Preface ix About the Author xi Acknowledgments xii 1.Preparing to Solve Our Social Problems 1 What Is a Social Problem? 1 History of Studying Social Problems 2 Teaching About Social Problems in Today's World 4 How Can Sociologists Address Social Problems and Yet Remain Objective? 5 What Social Problem Should We Solve First? 7 How Might Sociological Theory Help Us to Solve Social Problems? 8 A Theory of Conflict and Social Change: A Way to Better Understand and Therefore Solve Our Social Problems 10 Causal Model: A Picture of Our Theory 15 My Own Theoretical Orientation 17 Other Sociological Theories to Help Us Understand and Solve Social Problems 17 Concluding Thoughts on Theory and Social Problems 23 Addressing Social Problems Within Capitalism 23 The Next Chapter 24 2.Barriers, Possibilities, and How Sociology Can Help 25 Barriers to Solving Our Social Problems 25 Possibilities for Solving Our Social Problems 35 How Can Sociology Help to Solve Social Problems? 41 3.How Can We Solve the Problem of Increasing Inequality? 47 Definition and Statistics 47 Causes of Growing Inequality 49 Consequences of Growing Inequality 53 Options We Have With Inequality 54 What Should We Do? 58 4.How Can We Solve the Problem of Poverty? 61 Assumptions We Can Make About Solving Poverty 61 What Can We Do? 64 Concluding on an Optimistic Note 78 5.How Can We Solve the Problem of Racial/Ethnic Inequality? 79 Now and Where to Next? 82 What Might Racial/Ethnic Equality Mean? 84 What More Can We Do? 84 6.How Can We Solve the Problem of Gender Inequality? 95 Causes of Continuing Income Inequality 95 What Can We Do? 96 Concluding Thoughts 106 7. How Can We Solve the Problem of Unequal Education? 109 What Can We Do? 109 Problems That Prevent Us From Having Excellent Public Schools 112 Tax Money for Schools 113 Positive Consequences 114 What Will Not Work if We Want Excellent Public Education: The Voucher System 115 8.How Can We Solve the Problem of Crime? 119 What Can We Do? 121 A Dilemma: Capitalism and Crime 128 9.How Can We Solve the Problem of Drugs? 131 Keep the Current Policy 132 Legalize Drugs for Adults 136 Take a Step-by-Step Approach by Eegalizing One Drug at a Time 140 Where to Go From Here? 142 10. How Can We Solve the Problem of Health Care? 145 Consequences of Our Problem 146 Why Don't We Have a National Health Care System Like All Other Industrial Nations? 148 Possible Social Conditions Leading to a New Health Care System 152 Criteria for a New Health Care System 1.54 Elements of a New Health Care System to Satisfy These Criteria 155 Advantages of a National Health Care System 161 Disadvantages and Costs of a National Health Care System 163 What Other Countries Include in Their National Health Care Systems 164 The Future: What Could Happen? 168 11. How Can We Solve the Problems of Families? 171 Decreasing Inequality to Help Families 171 Decreasing Poverty to Help Families 172 Enough Jobs and Enough Decent-Paying Jobs 172 Creating Racial/Ethnic Equality to Help Families 173 Creating Gender Equality to Help Families 175 Creating Good-Quality Education for All Students to Help Families 175 Decreasing Crime to Help Families 176 Changing the Way We Deal With Drugs to Help Families 177 Creating a National Health Care System to Help Families 177 Including Homosexual Couples to Help Families 178 Educating Students to Help Families 180 Educating Parents to Help Families 181 Summary of What We Can Do to Help Families 181 12.How Can We Solve the World's Population Problem?. 183 Causes of the World's Population Problem 184 What Can We Do? 187 Where Are We? 192 13. How Can We Solve the World's Environmental Problem? 195 Consequences 197 What Can We Do? 199 Conclusion 210 14.Solving Our Social Problems: Predictions and Conclusions 213 A Number of Similar Social Conditions 213 Defining a Social Condition as a Social Problem 213 Legitimation 214 Values and Vested Interests 214 Eoss of Control Over the Social Problem 215 Attention and Resources 215 v-umpromise 216 Becoming Accustomed to Social Change 217 Capitalism and Social Problems 218 Environment, Population, and Standard of Living 218 Building a Sustainable Society 220 Conclusion 221 Index 263