Choice Review

This volume provides a wealth of data about Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America. Prepared by the Department of Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis of the UN, the study deals with socioeconomic and demographic issues, programs, and policies in both the developing and developed countries. Part 1 examines income distribution and inequality, unemployment, low productivity, and poverty. Part 2 describes and evaluates recent trends in population growth, urbanization, migration and refugees, hunger, malnutrition and food supplies, health, education and literacy, housing and sanitation, social security, and quality of life. Part 3 looks at emerging social issues and dilemmas, with specific reference to public institutions, ethnic conflicts, and national disintegration. The concluding chapter discusses the social consequences of information technology and biotechnology. The volume lacks an index, but it is nevertheless an excellent handbook on the global social situation during the final decade of the second millennium. Highly informative and useful, it should be available in every good library. Undergraduates and above. D. A. Chekki; University of Winnipeg