The United States and the world have made dramatic progress against poverty in recent decades, but the second Trump administration has thrown progress into reverse. David Beckmann calls us to push back against MAGA and restore progress against poverty.

David is an economist, pastor, and activist. He was awarded the World Food Prize for leadership that led to substantial reductions in hunger. Drawing on stories from his own life and the struggles of poor communities around the world, Beckmann distills five essential insights and ten strategies to get progress against poverty going again.

These include legislative advocacy, volunteering and financial contributions to election campaigns, action in defense of democracy, and needed reforms in American spirituality and religion. He invites people of faith, seekers, and skeptics alike to deepen their solidarity with those in need and with a threatened planet.

He highlights data that prove poverty is solvable, confronts the problems that our country and the world now face, and calls for a new poverty abolition movement-similar in scale and determination to the movement that ended slavery.

At the heart of this book is hope: hope grounded in evidence, history, and the countless efforts of communities and advocates who continue to push for justice. With a foreword by travel writer Rick Steves, Poverty Abolitionists offers both a practical roadmap and a stirring moral challenge. It is a clarion call to action for activists, policy makers, and ordinary citizens who care about the future of humanity and seek to build a fairer, freer, and more just world.

An inspirational guide to discussing and fighting climate change for millennial and GenZ voters that cuts through the usual myths and scare tactics to provide practical advice.

Will Hackman is a Millennial, and he is pissed. Two wars, two global economic catastrophes, and a pandemic combined with a ballooning cost-of-living crisis and crushing student loan debt can do that to a person. But there's one thing that compounds these challenges that is unequaled in human history: the ticking time bomb of fossil fuel emissions. Millennials and Gen-Zers will be left to deal with the worst of the climate change fallout well after those responsible have passed away. And we have never been more divided.

In Radically Reframing Climate Change: A Guide to Saving Ourselves, Will Hackman identifies three main obstacles to solving climate change: polarization, paralysis, and stale, ineffective messaging. He empowers readers to turn their anxiety or apathy into passion, and anger into action at the personal, community, and government levels. The climate rallying cries to "Save the Planet" no longer work in our hyper-partisan world, nor do images of polar bears on melting glaciers. The problem isn't scientific, fact-based, or even technological. It's political, emotional, and ideological. Hackman provides a path forward for engagement and voter mobilization that combats apathy, dread, and resentment, and builds greater issue identification.

Hackman reframes the climate crisis as a humanity crisis, arguing that we must change how we think and talk about climate change, both in our conversations with non-believers and among those who care. Assuring humanity's place on a changing planet will require a near universal level of public support we will never reach if we keep making the same mistakes. We know how to do this. But the stakes have never been higher and time is running out.

This in-depth and readable text introduces students to the current and historical impacts of climate change on the region.
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has experienced more frequent droughts, heat waves, and other extreme weather events than the rest of the world. Flooding has forced human migration and displacement in Egypt, Iran, and Tunisia in 2020, while wildfires have spread in Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey. The author, a specialist in the MENA region, unpacks the implications of several developments that have triggered large-scale migration from rural to urban areas in the Middle East, and North Africa, and threaten to destabilize the region. These include, among other things, widespread famine, population displacement, and the growing decline of agricultural productivity.

Digging deep into key terminology and frameworks such as the 1951 Refugee Convention, climate-human rights nexus, climate-related protest, environmental politics, green investment, and climate governance, the author demonstrates how human rights and climate change are inextricably intertwined and provides additional context to support student learning. This book examines the environmental threats and history of individual countries, including a survey of how the issues of climate change, forced migration, and human rights interface with socioeconomic, political, and legal perspectives.

Fidel Castro (1926-2016) was, without question, a major figure in international politics during the second half of the twentieth century and early years of the twenty-first. Undisputed leader of the Cuban Revolution, influential statesman within the international Communist movement, inspiration for generations of Latin American revolutionaries and tribune for developing countries, Castro played a key role in many historic political events from the late 1950s to the early 2000s, from the Cuban Revolution itself to the peace process in Colombia. Yet, while much has been written about Fidel Castro's role in these and countless other events, Castro's political thought-as expressed in articles, essays, books, interviews and well over a thousand speeches-has received relatively little attention.

