There is no shortage of opinion about the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Some see it as the agent of austerity, being manipulated by wealthy nations and forcing poorer countries to pursue economic policies that suppress growth and development. A sharply contrasting view regards it as bailing out such countries with large amounts of soft finance, allowing them to avoid necessary adjustment. The challenge is to evaluate the alternative arguments and to distinguish reality from rhetoric.In this book, the authors undertake a careful and detailed empirical analysis of the underlying issues, covering participation in IMF programs, their implementation and effects on economic growth, and on the willingness of international capital markets to lend. Blending research methodologies and crossing conventional disciplinary boundaries, what emerges is a balanced and nuanced assessment of the IMF's operations that confronts many commonly held views. Unique in its broad scope, this careful examination of the IMF will be of great interest to students and academics in the fields of international economics and international relations. Those involved in international financial institutions and national monetary institutions will also find it to be an impartial and illuminating study.

Globalisation, Law and the State begins - as is customary in globalisation literature - with an acknowledgement of the definitional difficulties associated with globalisation. Rather than labour the point, the book identifies some economic, political and cultural dimensions to the phenomenon and uses these to analyse existing and emerging challenges to State-centric and territorial models of law and governance. It surveys three areas that are typically associated with globalisation - financial markets, the internet, and public contracts - as well as trade more generally, the environment, human rights, and national governance. On this basis it considers how global legal norms are formed, how they enmesh with the norms of other legal orders, and how they create pressure for legal harmonisation. This, in turn, leads to an analysis of the corresponding challenges that globalisation presents to traditional notions of sovereignty and the models of public law that have grown from them. While some of the themes addressed here will be familiar to students of the European process (there are prominent references to the European experience throughout the book), Globalisation, Law and the State provides a clear insight into how the sovereign space of States and their legal orders are diminishing and being replaced by an altogether more fluid system of intersecting orders and norms. This is followed by an analysis of the theory and practice of the globalisation of law, and a suggestion that the workings of law in the global era can best be conceived of in terms of networks that link together a range of actors that exist above, below and within the State, as well as on either side of the public-private divide. This book is an immensely valuable, innovative and concise study of globalisation and its effect on law and the state.

This book highlights the existence of a class of struggles conducted in the gray zones of formalized war, or more aptly in the interstices where state power and jurisdiction are mismatched. These "sovereign interstices" are inextricable from the negative spaces of the great war-regulating sovereign orders, but they are also characterized by recurring characteristics among the fighters who are recruited to fight proxy wars within them. States have changed greatly in the last four hundred years, but interstitial fighters have changed far less, and the same can be said of the recurring styles in which their powerful patrons employ them to go where those patrons cannot. By charting these continuities, the author shows how a deeper awareness of interstitial war not only clarifies much concerning our contemporary world at war, but also provides a clear path forward in legal, military, and scholarly terms.

This book suggests how the internationalisation of teaching and learning for sustainability can be a vehicle for a two-way flow of knowledge across national, cultural and theoretical boundaries. Establishing links between the internationalisation of education and the ideal of global sustainability, the author presents innovative alternative solutions to address the pressing social, environmental and ethical problems of our age, a global priority demanding an educational response. By engaging with the Hindi concept of tri-vid, the three-in-one unification of knowledge, the author reassesses the very nature of knowledge through the intellectual agency of both students and educators. Once opportunities for alternatives not available in dominant Western knowledge traditions are recognised, the development of an innovative alternative perspective becomes possible. This pioneering book will be of interest to students and scholars of international education, sustainability education and globalisation.

This book constructs a multidisciplinary approach to human security questions related to digitalisation in the European High North i.e. the northernmost areas of Scandinavia, Finland and North-Western Russia. It challenges the mainstream conceptualisation of cybersecurity and reconstructs it with the human being as the referent object of security.

