Trousson, Raymond / Vercruysse, Jeroom (dir.), Dictionnaire general de Voltaire. (Champion classiques, references et dictionnaires 18) 1272 p. 2020:10 (Champion, FR) <670-9>
ISBN 978-2-38096-016-7 paper ¥7,064.- (税込) EUR 38.00

Ahrweiler, Petra (ed.), Participatory Artificial Intelligence in Public Social Services: From Bias to Fairness in Assessing Beneficiaries. (Artificial Intelligence, Simulation and Society) 312 pp. 2025:1 (Springer, GW) <736-371>
ISBN 978-3-031-71677-5 hard ¥11,766.- (税込) EUR 49.99

This open access edited volume focuses on fairness issues concerning the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for social service provision in national welfare systems. With this, it touches upon important questions in the innovation agenda of countries across continents about the ethics, justice, quality, responsibility, accountability, and transparency to use AI for state functions. The volume shows that in many countries, AI, or at least data analytics methods, are already in place to support the assessment of beneficiaries for deciding on the value criteria to distinguish between legal /fraudulent, deserving/non-deserving, or needy/non-needy recipients. The book provides a cross-cultural comparison of AI-based social assessment among national welfare systems of 9 countries across 4 continents: Spain, Estonia, Germany, Iran, India, Nigeria, Ukraine, China and USA. Based on participatory research results from multi-stakeholder inputs, especially those from vulnerable groups, the chapters in this volume show that value criteria for fairness and social justice are context-bound and vary across the globe. Furthermore, they are in constant flux, aligned to social change. Thus, the volume looks at pathways to developing culture-sensitive, responsive and participatory AI for social assessment in public service provision. The contributions are interdisciplinary and introduce perspectives from the fields of sociology, computational social science, computer science and public policy. This topical volume is of interest to a wide readership.

福祉政治・政策・サービスの社会的価値
Klenk, Tanja / Noordegraaf, Mirko / Notarnicola, E. (eds.), Societal Value of Welfare Politics, Policies and Services. 272 pp. 2025:1 (Palgrave Macmillan, UK) <736-372>
ISBN 978-3-031-70968-5 hard ¥32,952.- (税込) EUR 139.99

Welfare state governance is about tackling social issues, empowering citizens, and adding societal value. It is also about improving public health and quality of life, alleviating inequality, and reducing social polarization. Bringing together researchers from around the world, this volume examines how politics, policies and services contribute to the strengthening of societal value. It assesses the societal impact of policies and professional actions, the ways in which social inequalities and dependencies are traced, and how policies and professional services respond to new societal challenges. It also considers what arrangements enable policies and services to generate more value, and the ways in which politicians, policymakers, public executives, public managers, professionals and employees prepare for this. Comparative and interdisciplinary in nature, this volume will appeal to all those interested in public administration, political science and sociology.

Linares, Santiago / Mikkelsen, C. A. et al (eds.), Quality of Life in Argentinian Cities in 2010. (The Latin American Studies Book Series) 345 pp. 2025:1 (Springer, GW) <736-373>
ISBN 978-3-031-74461-7 hard ¥28,244.- (税込) EUR 119.99

This book introduces a quality of life index that compares the intra-urban particularities of 23 cities in the Argentine Republic. Integrating demographic size, functional specialization, and regional location, the chapters employ a standard set of variables to assess socioeconomic and environmental inequality and wellbeing. A result of collaboration between 33 contributors from institutions around the country, the book provides a rich assessment of the mechanisms and processes by which the residential areas of Argentinian cities form, change, develop, and decline. Consistent measures of education, health, housing, and environmental wellbeing allow for deep examinations of each area and meaningful comparisons between them. The book also explores patterns that recur in multiple cases. Redevelopment and renewal processes in central and old areas of cities can lead to the creation or reenergization of modern, high-density neighborhoods that, benefitting from new construction and integrated commercial and service areas, exhibit high quality of life indices. Urban expansion stands out as a process that often results in or reinforces socio-spatial segregation: New, exclusive, low-density residential neighborhoods with single-family homes and green areas tend to have a high level of quality of life, thanks to good education, health services, housing, and natural amenities. In contrast, low-income neighborhoods with precarious housing, limited access to health and education services, and unfavorable environments exhibit lower quality of life measures. Increasingly common gated communities-with private security, exclusive services, and (internally) shared recreational spaces-reinforce this pattern of segregation. Analyzing the quality of life in different Argentinian cities is important to understanding the living conditions of the inhabitants, identifying areas for improvement, and supporting the development of inclusive and sustainable policies. These measurements can facilitate more just and prosperous environments for all citizens.

Santos, Felipe G., Social Movements that Care: Empathy, Solidarity, and Empowerment in the Fight Against Evictions. 203 pp. 2025:1 (Palgrave Macmillan, UK) <736-374>
ISBN 978-3-031-74295-8 hard ¥30,598.- (税込) EUR 129.99

The Platform of Those Affected by Mortgages (PAH) has left a crucial mark in the history of Spanish social movements by advocating for the over 700,000 families that have been evicted since its inception in 2009. This book explores how the PAH has blocked thousands of evictions through civil resistance, prevented many more through negotiations with banks, and rehoused thousands of evicted families in apartments recuperated from banks and vulture funds. Through the framework of the Politics of Care, Felipe G. Santos explores the emotional, identity, and participatory challenges that hindered the mobilization of those affected by mortgages. The book also reveals how empathy from a group of people unaffected by mortgage issues sparked mobilization, and how care relationships empowered those facing eviction to lead the fight for housing rights.