This book provides thorough, reliable accounts of Castro's distinctive views on a variety of topics, including revolution and counterrevolution; socialism and communism; anti-imperialism; human rights; the collapse of socialism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe; the viability of Cuban socialism in a post-Soviet world; and the major challenges (e.g., the environmental crisis) facing humanity today. It also situate Castro's ideas within the context of, on the one hand, the Marxist theoretical tradition and, on the other, Latin American revolutionary thought in general, and Cuban revolutionary thought. In doing so it explore both the affinities and dissimilarities between Castro's views on certain fundamental questions and the views represented by such figures as Marx, Lenin, Jose Marti, and Ernesto Che Guevara.

The Political Thought of Fidel Castro takes Castro's thought as seriously as his deeds. Offering a comprehensive exposition and assessment of the fundamental elements of Fidel Castro's political outlook, it will be essential reading for those who seek to understand the ideas that shaped the Cuban Revolution and influenced revolutionaries around the world.

Interdisciplinary Approaches to Environmental Identity and Portrayal explores the complex relationship between humans and environment through diverse disciplinary perspectives. It examines how we construct environmental identities and represent our surroundings across multiple domains.
The book begins with food production narratives and animal welfare implications before exploring the military's unexpected role in climate change mitigation. Linguistic analyses reveal how language frames landscapes as sentient entities, while technological chapters investigate digital innovation in conservation.
Legal examinations cover hazardous waste regulations, sustainable development, and water rights, with Morocco serving as a case study. Historical analyses of forest management in India provide context alongside studies of hunted animal portrayals on social media.
Psychological dimensions explore how nature shapes identity and social structures, while critical chapters address environmental crises in relation to postcolonialism and gender inequality in the Global South. Feminist perspectives on conservation and literary representations of environmental issues are examined, concluding with nature's therapeutic potential through ecotherapy practices.
This resource offers insights for scholars, policymakers, and anyone seeking to understand our environmental relationships.

Unlearn Power: Strengthening Communities in the Age of Environmental Crisis examines how environmental inequality undermines ecosystems and the livelihoods of inhabitants while weighing approaches to resistance and advancing community security. Prefaced on the figurative and literal question "what's under the hood?", the text explores a range of contemporary disparities and threats - endemic across environments and societies - rooted in socioeconomic inequality and systemic racism.

Building on the author's work in urban forestry, environmental planning, and energy policy, Unlearn Power applies a range of analysis approaches, frameworks, and case studies to make its case for the democratization of environmental decision-making through the centering of marginalized communities and elevating labor as focal points.

As serious questions persist related to how the potential of energy and environmental transitions can be reached, without rooting restorative justice and life cycle analysis in environmental governance, the objectives of pro-climate and environmental movements will be deficient. The book ultimately calls for the rethinking of power - including both energy systems and political structures - to advance ecological and human well-being.

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716), one of the most prominent figures in both the history of philosophy and the history of mathematics, but also one of the greatest advocates of Christian unity of the early modern period, may just have the solution to divisions within the Church with his unique understanding of the nature of the Church.

Leibniz's unique theological metaphysics and pioneering thought on the centrality of the concept of person, makes his ideas on the nature of the Church particularly promising. The book presents how Leibniz's ideas are formed by history and meetings with extraordinary figures, and how these ideas mature and develop through time into a theological-metaphysics, and much later as a philosophy of personalism that secures Leibniz's place as an early pioneer of the philosophical movement of personalism. Leibniz on the Nature of the Church presents a historical, systematic, and provocative reading of these (until now) overlooked ideas.

This book provides a wealth of insights for research in the Caribbean and the global South more broadly.

Its premise - that the specifics of life in these parts of the world are essential in observing, documenting, and transmitting knowledge in and about them - challenges Western-centric approaches and expands visual research methodologies for Caribbean-specific contexts. Visual research methods offer a pathway to documentation and representation of phenomena across multiple domains in various genres of experiences. This compendium of conceptual/theoretical, arts-based and non-arts based empirical research makes the case for visual modality in those research methodologies.