This volume employs new empirical data to examine the internationalization of the social sciences and humanities (SSH). While the globalization dynamics that have transformed the shape of the world over the last decades has been the subject of a growing number of scientific studies, very few such studies have set out to analyze the globalization of social and human sciences themselves. Arguing against the complacent assumption that Science is 'international by nature', this work demonstrates that the growing circulation of scholars and scientific ideas is a complex, contradictory and contested process. Arranged thematically, the chapters in this volume present a coherent exploration of patterns of transnationalization, South-North and East-West exchanges, and transnational regionalization. Further, they offer fresh insight into specific topics including the influence of the Anglo-American research infrastructure and the development of social and human sciences in postcolonial contexts. Featuring contributions from leading international scholars in the field, this work will advance the research agenda and will have interdisciplinary appeal for scholars from across the social sciences.

This book offers a systematic and comprehensive introduction to the Arctic in the era of globalization, or as it is referred to here, the 'GlobalArctic'. It provides an overview of the current status of the Arctic as a result of global change, while also considering the changes in the Arctic that have a global effect. It positions the Arctic within a broad international context, it addresses four main themes are discussed: economics and resources; environment and earth system dynamics; peoples and cultures; and geopolitics and governance. Gathering together expert authors and building on long-term research activities, it serves as a valuable reference for future research endeavors.

This book presents stimulating new perspectives on three key sets of issues: a fair globalization, the policies that might be adopted in response to protectionist pressures, and sustainable development policies involving G7 and G20 actions to lay the foundations for renewed trust. The individual topics addressed within this framework are wide ranging. Examples include globalization and national inequality, globalization and policies for inclusive growth in developing countries, the sources of controversies regarding trade agreements and their effects, the impact of new U.S. commercial policies on the world trading system, real convergence in the Euro area, and the causes of Brexit. The book comprises a selection of contributions presented at the XXIXth Villa Mondragone International Economic Seminar. In offering contrasting points of view on topics of high current interest, it will appeal to academics, policymakers, and economic experts at institutions.

This book analyzes how today's system of international trade law and international economic relations has evolved over the last six decades. Focusing on the major innovations that came with the inception of the World Trade Organization (WTO) with its various agreements in 1994, it also provides in-depth commentary on the intense debate over important matters that remain unsettled. Topics covered include the WTO dispute settlement mechanism; the General Agreement on Trade in Services (OATS); the Agreement on Trade-Related Investment Measures (TRIMS); intellectual property rights - the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS); areas still covered by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1947; the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) concept; special provisions relating to agriculture and textiles; sanitary and phytosanitary measures; technical barriers to trade; pre-shipment inspection; and import licensing procedures. The book would be an excellent resource for scholars as well as practitioners working in the field of international arbitration and trade laws.

This accessible and wide-ranging book demonstrates the distinctive insights that sociology has to bring to the study of globalization. Taking in the cultural, political and economic dimensions of globalization, the book provides a thorough introduction to key debates and critically evaluates the causes and consequences of a globalizing world.

In addition to topics such as America's changing position in the world under President Obama, the growth of China as a global power and anti-globalization movements, Martell brings to the discussion other aspects of world affairs that sociologists have sometimes not focused on so much. In doing so, he underlines the importance of economic motivations and structures, and shows how power, inequality and conflict are major factors in globalization. The book argues that globalization offers many opportunities for greater interaction and participation in societies throughout the world, for instance through the media and migration, but also has dark sides such as war and nuclear proliferation, global poverty, climate change and financial crisis.

This book will be an ideal companion to students across the social sciences taking courses that cover globalization, and the sociology of globalization in particular.

With the creation of a single global market in financial services, the effective regulation of banks at the international level has become essential. This work offers a comprehensive examination of the development and structure of the provisions for the control of international financial markets. It explores the background to the major financial crises of the late 20th-century and the nature of the global response, beginning with the collapse of the Bretton Woods system of managed exchange rates and the resulting establishment of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision in 1974. The author describes the structure and operation of the Committee and examines both the content of its core supervisory papers and the development of its more general regulatory programme. The emergence of increasingly complex international banking and financial conglomerates has required a fundamental revision of the traditional sector-based methods of supervision and regulation. The book examines the difficulties associated with the cross-border and cross-sector regulation of such groups and assesses the international response to these problems. Financial crises in Asia and elsewhere during the late 1990s generated further anxiety concerning the stability of the international financial market place. The causes of the crises are accordingly examined and the various responses adopted as part of an international financial architecture analysed in detail. This book addresses all the major factors involved in international banking supervision, conglomerate control and financial stability together in a single text. It should prove a useful reference and analytical tool for all those specializing in international banking and financial market control.

