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Books > Reference & Interdisciplinary > Interdisciplinary studies > Globalization
Globalization has become perhaps the most central--and one of the most contested--terms in the social sciences in the present day. If one wishes to understand the conditions in which different groups of people live today, it seems increasingly impossible to ignore the aspects of those conditions that are seen to be characterized, or influenced, by "global" forces, movements and phenomena. Regarding particular phenomena, no matter how apparently "local" or parochial in nature, as being located within "global" flows or systems or structures, seems today to be a very necessary component of any effective sort of social investigation. Many social scientific scholars in the last decade or so have engaged in a "global turn" in their thinking, investigating key areas and facets of human life--such as work, economy, cities, politics, and media--in terms of how these are being affected, influenced and changed by (what can be taken to be) "globalizing forces." Themes of inter-societal, trans-societal and cross-planetary connections, structures, processes and movements are increasingly central across the social sciences, including sociology, anthropology, geography, political science, economics, international relations, and many humanities disciplines too. Moreover, such themes--and the controversies and polemics often attached to them--have become common currency in many spheres outside the academy, with politicians, businesspeople, political activists and citizens of all varieties taking up ideas associated with "globalization," and deploying them both to make sense of, and also sometimes to try to change, the world around them. This book covers the issues of globalization as they relate to food. Contributors include Carole Counihan, Alan Warde, Pat Caplan, Alex McIntosh, Rick Wilk, Jeff Sobal, Marianne Lien and Krishnendu Ray.
Cross-border regions are newly emerging social spaces stretching across national borders. Globalization makes national borders more permeable and leads to a rearrangement of economic and political interactions. This is particularly pronounced within supra-regional blocs featuring specific internal border regimes. The ensuing opportunities are increasingly seized to create border-spanning discourses and institutions. This is illustrated in the book by a range of experts analyzing cross-border regions in Europe, America, East Asia and Africa.
A seminal study, The University in Development explores how the university is indeed 'in development': pursuing a new 'third' mission of external societal development (alongside its two existing missions of teaching and research), and experiencing a major internal revolution as this impacts on its structural organisation. Already prevalent in many institutions internationally, this third academic mission has begun to pose troubling challenges to existing academic research cultures and systems in South Africa. Emerging from an extended longitudinal study, The University in Development provides a powerful analysis of the complex nexus of transformation occurring between universities and the rapidly changing global society of which they form a part. Embedded within the book is a central theoretical claim: that driving this new international transformation within universities is a global post-1970s new capitalist industrial revolution, with economies seeking out use-inspired basic research at universities in order to survive and grow within the competitive international market. The analysis thus provides new understandings of current concepts of 'globalisation', 'use-oriented' research, 'knowledge society and economy', and 'national system of innovation'. The book is structured in three parts. While the first considers case studies of this academic transformation globally, the second part homes in on new research centres at Western Cape universities to examine the combination of creativity and disruption arising as this third academic mission evolves in South Africa. Part 3 argues that new visions, concepts and policies of research are needed, if our universities are to unlock their 'knowledges' for societal development, with greater social justice not only for industry but also for civil society.
This seventh volume in the Academy of Internation Business series focuses on the European dimensions of international business and presents the work of leading scholars. Increasingly dominant views held about globalization and universal modes of management are explored and challenged through three core themes: the European dimensions of human resource management; multinational subsidiary operations; and emerging issues for the future of international business in Europe.
The emergence of voluntary corporate codes of conduct since the early 1990s is both a manifestation of and a response to the process of globalization. They have been part of a more general shift away from state regulation of transnational corporations towards and emphasis on corporate self-regulation in the areas of labour and environmental standards and human rights. This work provides a critical perspective on the growth and significance of corporate codes with a particular focus on working conditions and labour rights. It brings together work by academics, practitioners and activists.
International capital mobility is a fundamental aspect of the political economy of globalization, and this study develops a new framework for understanding this crucial phenomenon. Matthew Watson draws a distinction between the spatial and the functional mobility of capital, allowing fresh insights into existing work on the subject whilst repoliticizing the very idea of capital being 'in motion'. The dynamics of capital mobility and the patterns of risk exposure are illustrated through four cases: the Asian financial crisis; the Tobin tax; the Enron affair; and the proposed consolidation of the European stock market.
After nearly two decades of market liberalizing reforms in the Americas, small and medium size enterprises (SMEs)--the backbone of capitalization the world over--have expanded and deepened their presence in the region. This book highlights the continuing liberalization measures nations are adopting to facilitate SME creation and growth, the remaining barriers that have not yet been torn down (e.g. business licensing procedures, credit access, work rules) as well as new regulatory and financial impediments that have been threatening SME sector gains during the last decade. Using case studies from Latin America's big emerging markets along with the case of Costa Rica's important laboratory for entrepreneurship, the contributors address the current and prospective outlook for Latin American entrepreneurs and their enterprises in the new global environment.
Globalization, the shape of cities, the future of cities, the increasing gap between rich and poor inhabitants, and ethnic and racial segregation, are the key themes of this book. From their experiences of a wide range of cities, from Warsaw to Istanbul, Sao Paulo to New York, the authors examine what might be done to improve the lot of the citizen.
Building the Republican State is an insightful analysis of the new state and the new public management that is emerging in the twenty-first century. It presents the historical stages that led to the modern state, identifies a crisis of the nation-state and its origins in a fiscal crisis and in globalization, and situates public management in the last phase - the social-liberal and republican state. To understand such stages the author develops the theory of republican rights, as a fourth type of citizenship right, after the civil, the political, and the social rights. The book contains an original model of reform, in which the roles of the state, the forms of ownership, the types of public administration, and the organizational-institutions indicated in each situation are put together. Additionally, the book discusses the political theories behind the reform, and its political implications. Throughout the book, the author underlines the complementary roles of markets and the state, and the importance of building state capacity to assure administrative efficiency, always having in count the 'democratic constraint', i.e., the prevalence of the political over the economic realm. This is essential reading both for those studying political theory and government reform, as well as for anyone interested in state politics and globalization.