The chapters document research in the small countries in the Greater and Lesser Antilles and those that are adjacent to the Caribbean Sea, such as Belize and Bermuda. Altogether, they provide qualitative insight into the human story of sub-populations as well the usefulness of visual tools in representing, documenting, and expressing the meaning and meaning-making that resides there.

This book examines the development of social policy in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan through the framework of bureaucratic regimes. It traces the institutional continuity from the colonial Indian Civil Service to its post-colonial successors - the Bangladesh Administrative Service, the Indian Administrative Service, and the Pakistan Administrative Service - revealing how these enduring structures have shaped social policies, influenced welfare outcomes, and reinforced social inequalities. Adopting a comparative historical institutionalist approach, the book advances theoretical and empirical understanding and offers a fresh perspective on welfare regimes in the Global South. The book will be of particular value to scholars of social policy, political science, development studies, and public administration, as well as to policymakers and international organizations committed to reforming government structures for more inclusive and equitable welfare systems.

Crypto, NFTs, meme stocks and other digital currency investments are seen as either a transparent Ponzi scheme or the future of finance. But what all of these new ways of investing - and generally losing - money have in common is that they're almost entirely held by young men. Using survey data and research into cryptocurrency and masculinity, Dan Cassino shows that these novel financial instruments are being embraced less as a way to make money than as a way to shore up threatened masculinities.

Changes in how society sees masculinity, and the impossible standards that men feel they need to attain in order to prove their masculinity, can be seen as 'pushing' men towards all sorts of risky behaviors. Young men have turned to digital investments as a way to demonstrate their manhood to themselves and others, trying to find a short cut to the money and respect they think they deserve, while burning down the structures they think are holding them back. Looking at why they buy these products gives us a glimpse into the online communities these men inhabit, the crisis of masculinity facing young men, and the very real costs these dubious investments have on their lives.

This open access volume connects the moral arguments for universal basic income (UBI) with the empirical evidence from recent experiments focused on UBI. Examining the costs and benefits associated with UBI, the book bridges the gap between the moral arguments for UBI and the empirical evidence from international UBI experiments. The resulting text will help readers evaluate the viability of UBI as a sustainable policy solution.

With contributions from economists, philosophers, sociologists, and more, the book highlights different models for UBI and examines the trade-offs involved. Chapters investigate the long-term impacts of UBI on labor markets, social cohesion, and institutional trust. By integrating empirical evidence with ongoing moral debates, the book analyzes the potential of UBI.

The volume includes detailed studies of UBI experiments conducted in the US, Europe, and other regions. Contributors analyze the wide range of outcomes, such as changes in work hours, educational achievements, caregiving activities, stress levels, hospitalization rates, food security, crime rates, and adolescent behavior. Chapters explore the ecological impacts of UBI, considering how it might affect consumption patterns and contribute to a just ecological transition. This multidisciplinary approach provides a balanced examination of UBI from multiple perspectives.

Determining the Value of Universal Basic Income provides insights into the financial costs and benefits of UBI, its effects on various social indicators, and its potential to foster a more equitable society. Readers will gain a deep understanding of the economic, social, and ecological implications surrounding UBI.

This book offers a global perspective on how Anglican ministry evolved throughout a century marked by radical upheavals and dramatic changes in theological, social, and political perspectives.
That history begins with the end of the Victorian era, when Anglicanism had spread around the world but was deeply enmeshed with colonialism and it was assumed that it was shaped and defined by its North Atlantic history. Kater explores how the Anglican Way became rooted in widely different contexts and identifies the many pressures and movements that challenged that history-including two world wars, a global Depression, anti-colonialism and the struggles against the many forms of oppression and discrimination that marked the century. This book is the story of how Anglican ministry has been broadened and deepened by its constantly growing diversity even as that diversity has brought new challenges.