In the era of globalization, foreign trade has an immense impact upon modern economies. To succeed in the global marketplace, sustainable development in trade practices is an imperative goal for countries to reach. Global Perspectives on Trade Integration and Economies in Transition is an authoritative reference source for the latest research on the dynamics of transitional economies and how certain obstacles can disrupt the effectiveness of the transition process. Highlighting the value of trade incorporation at the national and international levels, this book is ideally designed for researchers, professionals, government officials, policy makers, and upper-level students interested in the intersection of globalization, trade, and international economics.

This book introduces readers to global brain singularity through a logical meditation on the temporal dynamics of the universal process. Global brain singularity is conceived of as a future metasystem of human civilization that represents a qualitatively higher coherence of order. To better understand the potential of this phenomenon, the book begins with an overview of universal history. The focus then shifts to the structure of human systems, and the notion that contemporary global civilization must mediate the emergence of a commons that will transform the future of politics, economics and psychosocial life in general. In this context the book presents our species as biocultural evolutionary agents attempting to create a novel and independent domain of technocultural evolution that affords us new levels of freedom. Lastly, the book underscores the internal depths of the present moment, structured by a division between subject and object. The nature of the interaction between subject and object would appear to govern the mechanics of a spiritual process that is key to understanding the meaning of singularity inclusive of observers. Given its scope, the book will appeal to readers interested in systems approaches to the emerging world society, especially historians, philosophers and social scientists.

Globalization brings far more benefits to the U.S. economy than it takes away. In a timely response to Friedman's The World is Flat and other books that fuel anxiety over globalization, William Gamble shows that both Europe and emerging economic powers like China and India have serious long-terms problems linked to their cultures, political structures, occasional instability, and state ownership of companies. These and other factors will eventually put a brake on the economic growth and manufacturing output of the Old World and hot emerging economies. As Gamble proves, American institutions, while imperfect, are stable, flexible, and dynamic--good news for U.S. workers and the economy overall. This book has the power to reframe the debate over immigration, protectionism, and trade imbalances. A steady stream of books, articles, and reports are ringing the death knell for American economic supremacy. The argument goes something like this: In a rapidly integrating global economy, technology and know-how travel at the speed of light, and nations with low-cost labor forces are replacing high-cost American workers in every industry. The next century will belong to China, India, a resurgent Russia, and other emerging regions. Hogwash, says Bill Gamble! Drawing from his research and many years in the trenches advising individual and institutional investors on legal, financial, political, and corporate issues, Gamble demonstrates that the forces of globalization are nothing new. Most important, as long as American institutions limit the power of interfering politicians and bureaucrats and protect free markets, the American economic system will guarantee resilience, competitiveness, andprosperity. The fundamental protections of property and free speech, a culture that promotes and rewards entrepreneurship, banking policies that make capital easily available, relative transparency in corporate accounting, universal access to education, and other elements, despite their flaws, are still more supportive of economic growth and wealth creation than can be found anywhere else. Through in-depth examples drawn from around the world and insights honed advising a diverse clientele, Gamble dispels common myths and misconceptions about American competitiveness and its future prospects. He also identifies potential threats to the U.S. system from within and assesses the ways in the U.S. ultimately stands benefit from the forces of globalization. In addition, this book: *Provides an international perspective by comparing U.S. institutions, structures, and practices to those in such hot spots as China, India, Russia, Eastern Europe, and Southeast Asia. *Addresses issues like outsourcing, entrepreneurship, immigration, and low-cost labor head on. *Offers insights based on a combination of rigorous research and practical expertise. *Presents complex ideas in an engaging and accessible style. Designed to stir up debate, this book is sure to open minds and help readers better understand and appreciate the institutions that have made the United States an economic powerhouse for two centuries.

