At the Global Crossroads explores the many facets of a globalised world economy. This collection ranges from discussions of the global economic challenges of the twenty-first century to the particular economic opportunities for Canada and Latin America; from recession in the globalised economy to humanitarian aid for people displaced by conflict within their own country. At the Global Crossroads provides valuable and significant perspectives on global issues that affect all of us. Sylvia Ostry is one of Canada's foremost public servants. She reached the rank of deputy minister of the Canadian public service at the age of forty-five and served with distinction in three different federal departments as well as directing the Economic Council of Canada. She spent four years as chief economist at the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, and was appointed the prime minister's personal representative for the Economic Summit from 1985 to 1988. After leaving the public service of Canada, she became successively chairman of the National Council of the Canadian Institute of International Affairs, chancellor of the University of Waterloo, and chairman of the Centre for International Studies at the University of Toronto, where she is currently a Distinguished Research Fellow at the Munk Centre. The Sylvia Ostry Foundation was established in April 1991 by several of Sylvia Ostry's Canadian friends and admirers with the objective of sponsoring a major annual or biennial lecture in Canada on the global economic or financial system. At the Global Crossroads is a collection of the six lectures given to date. Contributors are Sadoka Ogata, from 1990-2000 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; Jacques Delors, former president of the European Commission; Michael Camdessus, managing director of the International Monetary Fund from 1987-2000; Renato Ruggiero, director general of the World Trade Organization from 1995-1999 and former minister of Foreign Affairs, Government of Italy; Enrique V. Iglesias, president of the Inter-American Development Bank; and Paul Volcker, former chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve.

"This volume brings together a cross-section of papers presented at the 33rd International Council of Social Welfare (ICSW) conference in Tours, France, in July 2008. ...The contributions raise important topics offering great insight into the multiplicity of ways that nations and communities are responding to the challenges of globalisation as well as internal demands for greater social justice and equality as well as mechanisms for civil society."--Back cover.

An objective, comprehensive, and accessible examination of today's most crucial problem: preserving the environment in the face of society's insatiable demand for energy. In Energy at the Crossroads, Vaclav Smil considers the twenty-first century's crucial question: how to reconcile the modern world's unceasing demand for energy with the absolute necessity to preserve the integrity of the biosphere. With this book he offers a comprehensive, accessible guide to today's complex energy issues—how to think clearly and logically about what is possible and what is desirable in our energy future. After a century of unprecedented production growth, technical innovation, and expanded consumption, the world faces a number of critical energy challenges arising from unequal resource distribution, changing demand patterns, and environmental limitations. The fundamental message of Energy at the Crossroads is that our dependence on fossil fuels must be reduced not because of any imminent resource shortages but because the widespread burning of oil, coal, and natural gas damages the biosphere and presents increasing economic and security problems as the world relies on more expensive supplies and Middle Eastern crude oil. Smil begins with an overview of the twentieth century's long-term trends and achievements in energy production. He then discusses energy prices, the real cost of energy, and "energy linkages"—the effect energy issues have on the economy, on quality of life, on the environment, and in wartime. He discusses the pitfalls of forecasting, giving many examples of failed predictions and showing that unexpected events can disprove complex models. And he examines the pros and cons not only of fossil fuels but also of alternative fuels such as hydroenergy, biomass energy, wind power, and solar power. Finally, he considers the future, focusing on what really matters, what works, what is realistic, and which outcomes are most desirable.

International Education at the Crossroads captures the essence and complexity of international education in an interconnected and globalized world. Written by leading scholars, international educators, and policy makers, the 26 essays in this volume take stock of the unpredictable landscape of international education and demonstrate why international higher education is more essential now than ever before. Responding to a timely global moment where education and international engagement are being redefined and practiced in new ways, the authors call for a reconsideration of paradigms and critical reflection of the entire field of international education. At the same time, the authors show how international education is an imperative for the future of learning and the world, and also, crucially, that this work cannot be done in a silo. International Education at the Crossroads offers readers a chance to join in the conversation that is as global as it is meaningful in communities, the lives of learners, and institutions around the world. International education requires that everyone the world over work together to produce new knowledge, to navigate the "crossroads," and to collectively chart the directions in which the field will move into the future.

Winner of the Mormon History Association Best International Book Award The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints continues to contend with longstanding tensions surrounding gender and race. Yet women of color in the United States and across the Global South adopt and adapt the faith to their contexts, many sharing the high level of satisfaction expressed by Latter-day Saints in general. Caroline Kline explores the ways Latter-day Saint women of color in Mexico, Botswana, and the United States navigate gender norms, but also how their moral priorities and actions challenge Western feminist assumptions. Kline analyzes these traditional religious women through non-oppressive connectedness, a worldview that blends elements of female empowerment and liberation with a broader focus on fostering positive and productive relationships in different realms. Even as members of a patriarchal institution, the women feel a sense of liberation that empowers them to work against oppression and against alienation from both God and other human beings. Vivid and groundbreaking, Mormon Women at the Crossroads merges interviews with theory to offer a rare discussion of Latter-day Saint women from a global perspective.

This innovative volume introduces readers to a variety of disciplinary and methodological approaches used to examine the intersections of religion and migration. A range of leading figures in this field consider the roles of religion throughout various types of migration, including forced, voluntary, and economic. They discuss examples of migrations at all levels, from local to global, and critically examine case studies from various regional contexts across the globe. The book grapples with the linkages and feedback between religion and migration, exploring immigrant congregations, activism among and between religious groups, and innovations in religious thought in light of migration experiences, among other themes. The contributors demonstrate that religion is an important factor in migration studies and that attention to the intersection between religion and migration augments and enriches our understandings of religion. Ultimately, this volume provides a crucial survey of a burgeoning cross-disciplinary, interreligious, and global area of study.