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
o alternative entry points:
+ general entry point via [link]
+ 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
o access policy
o on-line comment facilities and user feedback (see Feedback)
o search possibilities
o problem type codes / symbols used
o associated mapping experiments (see Multi-media)
* Entry content and organization
* Editorial methods and guidelines:
o General summary (for a participative encyclopedia)
o Specific to world problems: FAQs | Significance | Criteria | Method (Naming) | Patterning (Classification) | Comments
o 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).