Globalization Books

At last a book on globalisation that avoids vague generalisations and dismal futurology. Robert Went presents the main economic arguments from an accessible, non-dogmatic Marxist perspective. This book would be a great tool for anyone involved in anti-globalisation mobilisations.

For those interested (seriously or curiously) in Globalization this is one the central pieces to be read. The book provides a sociological framework for the analysis and understanding of the meanings of the term and how the world came to be as it is. It is a serious work, grounded on the most serious sociological thinking. In general terms, we could say that this work has a serious cultural perspective on the subject matter. The book has been translated to 6 languages (I translated it to one of them) and has been regarded as "a treaty" on the subject matter. The author himself has been regarded by scholars in the field as one of the leading theorists in the subject matter. My personal opinion is that this book is becoming one of the centuries masterpiece in the theorization and problematization of globalization. If you want to know more about the book, look for book reviews in the Sociological Abstracts or email me: barrosoj@hotmail.com

Very important educational and socioeconomically-focused work on the direction needed in education for the next genration.

The one thing that our San Diego city fathers haven't a clue about has to do with infrastructure.
Now, before I lose you because infrastructure is not a known attention getter, here's the punchline. Read Steve Erie's new book, "Globalizing L.A." (and San Diego), published by Stanford University Press.
Steve Erie is a professor of political science and director of the Urban Studies and Planning program at UCSD. He is fun and sparkling to listen to, with a wonderful mind to match his immense knowledge. He appeared at D.G. Wills Books in La Jolla.
Erie also leads SD Civic Solutions committee studying infrastructure, a most boring word until a pothole appears in your street to poke your wheels out of alignment. Yet infrastructure is the foundation for all else that any city or neighborhood requires to function at all.
The strangest part of civilization is that any otherwise "normal" voter could find the word boring; boring until you've read Erie's words and his verbal comment and wit on the subject.
He tells us that Los Angeles was second to San Diego until the former began understanding the need for expansive airport, harbor, freeways, bridges and you name it, while America's sleepiest city, San Diego, had added hundreds of thousands of people to its environs.
San Diego has population but forgot foundation. So much of its "foundation" is clichÈ like "best weather" (it is), "America's finest city" (self-anointed to thumb its nose at a Republican Convention that had insulted us), and of course, "laid back."
As a person who moved to L.A. in its good old days, sunshine and winter warmth were the only infrastructure I needed, until the freeways became parking lots and I looked for someone to blame, not having read Pogo yet.
Professor Erie warns that to be a lasting global place, it isn't enough to have the world's third busiest port system and fourth busiest airport. Erie brings out leadership as a compelling reason for L.A.'s progress, including Mayor Tom Bradley's marvelously astute and trusted leadership. When I was a young leader there, I worked with Tom Bradley and some of the great entrepreneurs whose love of place was high above their own vanities.
However, past evidence is celebrated, these are new times, with new issues. As Orange and San Diego counties have evidenced, there is a split between some of the population who believe that new jobs mean more traffic and those who feel that more jobs allow their families to progress and survive.
"It's the economy, stupid," has been replaced with more, "it's the plants, endangered species, canyons, animals and waterfront which must be protected more than the human specie; in addition, the role of traffic as a deal killer, whether it be auto or airplane, and now the threat and fear of terror.
Erie explains that our needs for precious infrastructure is severely underfunded which threatens competitiveness. We are bush-league in much of our planning and funding while China becomes a new global power with its massive expenditures on infrastructure.
Erie criticizes the "Latte Index" which equates progress with how many Starbucks and big boxes are in an area. The so-called "creative class" is synonymous with Silicon Valley and our intellectual achievement.
There are the "boring" erector set ingredients that can't earn a buzz from them as long as the coffee is imported and fresh. The oil companies learned that people will pay anything to please their cars; they learned this from how much people will pay for a cup of java sprinkled with sugar and heavy cream.
By emphasizing the role as catalyst that public capital investments plays, and how vital infrastructure is in shaping the future of a community, Erie seeks to reshape contemporary policy debates concerning key competitiveness and success. This book adds invaluably to knowledge of regional governance and development, foretelling which places will become smart cities and which will be future ghost towns.

(Spanish version)
La comunidad educativa habia esperado por mucho tiempo contar con un libro como el que acaba de publicar el Dr. John S. Levin. Su trabajo resume con mucha precision los principales retos, lecciones aprendidas y direcciones futuras que el sistema de Colegios Comunitarios tendra en el futuro proximo.
El trabajo de John S. Levin es una aportacion novedosa, inteligente y que aporta bases para una concienzuda reflexion acerca del sistema intermedio de educacion superior. Su lectura es no solo util para los Estados Unidos y Canada, sino tambien para paises de America Latina que estan buscando desarrollar sus sistemas de educacion superior intermedia, como es el caso de Mexico.

Heard the author being interviewed on NPR and bought the book immediately. Well worth reading--and it is a serious read. An important and fascinating one that keeps you going. Well written, humorous at times, self-aware, a great snapshot of whats happening in our country today. Really think its a must read.

For anyone wanting a scholarly view on globalization this is an excellent place to find it. Chapters written by well known contributors gives the articles credibility. It is hoped the states, international organizations, and agencies gather for global intervention on the growing list of global issues we face today and will more so in the future-the editors coin this "governance". Well written articles make the reading both informative and interesting.

The thing I liked most about the book is that it is a collection of essays from several authors who are experts in various facets of the Greek-Turkish relationship and represent different sides of the story. The authors were Greek, Turkish, American, and British. The issues addressed include, as usual, the effect of the Cyprus problem on the two countries, the impact of the EU, the role of NATO, border disputes, treatment of minorities, and Middle Eastern security. However, this book was not just a narative on the problems facing the two countries but also a discussion of solutions to easing strained relations and resolving problems in the Greek-Turkish arena. Overall, a nice variety of viewpoints and potential solutions.

Amy Gdala's HEADS WE WIN dramatically reworks political fiction so as to address repression and alienation at the start of the new century. With both wit and insight, she explores the infiltration of surveillance technologies into daily life (e.g. mobile phone games, porn spam) and sees in the the alarming increase of OCD an appropriate (rather than pathological) response to contemporary forms of political oppression. Moreover, the novel's narrative is enriched with archetypal resonances: the protagonist's journey through a literal underground, occupied by dissidents and their jerry-built communications systems, and her transfiguring ascent of a mountain, in the shadow of a mythic Wales. Gdala speaks as a powerful voice of dissent in the face of a Britain degraded by the politics of Thatcher and Blair.

Dr. Paul Maltby.

The author was true to the content and context. It was factually correct and sheded light on many factors that are hindering educational progress in Chicago. I really liked how she linked gobalization to educational policy and how it has impacted minority communities. An excellent job was done in showing how the present mayor was actually carrying out what his father started. Finally it reveals that Chicago never had any plans to incorporate African Americans in the mainstream.