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The Social Progress of Nations Revisited, 1970–2020A Half Century of Promise and Progress

The Social Progress of Nations Revisited, 1970–2020: A Half Century of Promise and Progress [Nations are dynamic entities that are constantly changing in response to the needs of often expanding populations (Ghose, 2013; United Nations Population Division, 2018). They also change or realign existing systems in response to the complex social, economic, political, technological, and environmental needs that emerge with increased frequency and seriousness (Central Intelligence Agency, 2018; World Bank, 2018). Issues of emigration, immigration, and diversity-related social conflict also impact the capacity of nations to perform their varied functions. Though quite diverse with respect to geographic size, population characteristics, type of polity, and economic system, nations share a variety of features and functions. Ranked in order by their relative importance, the most unifying characteristics of state functions are (1) recognition of their political sovereignty by other nations; (2) a coherent set of principles that guides their interactions with other sovereign states; (3) a defensible set of secure geopolitical borders; (4) the administration of justice within a system of laws to which, optimally, the governed have assented (e.g., via a written constitution and an independent judiciary); (5) the provision of a range of “public goods” designed to meet the collective needs of their populations (e.g., the creation of monetary and banking systems, road-building and other transportation networks, the development of communications infrastructure, and the provision of at least limited health, education, and related human services); (6) special public and private initiatives designed to meet the income security and related needs of their most vulnerable inhabitants, e.g., children, the elderly, persons with chronic illnesses or disabilities, unemployed persons, families with large numbers of children (Estes & Zhou, 2014); and (7) a commitment to promoting the general well-being of the society as a whole (Estes & Sirgy, 2017a; Helliwell, Layard, & Sachs, 2017).] http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png

The Social Progress of Nations Revisited, 1970–2020A Half Century of Promise and Progress

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References (24)

Publisher
Springer International Publishing
Copyright
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019
ISBN
978-3-030-15906-1
Pages
3 –13
DOI
10.1007/978-3-030-15907-8_1
Publisher site
See Chapter on Publisher Site

Abstract

[Nations are dynamic entities that are constantly changing in response to the needs of often expanding populations (Ghose, 2013; United Nations Population Division, 2018). They also change or realign existing systems in response to the complex social, economic, political, technological, and environmental needs that emerge with increased frequency and seriousness (Central Intelligence Agency, 2018; World Bank, 2018). Issues of emigration, immigration, and diversity-related social conflict also impact the capacity of nations to perform their varied functions. Though quite diverse with respect to geographic size, population characteristics, type of polity, and economic system, nations share a variety of features and functions. Ranked in order by their relative importance, the most unifying characteristics of state functions are (1) recognition of their political sovereignty by other nations; (2) a coherent set of principles that guides their interactions with other sovereign states; (3) a defensible set of secure geopolitical borders; (4) the administration of justice within a system of laws to which, optimally, the governed have assented (e.g., via a written constitution and an independent judiciary); (5) the provision of a range of “public goods” designed to meet the collective needs of their populations (e.g., the creation of monetary and banking systems, road-building and other transportation networks, the development of communications infrastructure, and the provision of at least limited health, education, and related human services); (6) special public and private initiatives designed to meet the income security and related needs of their most vulnerable inhabitants, e.g., children, the elderly, persons with chronic illnesses or disabilities, unemployed persons, families with large numbers of children (Estes & Zhou, 2014); and (7) a commitment to promoting the general well-being of the society as a whole (Estes & Sirgy, 2017a; Helliwell, Layard, & Sachs, 2017).]

Published: Jul 31, 2019

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