This continuing series presents original leading edge research results in the field of sociology. Each chapter has been carefully selected in an attempt to present substantial advances across a broad spectrum. Included in this compilation are topics such as social welfare and the elderly; the impact of birth rates on women's professional activity; urban spaces and their socioeconomic make-up; transformational leadership across cultures; social welfare function and social symptoms of the intergenerational welfare shifts in the U.S. and Europe.