Includes bibliographical references (p. 575-612) and index.

Political economy of social problems -- The sociological approach to social problems -- Wealth and power : the bias of the system -- Problems of people, the environment, and location -- World population and global inequality -- Threats to the environment -- Demographic changes in the United States : the browning and graying of society -- Problems of place : urban, suburban, and rural -- Problems of inequality -- Poverty -- Racial and ethnic inequality -- Gender inequality -- Sexual orientation -- Disability and ableism -- Social structure and individual deviance -- Crime and justice -- Drugs -- Institutional problems -- The economy and work -- Families -- Education -- The health care system -- National security in the twenty-first century -- Solutions -- Progressive plan to solve social problems.