Globalization Books

First the good:

This book is an unbiased account of Globalization and it's effect in several different countries. Each section is written by a different Graduate student from that area of the world. Each account gives a first hand look at how the people of that coutnry view globalization through the eyes of one of it's members.

Second, the Bad:

As stated earlier these are grad students writing these passages so it's hit and mis with these articles. For instance the One on China I found to be very informative and well written while the one on India was poorly written and read more like a promotion for the writers religion.

This book is definately worth the time because it doesn't say Globalization is good or evil, it just gives unbiased information. Just take some of the passages as what they are, graduate study level work

Good overview of the theories and impact of globalization. I also recommend Haley's "Multinational corporations in political environments: Ethics, values and strategies" to understand the limits of the economic powers shaping our society.

Imagine a field report from ten countries of the many ways that globalization is occurring, one of which explains globalization in Hungary in the form of the following common joke, as would the average person in the street:

"...I feel sorry for the enthusiasts of globalization too, especially since I have been told the following joke in Budapest, which ridicules the time/space compression, a favorite concept of globalization theorists. It goes like this: How much time would Hungarians need not to stop littering? The answer is, seven centuries and one second. In the first five centuries we get rid of the Turks, the Habsburgs, and the Russians, who - as is well known - mercilessly forced us to litter. Then about one century is absolutely necessary to define the notion of "Hungarian rubbish" and another one to copy and then to approve the current German law prohibiting littering. And what about that additional second? Ah, that we need to learn how to cheat the new law" (from Janos Kovacs, "Rival Temptations and Passive Resistance," chapter 6:173).

Not all the articles in this compilation contain such amusing and illuminating insights as the above excerpt. Nonetheless, this is a treasure trove of papers that avoids the superficiality of the pop studies on globalization one hand ("Belly of the Beast," "McWorld"); and on the other hand mostly avoids the overly academic studies that lose the reader in a number of word abstractions ("time/space compression"). As one author, Janos Kovacs, wryly points out, economists may count the growing number of baseball bats in Hungary and incorrectly conclude that mass consumer sports are pushing out traditional sports and even religion in the Third World. The supply and demand calculus of the economist would miss the cultural fact that baseball bats in Hungary are replacing knives and guns for street fighting and protection.

The book is the product of a three-year study that was initially framed in a "challenge-response" thesis of globalization, which ended up failing to reflect the reality of the phenomenon, much like rejecting a null hypothesis in science. As editor Peter Berger puts it: "the goal of every scholarly enterprise is to blow someone's theory out of the water. In this instance that someone was me."

The field accounts from political scientist Arturo Talavera on Chile, and Janos Kovacs on Hungary are worth the price of the book alone. Ann Bernstein's piece on globalization in South Africa reads a bit like a national chamber of commerce "promo" that glosses over the very tragic underside of globalization that is occurring in that country.

The book punctures the stereotypes of globalization on either side of the political or ideological spectrum. That Latin American women gain most under the influence of evangelical Protestant Christianity runs counter to the notion in America that woman suffer most under the influence of conservative religion. That Coca Cola often serves disaster victims in developing countries faster and better than U.N. aid programs is also likely to be a mind buster. But no matter what world-view (modern or traditional) that one might be seeking to affirm by reading this book, it is more likely than not that it will be disconfirmed (as even the editors preconceptions were not confirmed). As sociologists David Hunter and Joshua Yates aptly state in their concluding paper, the complexity and reality of globalization is likely to "burst the mental bubble," or cognitive map, of members of opposing organizations active in globalizing countries, such as Campus Crusade and Opus Dei on one side, or Planned Parenthood and Greenpeace on the other.
One minor criticism was the failure of the book to include Peter Berger's seminal article "The Four Faces of Global Culture" that formed the skeletal framework of the study. I would have also liked to see more emphasis on how globalization, especially immigration, is changing the West as much as the developing world. Highly recommended.

Yes, many of these essays first appeared in SOCIALIST REGISTER -- and so what? They've been updated sufficiently to merit their reprinting. As far as I'm concerned, Panitch is the best English-language advocate for democratic socialism alive -- uncompromisingly anti-capitalist without being romantic about the past (or the immediate future!). He is Marxist without being a catechist and without illusions as to the likelihood of mass working-class insurrection in liberal-democratic capitalist countries. He manages to be both pragmatic and principled, something that few on the Left manage to do. He's a must-read.

