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This book provides a critical understanding of contemporary issues within global society and how these relate to six case study examples (UK, USA, China, India, South Africa, Bangladesh, and Japan). The authors draw on their diverse experience to explore four major themes of contemporary relevance: overall aging of societies; governance and institutions; emergency services and public health provisions; and community activism and involvement. The key issues within the book--sociability, social capital, and community development--are examined in the context of an ever increasing aging world. The authors´ sense of optimism is linked to growing evidence that community activism is on the rise and can effectively plug the gap between public need and provision of service.

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Introduction.- United Kingdom.- United States.- China.- India.- South Africa.- Bangladesh.- Japan.- The Netherlands.- Conclusion: Looking to the future: what next?.

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"The book complements research on the rising importance of social capital in public policy as a way forward or a ´third way´ to capitalism. The book is mainly intended for contemporary policy makers of public health care, a general readership concerned with issues in sociology, and undergraduate students studying community development. ... The book is well written, interesting, and reads easily from one case study to another as each chapter follows a systematic structure throughout." (Karim W. F. Youssef, Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, April, 2015)

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