Social Science

It seems unthinkable that citizens of one of the most powerful nations in the world must risk their lives and livelihoods in the search for access to necessary health care. And yet it is no surprise that in many places throughout the United States, getting an abortion can be a monumental challenge. Anti-choice politicians and activists have worked tirelessly to impose needless restrictions on this straightforward medical procedure that, at best, delay it and, at worst, create medical risks and deny women their constitutionally protected right to choose. 

Obstacle Course tells the story of abortion in America, capturing a disturbing reality of insurmountable barriers people face when trying to exercise their legal rights to medical services. Authors David S. Cohen and Carole Joffe lay bare the often arduous and unnecessarily burdensome process of terminating a pregnancy: the sabotaged decision-making, clinics in remote locations, insurance bans, harassing protesters, forced ultrasounds and dishonest medical information, arbitrary waiting periods, and unjustified procedure limitations.
 
Based on patients’ stories as well as interviews with abortion providers and allies from every state in the country, Obstacle Course reveals the unstoppable determination required of women in the pursuit of reproductive autonomy as well as the incredible commitment of abortion providers. Without the efforts of an unheralded army of medical professionals, clinic administrators, counselors, activists, and volunteers, what is a legal right would be meaningless for the almost one million people per year who get abortions. There is a better way—treating abortion like any other form of health care—but the United States is a long way from that ideal. 

Reports from the United Nations indicate that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are not meeting their targets, at least not according to the proposed timeline. Despite this, the world produces enough food to feed everyone. The crucial task remains to ensure equitable food distribution to those in need and reduce global food wastage.

Feeding Tomorrow Ecologically: Ecofriendly Food from Cradle to Cradle serves to support the top three SDGs: No Poverty, Zero Hunger, and Good Health and Well-Being. In this edited collection, authors delve into multifaceted aspects of global food systems. They examine the pivotal role of engineering throughout the food supply chain, from production to waste management, and its potential in fostering sustainable food security. Additionally, contributors investigate the evolution and perception of eco-friendly agriculture, focusing on adoption rates and attitudes, as well as diverse topics such as soil management, water reclamation, and policy. Through these varied perspectives, the chapters provide a comprehensive overview of challenges and innovations in shaping the future of food production and sustainability.

This edited collection brings together experts from farming, engineering, health sciences, policy, and other fields to provide insights into sustaining future populations with nourishing food. Scholars and professionals across various disciplines, including engineers, economists, scientists, sociologists, and marine conservationists, benefit from this work, which holds deep implications for food and economic systems.

The ebook edition of this title is Open Access and freely available to read online.

Discussions on decolonizing management and organization studies have gained attention. This volume of Research in the Sociology of Organizations paves the way forward on what scholars from management and organization studies can or should not do to decolonize their discipline. How can we create a community sensitive to integrating diverse voices and perspectives that provide opportunities to diversify knowledge creation?

Acknowledging that knowledge creation requires diversification to establish impactful insights able to tackle the Sustainable Development Goals beyond the Western world, this collection further develops the literature that is needed to build measures for decolonized management and organization studies. Divided into five sections, Section A aims to take stock of existing debates on decolonizing management and organization studies and build directions for future research. In section B, authors of different expertise address the need and, therefore, the why for decolonizing management studies from various angles. Section C discusses the how questions and tries to elaborate on ideas and empirical examples to decolonize the discipline. In section D, the authors tackle and reflect on what needs to be fundamentally changed to allow the diversification of knowledge creation.

Concluding with reflections from prominent and young scholars of the discipline, Decolonizing Management and Organization Studies informs management organizational studies theory and contributes new insights for the academic community.