Leo Panitch has approached an interesting theme: to "renew socialism". A political science professor gave me this book and I read it in only 2 days, and it sparked an interesting long series of conversations between that professor and myself. I think that the book is a very interesting read to any "Socialist" or "Marxist" person. Leo offers interesting strategies and "solutions" and he does defend socialism to a certain exten, although not as hard-core as other Socialist writers. I recommend this book to anybody who is critical of socialism and capitalism.

I do have to agree with the previous author's rating. This book is not the best on "modern" socialist thought. But nonetheless it is an important book to read. I recommend it.

This book is very much a disappointment. Rather than a new book, this merely is a collection of essays mainly culled together from Leo's writings in the Socialist Register. Therefore, far from offering the possibility of renewal, just repeats the same old tired Leo-isms. One at least, hoped for a new essay or exploration of concepts raised in a "Different Kind of State". It just shows how the "New Left" has exhausted itself and cannot lend any support for building a Newer, revitalized Left. A better book is McNally's: Imagine a Better World.

Hilts shows why the reader should care about clobal health and how it effects our lives world wide with overall increase in goods, drugs and general welfare of the people around the world.

Rx for Survival presents a media-friendly perspective of what makes a difference in international development and health. While some of the historical perspective is interesting and useful, the general presentation is facile, missing the importance of government actions, of human rights principles, and of community-based organizations in the identification and response to the diseases presented.

Hilts writes: "In science the couplings of love are sometimes expressed in mathematical models. They are like fluid flows, or combusition spreading." This kind of rhetoric is everywhere and doesn't do much to spread an understanding of the diseases, or the successful response to them, that the author intends.

In a remarkably "optimistic" account of four medical crises - diarrohea (Bangladesh), polio (India), night blindness (Nepal) and AIDS (Botswana), Hilts looks at some of the unique features that enabled low-cost efforts to attain incredible results. The aim of the book is essentially to highlight that major medical problems do not necessarily need the huge amount of resources most seem to think are required. In each of the four 'stories', Hilts provides some unique characteristics of the volunteer projects - their conception, initial implementation, lessons learnt in a very easy-to-read engaging narration. An excellent book with no jarring political biases (surprising, since one would expect a PBS book to have some liberal leanings). A comprehensive list of volunteer organizations is also available as an appendix. A good read.

Amazing... a real view into how executives contemplate various world events and how they will impact on their organisation. A must read for any executive, business planner or consultant.

Shell was one of the earliest innovators in the area of scenario planning, and they have done extremely well by this method. Quite a few excellent authors have come out of Shell, such as Kees van der Heijden's books Scenarios: The Art of Strategic Conversation and The Sixth Sense: Accelerating Organizational Learning with Scenarios.

This book is disappointing for a number of reasons. This is meant to be a popular book, with lots of nice visual effects. Sadly, the content could and the unwieldy shape and heft reduced to a thin paperback, and it should have been. The binding itself is atrocious, and simply does not work. Sigh.

That said, there is a good amount of conceptual material here to chew on for the upcoming years, though it will likely not remain viable all the way until 2025. There are three main configurations plotted in the book: low trust globalization, "open doors", and "flags". In LTG, security and market efficiencies are the overriding factors driving the shape of things to come, and social cohesion or the "force of community" is weaker than the other two forces. In open doors, social cohesion and market incentives combine for a more fruitful outcome (both economically and socially). In flags, community and security overcome market incentives and a more distrustful and nationalistic scenario emerges, the darkest of the three broad global scenarios.

These broad possible areas are then reflected through a wide range of issues from demography and migrations, to African futures, to climate change and biodiversity, and to legal and regulatory environments, among others.

Good content, flawed format.