'The Maternal Sepsis Intervention has had a profound impact on maternal mortality and antibiotic use whilst also reducing hospital costs. The Ministry of Health is keen to explore opportunities to extending the lessons learnt and integrate them in national policy-making.' -Dr. Richard Mugahi, Ministry of Health, Uganda. This open access book provides an accessible introduction to the mechanics of international development and global health text for policy-makers and students across a wide range of disciplines. Antimicrobial resistance is a major threat to the well-being of patients and health systems the world over. In fragile health systems so challenged, on a day-today basis, by the overwhelming burden of both infectious and non-communicable disease, it is easy to overlook the impacts of AMR. The Maternal Sepsis Intervention, focusing on a primary cause of maternal death in Uganda, demonstrates the systemic nature of AMR and the gains that can be made through improved Infection Prevention Control and direct engagement of laboratory testing in antibiotic prescribing.

Critically exploring the presuppositions of contemporary social theory, this collection argues for a trans-civilizational dialogue and a deepening of the universe of intellectual discourse in order to transform sociology into a truly planetary conversation on the human condition. Focusing on perspectives from Asia, notably East Asia and India, it interrogates presuppositions in contemporary critical social theory about man, culture and society, and considers central themes such as knowledge and power, knowledge and liberation. The diverse contributions tackle key questions such the globalization of social theory, identity and society in east asia, as well as issues such as biopolitics, social welfare and eurocentrism. They also examine dialogues along multiple trajectories between social theorists from the Euro-American world and from the Asian universe, such as between Kant and Gandhi, Habermas and Sri Aurobindo, the Bildung tradition in Europe and the Confucian traditions. Arguing for a global comparative engagement and cross-cultural dialogue, this is a key read for all those interested in the future of social theory in the wake of globalization and the rise of the global south.

This book explores violence against the environment within the broad scope of transnational environmental crime (TEC): its extent, perpetrators, and responses. TEC has become one of the greatest threats to environmental and human security today, as well as a lucrative enterprise and a mode of life in many regions of the world. Transnational Spheres of Ecoviolence argues that we cannot seriously consider stopping TEC without also promoting environmental (and climate) justice. The spheres covered range from wildlife and plant crime to illegal fisheries to toxic waste and climate crime. These acts of violence against the environment are both localized in terms of event and impact, and globalized in terms of market drivers and internationalized responses. Because it is so often intimately linked to political violence, coerced labor, economic and physical displacement, and development opportunity costs, ecoviolence must be viewed primarily as a human security issue; the fight against it must derive legitimacy from impacts on local communities, and be twinned wth the protection of environmental activists. Reliance on the generosity of distant corporations or the effectiveness of legal structures will not be adequate; and militarized responses may do more harm to human security than good to nature. A transformative approach to transnational ecoviolence is a very complex task affected by the geopolitics of neoliberalism, authoritarian states, rebel factions and extremists, socio-economic patterns, and many other factors. In this challenging text, the authors capture this complexity in digestible form and offer a wide-ranging discussion of commensurate policy recommendations for governments and the general public.

This volume brings together marginalized perspectives and communities into the mainstream discourse on education for sustainable development and global citizenship. Building on her earlier work, Sharma uses non-western perspectives to challenge dominant agendas and the underlying Western worldview in the UNESCO led discourse on global citizenship education. Chapters develop the theoretical framework around the three domains of learning within the global citizenship education conceptual dimensions of UNESCO--the cognitive, socio-emotional, and behavioral--and offer practical insights for educators. Value-creating global citizenship education is offered as a pedagogical approach to education for sustainable development and global citizenship in addition to and complementing other approaches mentioned within the recent UNESCO guidelines.

Globalization has, within academic, political and business circles alike, become the buzz word of the 1990s, conjuring an ever growing diversity of associations, connotations and attendant mythologies. In this volume an array of international academics assess the contribution of the globalization thesis, in its various guises, to our understanding of social, political and economic change in contemporary societies. They expose, challenge and demystify many of the exaggerated and over-generalized claims made about globalization, whilst developing a distinctive "third wave" perspective on the world we inhabit and the processes currently reconfiguring it.

