This absorbing book addresses the seemingly simple question of who rules the world by linking it to debates about who owns the world and what this means for the dynamics of global power distribution. Several expert contributors focus on global issues, including the role of transnational finance, interlocking directorates, ownership and tax havens. Others examine how these issues at the global level interact with the regional or nation state level in the US, the UK, China, Australia and Mexico. The book scrutinizes globalization from a fresh, holistic perspective, examining the relationship between the national and transnational to uncover the most significant structures and agents of power. Possible policy futures are also considered. Academics and researchers across a varied spectrum of fields encompassing business and management, international studies and public policy will find this book both fascinating and important. Contributors: W.K. Carroll, B. Cronin, F.-X. Dudouet, E. Gremont, J. Harris, G. Murray, D. Peetz, A. Salas-Porras, J. Scott, C.L. Staples, A. van Fossen, A. Vion

It is often asserted that the ruling elite in Western capitalist economies now consists of liberal intellectuals and their media sympathisers. By contrast this book looks at the real elite in Australian and New Zealand society and shows that there is still a ruling class based upon economic dominance. From an analysis of corporate and public records, interviews, and other primary and secondary data, it develops a picture of networks of power that are changing but are as real as any network in the past.

It is often asserted that the ruling elite in Western capitalist economies now consists of liberal intellectuals and their media sympathisers. By contrast, this book looks at the real elite in Australian and New Zealand society and shows that there is still a ruling class based upon economic dominance. From an analysis of corporate and public records, interviews, and other primary and secondary data, it develops a picture of networks of power that are changing but are as real as any network in the past.

This text provides a cutting edge analysis of the increasingly central role think tanks play in societies worldwide. Examining their control of global resources both in economic and political policy fields and their inroads into structures of power, it addresses key questions. How have think thanks reached these positions of power? Has the northern core produced neoliberal clones that have hydra-like colonised the globe? Who funds and controls these think tanks and for what purpose? How is policy making knowledge created? How are new policy ideas propagated and validated? How do think tanks become dominant sources of knowledge in public spheres including the media? Exploring the dynamics of think tank networks in specific regions and countries, this book considers the coalitions they generate to advance the social purpose they endorse and, in particular, the spaces they occupy in the structures and fields of power at the national, regional and global level.

This book re-shapes thinking on 'gender gaps'-differences between men and women in their incomes, their employment and their conditions of work. It shows how the interaction between regulation distance and content, labor segmentation and norms helps us understand various aspects of gender gaps. It brings together leading authors from industrial relations, sociology, politics, and feminist economics, who outline the roles the family, state public policy, trade unions and class play in creating gender gaps, and consider the lessons from international comparisons. While many studies have focused on the role of society or organizations, this book also pays attention to the role of occupations in promoting and reinforcing gender gaps, discussing groups such as apparel outworkers, film and video workers, care workers, public-sector professionals like librarians, chief executives, academics, and coal miners. This book will be of interest to practitioners, policy makers, academics and students interested in understanding why inequality between men and women persists today-and what might be done about it.