laundering and Illegal Transfers -- Mosquito-borne Disease -- N -- Natural Disasters, Preparedness and Response -- Neurological Disease -- Nuclear Energy -- Nuclear Proliferation -- O -- Obesity and Eating Disorders -- Oil, Economic and Political Aspects -- Oil, Environmental and Health Aspects -- Organ and Tissue Trade -- P -- Parasitic Disease -- Pesticides and Artificial Fertilizers -- Pharmaceuticals: Availability, Cost, Efficacy, and Safety -- Piracy, Maritime -- Police Corruption and Brutality -- Polio -- Pollution, Air -- Pollution, Water -- Population Growth and Demographic Issues -- Poverty -- Press, Freedom of -- Prisoners and Prisoner Rights -- Privacy -- Privatization -- Protectionism and Free Trade -- Public Health -- R -- Rape and Sexual Assault -- Refugees, Displaced Persons, and Asylum Seekers -- Regulation, Business and Financial -- Religious Freedom -- Reproductive Issues -- Respiratory Disease -- S -- Sanctions, International -- Secrecy, Government -- Self-Determination and Sovereignty -- Sex Tourism and the Sex Trade -- Sexually Transmitted Infections -- Slavery -- Social Networking -- Social Welfare -- Suicide -- T -- Taxation -- Terrorism -- Tobacco -- Torture -- Toxic Waste -- Traffic and Mass Transit -- Tuberculosis -- U -- Underground Economies -- Unemployment -- Unions and Workers' Rights -- Urbanization -- V -- Vaccination -- W -- War Crimes -- Waste Disposal -- Water Supply and Access -- Waterborne Disease -- Wetlands -- Women's Rights -- Working Conditions -- Master Bibliography -- Books -- Web Sites.

Access restricted to authorized users and institutions.

This landmark reference is a comprehensive, one-stop, interdisciplinary resource that examines current, critical social issues in historical and global contexts. Nearly 150 in-depth, balanced, and thought-provoking articles cover a broad range of critically important topics: the environment, health, science, the media, ethnic conflicts, poverty, and immigration.

Also available in print.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Description based on title page of print version.