Identifying meaningful patterns of world problems' (Part #1)

Paper prepared for a special issue of Multilingua

[Parts: Next | Last | All ] [Links: To-K | From-K | From-Kx ]

This paper describes the approach currently being used to organize material for the third edition of the Encyclopedia of World Problems and Human Potential (UIA, 1976; UIA, 1986; UIA, 1990). This is a long-term programme of the Union of International Associations (Brussels) benefitting from the database maintained for the annual publication of its Yearbook of International Organizations (UIA, 1989a; UIA, 1989b; UIA, 1989c).

The approach is guided by consideration described in a number of earlier papers (Judge, 1984, 1985, 1986) which appear in the explanatory material of the Encyclopedia in modified form.

The focus here is on the interrelationship between the conceptual, organizational and logistical issues of gathering and ordering information on large numbers of non-conventional, fuzzily defined, conceptual entities where comprehensiveness of coverage is desirable.