The Handbook of the International Political Economy of Production offers a comprehensive, state-of-the-art overview of the changing world of global production. The book explores the topic in a range of directions, including the human material 'used' in production across the globe and alternatives proposed from different quarters.Chapters cover the geography of why and where jobs are moving in both manufacturing and services. The doubling of the world's available labor supply after the opening up of the planned economies in Europe and Asia has sharply tilted the balance of power towards giant corporations. Labor and the politics of work is analyzed in a number of key countries. Possible signs of a recovery of organized labor's negotiating power on this vastly expanded playing field are discussed in separate chapters, and a complete overview is provided of labour research networks currently active. This important volume addresses topics relating to the human and natural basis on which production rests, from the consequences of the exploitation of the body and mind to sex work, biotechnology, and the prospects for ecological re-balancing. Written by a team of authors from fourteen different countries and comprising some of the biggest names in contemporary social science as well as topical specialists, this Handbook will prove a critical resource to political economists at all levels, trade unionists and NGO activists in the labor and human rights sphere, politicians and journalists. Contributors: J. Baines, A. Bhattacharjee, M. Boyer, D. Bradanini, U. Brand, J. Chan, C.B.N. Chin, M. Davies, R. Delgado Wise, R. Desai, A. Fishwick, A. Freeman, S. Gindin, K. Gray, J.-C. Graz, Y. Gromyko, J. Harrod, O. Holman, R. Ihara, Y. Jang, S. Kay, D.T. Martin, S. McGrath, J. Merk, P. Moore, L. Panitch, M. Paterson, N. Pun, A. Roy, S. Sassen, M. Selden, B. Selwyn, G.M. enalp, OE. enalp, W. Seppmann, B.J. Silver, K. Strauss, M. Wissen, J. Wullweber

This is not a book of facts; it's a book of 'facts'. Should you finish it believing we became the planet's dominant species because predators found us too smelly to eat; or that the living bloodline of Christ is a family of Japanese garlic farmers - well, that's on you. Why are we here? Do ghosts exist? Did life on Earth begin after a badly tidied-up picnic? Was it just an iceberg that sank the Titanic? Are authors stealing their plotlines from the future? Will we ever talk to animals? And why, when you're in the shower, does the shower curtain always billow in towards you? We don't know the answers to any of these questions. But don't worry, no matter what questions you have, you can bet on the fact that there is someone (or something) out there, investigating it on your behalf. From the sports stars who use cosmic energy to office plants investigating murders, The Theory of Everything Else will act as a handbook for those who want to think differently.

Sustainable Work in Europe brings together a strong core of Swedish working life research, with additional contributions from across Europe, and discussion of current issues such as digitalisation, climate change and the Covid pandemic. It bridges gaps between social science and medicine, and adds emphasis on age and gender. The book links workplace practice, theory and policy, and is intended to provide the basis for ongoing debate and dialogue.

This open access book presents a unique interdiscplinary analysis of urban projects promoted by the EU from a comparative perspective This book presents cross-sectional and cross-time analyses at the territorial level targeted by these initiatives focusing on the design, theory and impacts of urban projects developed under the framework of initiatives promoted by the European Union. The book includes a new methodology to analyse the design and theory of urban plans (the comparative urban portfolio analysis) and quasi-experimental strategies to perform impact assessment at the neighbourhood level (the territorial target of those initiatives). Although empirical analyses focus on examples in Spain, the resulting analytical and methodological outcomes of these studies can be applied in a broader context to analyse integral urban policies in other countries.

Bringing his cosmic perspective to civilization on Earth, Neil deGrasse Tyson, bestselling author of Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, shines new light on the crucial fault lines of our time-war, politics, religion, truth, beauty, gender, race, and tribalism-in a way that stimulates a deeper sense of unity for us all. In a time when our political and cultural perspectives feel more divisive than ever, Tyson provides a much-needed antidote to so much of what divides us, while making a passionate case for the twin engines of enlightenment-a cosmic perspective and the rationality of science. After thinking deeply about how a scientist views the world and about what Earth looks like from space, Tyson has found that terrestrial thoughts change as our brain resets and recalibrates life's priorities, along with the actions we might take in response. As a result, no outlook on culture, society, or civilisation remains untouched. In Starry Messenger, Tyson reveals just how human the enterprise of science is. Far from a cold, unfeeling undertaking, scientific methods, tools, and discoveries have shaped modern civilisation and created the landscape we've built for ourselves on which to live, work, and play. Tyson shows how an infusion of science and rational thinking renders worldviews deeper and more informed than ever before-and exposes unfounded perspectives and unjustified emotions. With crystalline prose and an abundance of evidence, Starry Messenger walks us through the scientific palette that sees and paints the world differently. From lessons on resolving global conflict to reminders of how precious it is to be alive, Tyson reveals, with warmth and eloquence, ten surprising, brilliant, and beautiful truths of human society, informed and enlightened by knowledge of our place in the universe.

Exploring the growing field of mobilities research, this Handbook focuses on the flows and movements of people, artefacts, capital, information and signs on different social and geographical scales. It examines the systems and practices of mobilities within societies, politics, cultures and economies from different theoretical, epistemological and methodological perspectives. Reflecting the variety and diversity of research methods and applications, contributions from top scholars highlight the multiple dimensions of mobilities, from transport to tourism, cargo to information, and across physical, virtual and imaginative mobilities. Chapters analyse mobilities from different angles and scales, emphasising interdisciplinarity by looking at how researchers engage with mobile methods. An inspirational toolbox of research methods and applications for mobilities, sociology and human geography scholars, this Handbook provides both qualitative and quantitative insights to the topic. It will be of interest to policymakers and urban planners looking for a better understanding of the impact and importance of mobilities in contemporary societies. Contributors include: K. Barry, N.M. Bennetsen, J. Berg, T. Birtchnell, T. Boehme, G. Bourg, R. Boyd, A.V.H. Bueno, M. Buscher, E.C. Cabalquinto, C.B. Christensen, F. da Costa Portugal Duarte, M. de Neergaard, A. Elliott, M. Freudendal-Pedersen, J. Germann Molz, K. Goetz, N. Grauslund Kristensen, K. Hartmann-Petersen, M. Henriksson, J.M. Hildebrand, F. Hirschhorn, M. Huyghe, O. Jarv, H.L. Jensen, O.B. Jensen, S. Kesselring, H. Krobath, G.R. Larsen, C. Lassen, A. Maddrell, K. Manderscheid, A. Masso, L. Murray, L. Nitschke, A. Paulsson, A. Perkins, R. Rackham, A. Rocci, L. Schindler, M. Sheller, S. Silm, L.C. Smith, S. Smith, S. Sodero, G. Sunderer, C.H. Sorensen, B. Szerszynski, K.S. Tan, S. Thulin, M. Trandberg Jensen, C. Tschoerner-Budde, D. Tyfield, R. Tzanelli, P. Vannini, S. Wilson, D. Zuev