"This readable and important book makes a strong case that the received version of economic history taught in high schools and colleges across the country is off the mark and that its errors distort current policy debates. It deserves attention from economic policymakers of all persuasions."
-LAWRENCE SUMMERS, former Secretary of the Treasury; President Emeritus, Harvard University
Since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, capitalism has unleashed unimaginable growth in opportunity and prosperity. And yet, at key points in American history, economic disruption has led to a greater role for government, ostensibly to protect against capitalism's excesses. Today, government regulates, mandates, subsidizes and controls a growing share of the American economy.
In this book, Phil Gramm, one of America's premier public policy advocates, and noted economist Donald J. Boudreaux look at the seven events and issues in American history that define, for most Americans, the role of government and how the 21st century world works. To many Americans, these 5 periods of American history-the Industrial Revolution, Progressive Era, Great Depression, decline of America's postwar preeminence in world trade, and the Great Recession--along with the existing levels of income inequality and poverty, represent strong evidence for expanding government in American life. Gramm and Boudreaux argue that the evidence points to a contrary verdict: government interference and failed policies pose the most significant threat to economic freedom.
Setting up each topic with a "just the facts" approach that defies partisanship, Gramm and Boudreaux provide a compelling and highly readable powerful reassessment that will challenge open-minded readers to rethink the conventional wisdom and the policies that spring from them.

This volume looks beyond the myth of Jose Marti by critically exploring economic thoughts found in his writings; specifically, how they developed and how they were influenced by his position between a declining Spanish empire and a rising US empire. This book demonstrates how Marti is among the few who transcended regional and national borders, thus belonging to all of humanity.

Miguel A. De La Torre argues that Marti envisioned a way of being - specifically a Cuban way of being beyond Spain and the United States. His writing was among the first in history to put into prose his dream of a postcolonial existence. More than simply an intellectual exercise; he was among that breed of scholar-activists who attempted to create, con un cuchillo en la boca, a postcolonial existence through a life-long dedication to praxis. He also was among the first to see and warn the Americas of the growing and unquenchable covetous appetite of the United States.

This book argues that the major struggles and aspirations which the Americas face today can be summarized as everything predicted and written by Marti, who gave voice to the dream of the disenfranchised. This was established by calling for the construction of a liberated society based on social economic justice, racial harmony, labor rights, and self-determination. De La Torre provides insight to Marti's ethical way of being which facilitated tackling the wider political world from an unapologetic Cuban social location.

This book highlights the Church's significant cultural, social, and political presence across the Anglophone Caribbean.

Individual authors collectively provide a series of readings of historical and contemporary issues negotiated by the Anglican Church in the Caribbean that capture the complex, integral role the church played in shaping the individual identities of the islands while seeking also to be a pan-national voice for a shared set of global values and aspirations expressed regionally.

The volume offers religious and secular readers an opportunity to better understand the role and history of the Anglican Church in the region. It acknowledges historical failures, challenges the notion that the church is "colonial," and highlights the continuing importance of the Church to individual lives and regional aspirations. Combining examination of the church's complicated relationship with history and a variety of personal engagements with Anglicanism in the Caribbean, The Anglican Church in the Anglophone Caribbean demonstrates the continuing significance of the Anglican Church in the development and contemporary life of the region.

Explores racial/ethnic identity development as a life-long process of negotiating self, context, and others' perceptions and behaviors from early adolescence to adulthood.

Guided by early foundational and recent compelling theories on race/ethnicity and identity development across the lifespan, Celina Chatman Nelson, Stephen C. Peck, Oksana Malanchuk, and Jacquelynne S. Eccles provide a detailed analysis of their collected research on the Maryland Adolescent Development in Context Study (MADICS) to demonstrate the diversity of racial/ethnic identity profiles and how they change over time. MADICS began with nearly 1500 7th graders and their families in the early 1990s, following many of them into their early 30s at the turn of the millennium. Using mixed-method research involving case studies and interview data, this book demonstrates racial/ethnic identity as multidimensional, contextualized, and idiosyncratic, within a bidirectional, iterative, and nuanced process. Through the presentation of their research findings on Prince George's County youth, the authors encourage families, schools, and communities to have an open dialogue about race/ethnicity to promote active reflection not only among developing youth, but also within the world we live in today.