The word village has the evocative power of ancient shared social values based on solidarity, equality, and common expectations for the betterment of life. The book's title is borrowed from McLuhan's apt metaphor, but questions its underlying assumptions. The contributors recast some of the basic elements of the complex phenomenon of the so-called globalization. Trade laws, industrial relations, economic and political systems are analyzed in a critical perspective. Moreover, environment and sustainable development, languages' rights, education, mobility and migrations are discussed in view of contemporary changes that societies are undergoing throughout the world. The vulnerability of societies caught up in new networks of interdependence due to reduced distances also are put to the fore, in the context of the new accelerated circulation of information, ideas, goods, and human beings. Provacative reading for scholars interested in a multinational, Euro-Atlanticist perspective on globalization.

The international discourse is most recently focused on some negative outgrowths of world economy, especially after the Seattle Round (December 1999) and its unexpected uprising of protests. The researches of the Center for Euro-Atlantic Studies (University of Genoa), in cooperation with scholars from Europe, Canada and the United States, offer in this collection of essays a multinational contribution which is part of their work in progress on the multifaceted issue of the contemporary global village. The book features some optimistic outcomes, and some worries about what the new millennium will not achieve, despite the common and transnational efforts, that is to say a fair re-distribution of resources to reach what R. W. Fogel defines a post-modern equality, based on values as well as on material wealth. In sum, the essayists wonder if some of the hidden promises of globalization will develop in a better new century.

This book offers in-depth legal and political analysis concerning the compatibility of the Westphalian state model with globalization and the digital revolution. It explores the concept of democracy in a globalized world, discusses the legitimacy of economic integration in the global market, and presents three case studies (from Brazil, Taiwan and Spain) on the impact of social media on elections. It further entails novel perspectives on the impact of digitalization on national borders, and the role of citizens and experts in the shaping of globalization. A final chapter addresses the extent to which insights gained from the analysis of the abovementioned aspects will need to be considered in efforts to recover from the current global health and economic crisis.

Is the world entering a period of breakdown or breakthrough? As Suter makes clear, globalization is reducing the role of national governments, but it is not yet clear what will follow the current world order. He explains the process of globalization and uses the technique of scenario planning to examine alternative forms of global order and disorder.

The current world order is ending. The old order has been based on nation-states, or countries, with centralized national governments. As Keith Suter makes clear, the process of globalization, which is now the most important factor in world politics, is undermining that world order and leading to world disorder. Globalization is the process of the erosion of the nation-state as the basic unit of world politics, the declining power of national governments, and the reduced significance of national boundaries.

Global change is running ahead of governments' abilities to manage it. Economics is only a part of that process. Suter also deals with other vital concerns: war, crime, environment, and health. Therefore, while Suter examines the growth and impact of transnational corporations, he also takes in many other matters that comprise globalization. The process of globalization is not reversible. Therefore, there has to be a search for a new order rather than vain efforts to patch up the system of the nation-states. Suter concludes by exploring alternatives to the current world order using the technique of scenario planning. A provocative analysis that will be of interest to scholars, students, researchers, and the general public concerned with international relations, law, and economic issues.

This book discusses the strategies that will define China's overseas expansion in the coming years. China is spending billions of dollars acquiring overseas companies and assets, from the Chicago Mercantile Exchange to the Hinkley Point nuclear station. Will this corporate buying binge continue? In this book, Collier argues that state control will occur only among certain strategically key acquisitions while many of the corporate acquisitions will be done by smaller, private firms. However, China's rising debt load may restrict the ability of many firms to obtain capital, including from China's shadow banking sector. A key to understanding China's strategy is to look at how the state intervenes in private business. Collier ably brings clarity to the "gray area" between state and private economic activity in this complex landscape. As the West faces China's growing investments abroad, this book will be required reading for executives and decision makers, journalists, and policy makers.