1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910502208003321

Autore

Greve, Bent

Titolo

Myths, narratives and welfare states : the impact of stories on welfare state development / Bent Greve

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cheltenham, UK ; Northampton, MA, : Elgar, 2020

ISBN

9781839107917

Descrizione fisica

VI, 138 p. : fig., tab. ; 24 cm

Disciplina

361.65

Locazione

BFS

Collocazione

361.65 GRE 1

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

2.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910597898503321

Autore

Shlapentokh Vladimir

Titolo

Feudal America : elements of the Middle Ages in contemporary society / / Vladimir Shlapentokh and Joshua Woods

Pubbl/distr/stampa

University Park, Pa. : , : Penn State University Press, , [2015]

©2015

ISBN

0-271-05365-8

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (x, 170 pages)

Disciplina

306.0973

Soggetti

United States Social conditions 21st century

United States Economic conditions 21st century

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.



Sommario/riassunto

Do Americans live in a liberal capitalist society, where evenhanded competition rules the day, or a society in which big money, private security, and personal relations determine key social outcomes? Vladimir Shlapentokh and Joshua Woods argue that the answer to these questions cannot be found among the conventional models used to describe the nation. Offering a new analytical tool, the authors present a provocative explanation of the nature of contemporary society by comparing its essential characteristics to those of medieval European societies. Their feudal model emphasizes five elements: the weakness of the state and its inability to protect its territory, guarantee the security of its citizens, and enforce laws; conflicts and collusions between and within organizations that involve corruption and other forms of illegal or semilegal actions; the dominance of personal relations in political and economic life; the prevalence of an elitist ideology; and the use of private agents and organizations for the provision of safety and security. Feudal America urges readers to suspend their forward-thinking and futurist orientations, question linear notions of social and historical progression, and look for explanations of contemporary social problems in medieval European history.