Labor Precarity, Social Exploitation, and Trade Union Engagement: Critical Approaches to Work from Spain and Portugal collection provides some normative interpretations of the labor crisis' effects on both Spain and Portugal, focusing on how digital platforms and gig economy have altered patterns of labor relations and trade union membership in Spain and Portugal.

While for a time, labor appeared to have lost its centrality within critical theory and social philosophy, recent years have disproved this. The evolution of advanced neoliberal societies has shown the extent to which labor is crucial for understanding a wide array of concepts such as domination and exploitation, modes of subjectivity, health and diseases, gender relations, and the organization of democracy. Labor is a privileged space for understanding the profoundly active and constructive nature of neoliberalism. In contrast with characterizations emphasizing its laissez-faire policies of deregulation, labor is one area in which the interventionist activism of neoliberalism has been most intense, provoking changes in work processes, legislation, production models, and individualization. Moreover, many of today's social conflicts unfold in relation to work and its conditions: new forms of trade unionism, associationism and activism renew the language and practices of resistance in a situation demonstrating a new relationship between business corporations, trade unions and the State.

There are two overlapping themes which serve as the focus of Cultural Translation and Receptions of Paul in the First Four Centuries : (a) "reception" of the apostle Paul in subsequent Christian traditions, and (b) the hypothesis that while Paul himself continued to think as a Jew, he was subsequently re-interpreted by non-Jews in non-Jewish and anti-Jewish ways: the so-called "Paul within Judaism" school.
The distinctive focus of this volume is on the dynamic of "cultural translation," meaning, for example, the translation from the cultural world of Diaspora Judaism and its Septuagint to Greek philosophical and Greek Christian categories. The contributions to the book are diverse, ranging from younger to more senior scholars from both North America and Europe.

This volume honours the life and scholarship of James K. Aitken (1968-2023), a distinguished scholar of Hebrew and Early Jewish Studies at the University of Cambridge. Bringing together fourteen original essays by colleagues, students, and friends, the collection explores themes central to Aitken's work. Contributors examine the interplay between language and identity in ancient Jewish communities, with particular attention to the Septuagint and its place within the history of Greek.
Aitken's intellectual legacy is reflected in the breadth of topics covered, from lexical studies and syntactic analysis to sociolinguistic phenomena and historical context. The essays build on his pioneering research and continue conversations he began, offering fresh insights into the lived realities of Jews in the Hellenistic world.
More than a scholarly tribute, this volume is a testament to Aitken's collegial spirit and mentorship. The editors-William A. Ross, Marieke Dhont, and Christopher Fresch-were all shaped by his guidance and friendship, and have curated a collection that reflects both his academic influence and personal impact. With contributions from leading international scholars, this book stands as a fitting memorial to a beloved teacher, collaborator, and friend.

The book presents a bold and transformative exploration of how Pentecostal theology can be revitalized by critically engaging with the Nicene Creed through the lens of African spirituality and decolonial thought.

In an era marked by profound cultural exchanges and theological diversification, Kaunda challenges traditional Nicene faith and calls for a new approach that reflects the pluralistic realities of the 21st century. Rooted in the rich metaphysical and philosophical traditions of the Bemba people of Zambia, the book critiques the classical dualistic interpretations of Christian theology, which have long emphasized divisions between the sacred and secular, material and spiritual, human and nonhuman.

Through a decolonial framework, this powerful work seeks to dismantle these entrenched dualisms and reintroduce an integrated approach to faith, one that embraces the interconnectedness of all things. African indigenous concepts are central to this reimagining of Nicene Christianity. It demonstrates how Pentecostalism, with its emphasis on the Spirit's dynamic presence, can speak powerfully to issues such as gender relations, ecological crises, power dynamics, and the lived realities of African communities. Grounding theological reflection in the lived experiences and cultural contexts of African Pentecostal believers, Kaunda reveals a more holistic, contextually resonant, and responsive form of Christian theology.