This book tackles the important task of readdressing and updating the concept of 'society', developing a new theory of society for our times. Taking characteristic elements of our times into account, the book explores society in the context of both globalization and conflict theory and uses Europe as a test case due to its unique position between the nation state and society and between the global and the local. Rejuvenating the concept of society and advancing an original and enhanced understanding of society today, this book will appeal to scholars in Sociology, Politics, Social Theory and European Studies.
The greatest political debate of our time is about the blind rush towards a single global economy, its consequences for jobs, democracy, human well-being and cultural diversity, and its impact on the natural world that sustains us. Its effects will be profound and irreversible, but globalization itself is not inevitable. In "The Case Against the Global Economy", 24 leading economic, agricultural, cultural and environmental authorities, drawn from across the world, argue that free trade and economic globalization are producing exactly the opposite results to those promised. From a detailed analysis of the new global economy, its structures and its full social and ecological implications, they show how it is undermining our liberty, our security and our well-being, and is devastating the planet.;First published in the USA in 1996, in an edition focused on North America, the book won the American Political Science Association award for the "Best Book in Ecological and Transformational Politics". This completely revised and updated international edition presents a passionate and persuasive case for the need to reverse course, away from globalization and towards a revitalized democracy,
In an era of accelerating change in the world economy, services are assuming greater importance for the economies of both developed and developing countries. As technological developments allow increasing tradeability of services, huge global firms are offering services across national boundaries. This book explores the global impact of this economic phenomenon from both empirical and theoretical perspectives. A range of international authors, including both academics and representatives of major international organisations, offer contributions in two key areas: case studies covering a wide range of service industries, from consumer services, such as hotels and airlines, to professional business-to-business services; and theories and paradigms of economic behaviour. The book questions whether traditional models developed with manufacturing industries in mind are applicable to the service sector, and suggests new directions for economic theory. Globalization of Services therefore offers economists both a wealth of new source material and a fresh perspective on the modern global economy.
Today, despite many significant achievements in science, technology, medicine, transportation and communications, and a vast increase in world trade, the globalized world economy is facing serious socio-economic, political, cultural and environmental problems, of potentially catastrophic proportions. Although many attempts have been made by international organizations like the World Bank and IMF to raise living standards, the dire poverty of billions of people and the widening gap between rich and poor, both within and between countries, point to the failure of these policies. Consequently, we face global crises of inequality, injustice, poverty, marginalization, exclusion and environmental degradation. There has also been a huge rise in crime, corruption and now terrorism. Economic and political failures have resulted in mass migrations across national borders, causing further problems of xenophobia, fear, mistrust, racism and intolerance, which are threatening the fabric of societies all over the world. So, what has gone wrong? Dr Mofid, who has taught economics at university for over 20 years, argues that the root of the problem lies in the way economics is taught, with its narrow focus on "self-interest" and "competition" as the sole motivating factors in economic activity. This ignores equally important considerations like compassion, co-operation and the common good, which are essential for a prosperous and harmonious society. Globalization today is regarded by many as a means of securing for richer individuals, corporations and nations an ever larger slice of the wealth produced, polluting the environment in their greedy pursuit of more, and locking billions into hopeless poverty. In "Globalisation for the Common Good", the author argues that it is possible to achieve a balance between economically efficient production and an equitable distribution of the wealth in a sustainable environment, so that everybody who is willing to work can share in the benefits of globalization. He puts forward an alternative economic model which has firm theological, spiritual and ethical foundations.
European economies are becoming increasingly integrated, and at the same time, the world economy is becoming global. This has raised questions about the specific strategies followed by transnational companies. It also raises the issue of whether the drive towards integration is compatible with that towards globalization strategies; whether, and to what extent, they strengthen each other. "European Integration and Global Corporate Strategies" explores the links between the options of world-wide globalization and European integration which are open to today's corporations, highlighting whether there are conflicts or complementaries between them. The book is divided into two parts: the first part looks at specific mechanisms and trends of globalization in the context of changes due to European integration. The second part considers the role of innovation and technology diffusion as part of the integration and globalization strategies. All the contributors are experts from Britain, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. This book should be of particular interest to students and researchers in the fields of business, economics, politics and European studies.
Chinese business firms and their networks of personal and business relationships, are becoming increasingly important players in the global economy. This book examines the global and regional operations of Chinese business firms and considers their implications for the management and organisation of these firms, aided by specific case studies. Written by leading researchers in this field, The Globalisation of Chinese Business Firms is a valuable and timely contribution to the study of Asian business systems.
This book asks if it is time to "reboot" the fundamental institutions of global international society. The volume revisits Hedley Bull's seminal contribution The Anarchical Society by exploring the interconnected nature of change, contestation and resilience for maintaining order in today's uncertain and complex environment. The volume adds to Bull's theorizing by recognizing that order demands change, that contestation should be welcomed, and that resilience is anchored in local and agent-led forms of ordering. The contributors to Part One of the book focus on theoretical and conceptual issues related to order in the global international society, whilst the contributors to Part Two of the book focus on the primary institutions as listed by Hedley Bull with the addition of a chapter on the market adding a distinctive commentary on new and important dynamics of change, contestation and resilience of the existing institutions.
What does consumption in the global south signify, and how are its complexities communicated in media discourses? This book looks at the media representation of consumer culture in Africa, China, Brazil and India through case studies ranging from celebrity selfies, to travel websites, news reports and documentary film. |
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