Written by a respected scholar in the field, this authoritative and very accessible text offers students a contemporary introduction to Social Problems by introducing the major trends and future outlook for each social problem. Social policies devised to address social problems--and their consequences--are examined in depth by presenting the key research conducted to examine, explain and alleviate today's social problems. The text takes the discussion of social problems one step further by looking at each problem from a global perspective and "big picture" view.