Multiple crises have led many to conclude that the current economic and political system is broken. The present and future look increasingly precarious - if not outright dystopian Stephen McBride calls for radical solutions to these crises to provide a more rational and sustainable future. He critiques other potential responses which would further curtail democracy and increase the inequalities associated with neoliberal globalism. Demonstrating how mainstream ideas, powerful interests and political institutions face major challenges but block progressive alternatives, he argues that for radical transformation to succeed, institutional changes are necessary.

International trade must be analysed within the historical context within which it occurs. Behind the statistics on trade flows lie power structures, class interests and international hierarchies. These change over time and how countries respond to them has critical implications for their citizen's well-being. In this book, the history of trade in Australia, Canada and Mexico is analysed. Trade agreements are analysed in detail to explore the new forms that dependence and subordination have taken. Arguing that the free trade agreements are significantly biased in favour of the United States, the contributors analyse how each of the three countries are being subject to specific forms of re-peripheralisation and examine possible alternatives for a progressive future based on an integration in the global economy which enhances, rather than limits, democracy and social justice. By providing an historical and critical account of trade policy in the three countries, the book provides a welcome antidote to the ahistorical accounts of free trade supporters.

Highly critical and controversial, this comparative volume, uses a well-established centre-periphery model (from World-Systems Theory and Dependency Theory) to study free-trade agreements, focusing on three countries (Australia, Canada and Mexico) with comparable locations within global capitalism as the basis for comparison.

For most of the twentieth century, Australia, Canada and Mexico were engaged in national projects of development. By the end of the twentieth century, all three had departed significantly from these projects under the weight of neoliberal globalism, symbolized by the signing of free trade agreements with the United States. This shift of economic paradigm towards neoliberalism and the political shift in the international political economy to one of unparalleled U.S. hegemony raises the spectre of 're-peripheralisation' for all three countries.

Arguing that 're-peripheralisation' is already underway in all three countries and can only be reversed by adopting alternative projects appropriate to the twenty-first century, this book is a valuable resource for all students of international trade and politics.

Austerity is not always one-size-fits-all; it can be a flexible, class-based strategy taking several forms depending on the political-economic forces and institutional characteristics present. This important book identifies continuity and variety in crisis-driven austerity restructuring across Canada, Denmark, Ireland and Spain. In their analysis, the authors focus on several components of austerity, including fiscal and monetary policy, budget narratives, public sector reform, labor market flexibilization, and resistance. In so doing, they uncover how austerity can be categorized into different dynamic types, and expose the economic, social, and political implications of the varieties of austerity.

This straightforward examination of globalization within a Canadian context considers its effects on sovereignty, covers democratic governance, and looks at the losers and winners of a globalized Canada.

Bryan M. Evans, Stephen McBride, and their contributors delve further into the more practical, ground-level side of the austerity equation in Austerity: The Lived Experience. Economically, austerity policies cannot be seen to work in the way elite interests claim that they do. Rather than soften the blow of the economic and financial crisis of 2008 for ordinary citizens, policies of austerity slow growth and lead to increased inequality. While political consent for such policies may have been achieved, it was reached amidst significant levels of disaffection and strong opposition to the extremes of austerity. The authors build their analysis in three sections, looking alternatively at theoretical and ideological dimensions of the lived experience of austerity; how austerity plays out in various public sector occupations and policy domains; and the class dimensions of austerity. The result is a ground-breaking contribution to the study of austerity politics and policies.

"The book is both timely and sorely needed. There is simply nothing like it. A brilliant and surprisingly clear analysis of the theory and practice of Canadian politics in the current conjuncture of capitalist development, the authors provide an exceptionally clear and most useful exposition of the forces at play, arising out of the propensity of capitalism towards crisis." Examining Canadian political and economic developments of the twenty-first century, Private Affluence, Public Austerity provides a systematic analysis of the dynamics of Canadian politics in the era of neoliberal globalization. Stephen McBride and Heather Whiteside conclude that, although the last three decades of neoliberal rule are characterized by recurrent crises, the system has proven to be resilient -- even in the face of a severe recession. Canada's "business as usual" approach to the recent financial crisis, an approach that fails to challenge the policies that are fundamental to the system and culpable for the crisis, is striking. Through policies aimed at the dismantling of the welfare state, privatization and the reduction of the state's economic role -- as well as an enthusiastic embrace of globalization and liberalized trade and investment regimes -- the legacy of the Canadian political system is one of private affluence, public austerity and democratic decline. Private Affluence, Public Austerity asks us to consider the relationship between neoliberalism and crisis, and their role in democratic decline. What is the legacy of neoliberalism? It also asks the difficult questions: What is the future of neoliberalism? And what role will Canada play in charting the course of that future? This book offers an engaging and enlightening exploration of the theories of contemporary capitalism and reminds us that overcoming democratic malaise is a necessary first step on the path to change.

