Comparative Anomie Research: Hidden Barriers-Hiddon Potential for Social Development

This text presents the results of a three-year study in social research, which aimed to measure and explain anomie in different parts of the world with different cultures and different socio-political and economic conditions. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were applied, and the book not only represents the projects in juxtaposition, but also attempts to show how they relate to each other. The project elaborated instruments for practical use of both public and private agents in development co-operation in order to assess the stability or instability of a given society and to orient development policies accordingly. The book aims to provide the basis for an early detection system for anomie. The main interest is intercultural setting, the detection of hidden anomic potential and the close linkages between scientific research and its applicability for development policy and practice in applied anomie research.