World Problems and Global Issues Project

Information: descriptive profiles / data /checklists / on-line access
Projects
Commentary: rationale
Statistics
Publications / CD-Roms
Bibliography
Documents: studies / research
Knowledge management: transdisciplinarity, comprehension
Multi-media
Questions: FAQs
Feedback: including on-line user commentary
Context-->
Information
Profiles of world problems, and their relationships, as perceived by international constituencies (intergovernmental organizations, international nongovernmental associations (NGOs) and other bodies -- profiled in a complementary source: Yearbook of International Organizations):
Problem entries currently profiled: more than 30,000. Relationships between them more than 150,000 (see Statistics)
Profiles published in book and CD in Encyclopedia of World Problems and Human Potential (see Publications)
On-line access
alternative entry points:
general entry point via http://www.uia.org/db/
alphabetical checklist: one-page general index (offering access via first letter codes directly to the index pages)
alphabetical index: page index summary (over 22,000 world problem names and keywords)
subject index
access policy
on-line comment facilities and user feedback (see Feedback)
search possibilities
problem type codes / symbols used
associated mapping experiments (see Multi-media)
Entry content and organization
Editorial methods and guidelines:
General summary (for a participative encyclopedia)
Specific to world problems: FAQs Significance Criteria Method (Naming) Patterning (Classification) Comments
Disclaimer / Warning
Websites of other international organizations and NGOs concerned with problems. Source: The world problems and issues presented are those recognized by over 20,000 international organizations (profiled in the Yearbook of International Organizations) and other constituencies -- for which the Union of International Associations serves as an information clearing house. Some of the problems may be recognized by many organizations, others may only be recognized by loose networks, movements or isolated groups of experts.
Names: Problems do not have unique or official names. Many of the problems profiled have two or more other associated names associated to reflect different keywords and ways of describing them. Some have up to ten names. The alphabetic list, based on a single name per problem, is therefore an essentially arbitrary ordering of the problems. As a random presentation of the contents of the database, it has the advantage of drawing attention to the variety of concerns faced by individuals and groups. Some problems are decidedly controversial -- and may even be described by other constituencies as strategies.
Disclaimer: This Encyclopedia necessarily includes some problems which appear "positive" (at least to some constituencies) and may indeed be treated separately as strategies (in the strategies database). Some "problems" which are of great concern to one group, may be seen as a solution by another group. Similarly the strategies of one group may be seen as problems for another group. Problems of today may have been governmental policy in an earlier period, as in the case of the drug and slave trades. "Abortion" is an example of a highly controversial problem as defined by some that is also treated and perceived as a strategy by others. "Thieving", and even "blinding children" (to improve their income as beggars), may be amongst the few strategies open to the impoverished. On the other hand, many seemingly "positive" strategies (such as "the Green Revolution") may be criticized for their "negative" consequences by significant constituencies. This collection of problems should NOT therefore be considered as a simple list of "negative" problems identified by the organizations providing the information.
The data presented challenges the user to exercise discrimination in determining under what circumstances a problem (such as "structural adjustment") is defined and in what way it may be "positive" or "negative" in its nature. This is often the dilemma faced by leaders and policy makers. Some problem profiles have explanatory texts, where available, to clarify conflicting claims as to the "positive" or "negative" aspects of each problem from different perspectives. Many problems are perceived to have both "positive" and "negative" consequences in aggravating or alleviating other problems (indicated by hyperlinks).
The data therefore represent one attempt to depict the "ecosystem" of interrelated problems active in society, whether actually or potentially. Inclusion of "problems" on this list should not be considered to imply that they are advocated by the UIA.
Development: It is important to recognize that the database is continually being expanded with user participation, notably through the addition of more specific problems that are aspects of those already included and the interaction between problems in vicious cycle loops.
Reservations: The emphasis throughout this project has been placed on providing descriptions of less well-known problems, particularly when the extensive material available on the better known problems contained neither succinct descriptions of them nor descriptive material which could easily be reduced to succinct descriptions. The problem descriptions here represent a compilation of views from published documents (usually from international organizations). The text provided does not necessarily constitute the best possible description of the problem, since a compromise has had to be struck between availability of information, the resources to process it, and the space available (in the case of the hardcopy version).
"The emphasis throughout this project has been placed on providing descriptions of less well-known problems..."
Projects
World Problems Project
On-line access available via http://www.uia.org/db/
Summary
Development (1997-1999) with the assistance of the European Commission
Origins and development since 1972, with the support of Mankind 2000
Description of the Encyclopedia Project (of which this is a part)
Sponsorship of this project:The UIA is a financially independent non-profit research centre and information clearing house. The compilation of the Encyclopedia is done with very tight budgets, as funds become available.You may be interested in supporting, or sponsoring, the further development of this database.
Commentary
Specific to world problems: Collection of 32 explanatory documents on significance, criteria, method (problem naming), classification, and general commentary. On-line profiles offer access to other websites as well as specific query-links to web search engines.
Encyclopedia Project in general: Collection of 27 explanatory documents on overview (significance), content, method, assessement, and general insights.
Statistics
Statistics on profiled world problems, and their relationships, are given in the:
Summary tables, including post-1995 development
Encyclopedia of World Problems and Human Potential (every 3-4 years)
Publications /CD-Roms
The profiles of world problems perceived by international organizatyions and other constituencies are published in:
Encyclopedia of World Problems and Human Potential (every 3-4 years)
Encyclopedia Plus (CD-Rom) International organizations concerned in various ways with world problems are profiled in:
Yearbook of International Organizations (hardcover edition).
Yearbook Plus (CD-Rom) Alternatively: Please ask your local library/documentation center to order a copy.
Bibliography
The following publications include bibliographic material on world problems:
Encyclopedia of World Problems and Human Potential (every 3-4 years)
Encyclopedia Plus (CD-Rom)
Publications of organizations in Yearbook of International Organizations The relevant bibiliographies are also available on-line together with access to other websites and specific query-links to web search engines
Documents
UIA Studies relating to world problems and governance appear in:
Commentaries and notes (downloadable documents)
Selected papers and reports (downloadable documents)
Transnational Associations / Associations Transnationales (6 a year)
Knowledge management
Many of the studies are concerned with how information on the multitude of perceived world problems might be more fruitfully organized. The development of the databases and the user-interfaces on the web are being developed with this in mind.
Multi-media
Networks of perceived relationships between problems can be explored with the experimental spring mapping techniques associated with the on-line version of the world problems database. The relevance is discussed elsewhere.
Questions / FAQs
Basic information is provided in the summary (above) or in the comments to the alphabetic checklist.
A range of questions are answered in a FAQ specific to world problems.
Feedback
Comments/Improvements/URLs: This is an ongoing project. We would like to improve the profiles that you see in the on-line database, or others you consider missing. Send us documents or indicate URLs.
Registered users can provide feedback, or improvements on specific profiles, through the comment facility in the on-line version of the world problems database.
Check the detailed possibilities for participative feedback at: http://www.uia.org/dyna/feedpol.htm
Check our editorial guidelines for feedback at http://www.uia.org/dyna/guides.htm