This book explores the relationship between neo-liberalism, state power and global governance, exploring national differences in the exercise of state power in a variety of industrialized and developing economies. Among the strengths of this volume are its detailed global scope, its range of case studies in diverse policy areas, its analysis and critique of neo-liberalism, in theory and practice, and its impact upon state power and global governance.

Following the 2007 - 08 global financial crisis, Western nations engaged a variety of measures that departed quite dramatically from conventional neoliberal wisdom. However, these policies were quickly succeeded by what we now call "austerity" measures. This collection engages with the question: Is there something new in this era of austerity, or should this be understood as a continuation and intensification of earlier forms of neoliberalism? Finally, Jim Stanford's afterword probes to the heart of the question of why austerity in the first place.

The volume explores the relationship between neo-liberalism, state power and global governance. It seeks to show how neo-liberalism has failed to deliver a framework for state power and global governance capable of delivering stability and enduring prosperity. It also contends that the role of politics in general, and the state and global governance in particular, should be defined more broadly than the simple neo-liberal construction of institutions for the market.

This collection of original articles offers an up-to-date, critical review of the global political economy today, covering such topics as international finance, corporate governance, military power, international labour standards, global health, human rights, and more. Assembling a group of top scholars, the editors are able to provide a wide-ranging yet coherent survey of contemporary international institutions and how they are governed. In the process, they offer a useful basis for understanding the financial crisis of 2008.

"Relations of Global Power" is the only book available that examines the many different dimensions of the international regulatory structure across a range of issues, placing them all within the context of neoliberal globalization. It will be of interest to scholars of political science, sociology, policy studies, public administration, and global studies, and will also appeal to activists and members of alter-globalization movements.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is a much cited but little studied institution, and its role in international governance is poorly understood. Nevertheless, the OECD plays an important role in the emerging structure of global governance. Focusing upon the OECD's core functions, contributors to this volume trace the OECD's history, structure, and role in international governance as well as its function as a "policy ideas generator" and purveyor of "best practices" in a variety of economic and social policy domains.

Globalization and neoconservatism continue to shape change and require constant evaluation. These thought-provoking and informative essays are an important contribution to the ongoing debate on social welfare and labour market policy in Canada.

The fall-out from the economic and financial crisis of 2008 had profound implications for countries across the world, leading different states to determine the best approach to mitigating its effects. In The Austerity State, a group of established and emerging scholars tackles the question of why states continue to rely on policies that, on many levels, have failed. After 2008, austerity policies were implemented in various countries, a fact the contributors link to the persistence of neoliberalism and its accepted wisdoms about crisis management. In the immediate aftermath of the 2008 collapse, governments and central banks appeared to adopt a Keynesian approach to salvaging the global economy. This perception is mistaken, the authors argue. The "austerian" analysis of the crisis is ahistorical and shifts the blame from the under-regulated private sector to public, or sovereign, debt for which public authorities are responsible. The Austerity State provides a critical examination of the accepted discourse around austerity measures and explores the reasons behind its continued prevalence in the world.

The fall-out from the economic and financial crisis of 2008 had profound implications for countries across the world, leading different states to determine the best approach to mitigating its effects. In The Austerity State, a group of established and emerging scholars tackles the question of why states continue to rely on policies that, on many levels, have failed. After 2008, austerity policies were implemented in various countries, a fact the contributors link to the persistence of neoliberalism and its accepted wisdoms about crisis management. In the immediate aftermath of the 2008 collapse, governments and central banks appeared to adopt a Keynesian approach to salvaging the global economy. This perception is mistaken, the authors argue. The "austerian" analysis of the crisis is ahistorical and shifts the blame from the under-regulated private sector to public, or sovereign, debt for which public authorities are responsible. The Austerity State provides a critical examination of the accepted discourse around austerity measures and explores the reasons behind its continued prevalence in the world.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is a much cited but little studied institution, and its role in international governance is poorly understood. Nevertheless, the OECD plays an important role in the emerging structure of global governance. Focusing upon the OECD's core functions, contributors to this volume trace the OECD's history, structure, and role in international governance as well as its function as a "policy ideas generator" and purveyor of "best practices" in a variety of economic and social policy domains.