The Shell Global Scenarios is an outstanding example of the craft of scenario design as well as a creative and insightful look at the forces shaping the world. The text is well written. The graphics are memorable and thought provoking. The commentaries by leading thinkers from various fields add depth. Scenario design can take many forms and be adapted for many purposes. The Shell approach is arguably the best for understanding and speculating about issues that cut across multiple socio-economic, technical, and political dimensions. Modern scenario design began with Herman Kahn and Anthony Wiener's "The Year 2000: A Framework for Speculation"(MacMillan, 1967). While we can be entertained by the misdirection of many of their speculative conclusions, their framework set the stage for much of the scenario work that has followed. My only regret about the excellent Shell effort is that Pierre Wack is given credit for coining the term "scenario." While Wack is a giant in this field, the credit for introducing "scenario" in the modern use of the term should go to Kahn and Wiener.

Useful information for the newcomer to the subject but a bit of a " lightly once over " for those who have read Matt Simmons' "Twilight in the Desert."

The authors address a subject that is well known within the oil industry but ignored by the media.

I agree with the authors that peak oil production is a very unpleasant truth. It is a gathering problem that will present grave consequences to our current lifestyle. In the long run this problem will likely exceed the problem we are faced with in global warming.

This is a very, very good book about Peak Oil Production written by PhD's that know what they are talking about. This book is written for the layman with no experience in Oil & Gas and has never worked in Saudi Arabia or the oil industry in general. It's a good start for the average Joe. I spend a lot of time reading comments and postings from Peak Oil sites and I am amazed at the comments posted by know-it-all experts who you can tell have never worked in the oil business. Today, I read several post from guys who are now experts on Saudi Arabia and Russia even when it's obvious they've never been there. I spent 18 years in the Middle-East and in the 1990's spent one month of each summer in Moscow or Kiev. It's clear to me the only thing alot of these guys know about oil is Wesson Oil that these guys fry their chicken in. These guys would better spend their time if they bought this simple and very good book by Mr. Lyle and Mr. Allen. It's well worth the $15 dollars. It's a small book and to the point. On page 21, one of this great little book's authors talks about the great Max Steinecke and Steniecke Hall. The authors might like to know that when I left Saudi Aramco in 1998 Steniecke Hall was still there. It was the most cute hotel in the world. This book brought back memories of the 100's of times I've stayed in Steniecke Hall and could just walk across the street to the dining hall then after that get my mail at the Al Mujamma and step over the the Aramco commissary. This little book should be required reading for all of the talking heads on CNN, CNBC and Fox News that have no idea what they are talking about. I agree with Mr. Lyle and Mr. Allen, using "Peak Oil" as a search topic will result in a lot of authoritative sites and info but also a lot of uninformed and adolescent positings. It's a great book for the beginner to grasp the concept of "Peak Oil." Regards, Keith Renick, Saudi Aramco Oil, Retired

In spite of the fact that this is Mr. Greene's first book, he weaves an incredible amount of "local color" information into a fairly fast-paced narrative of a trip around the world. The reader can actually identify locations where either the author or his characters have lived: streets, restaurants, shopping malls, etc. There are discussions of politics, economics, agriculture, the environment, as well as thought-provoking insights on the sometimes startling effects of globalization. Mr. Greene's personal background and responsibilities at the World Bank in Washington, DC leading up to the turn of the century blend together to challenge his readers with profound questions. What does our future hold in store? Will the balance of power always be aligned as it is today? What effect would it have on this balance if a rogue nation used their nuclear capability? What impact will personal faith in God play in the future world? Is heaven an actual place and, if so, what goes on there?
These and other surprises await the reader of this excellent book. I found it difficult to put down until I arrived at the unexpected conclusion.

Gregory Greene's Walkabout could be everybody's talkabout!

The book contains so much important facts on the present and near future of the world politics, economics and natural calamities, that it should be a school book around the world. Gregory Greene is hiding his visions in the fictious Odyssey through the world from Australia via Asia and Europe to the United States of America.

The leading motive in the author's story is one man's voyage in different countries and his discussions with individuals whom he is meeting and making friends with. Gregory Greene uses an old Socratic method of discussion to serve his vision and opinions to the reader. And what a vision! Greene has written his book before the 9/11. However he states many phenomena and democatic changes, which has been realized only after the fall of the Twin Towers.

Clearly the author is the specialist in the economics and the politics inside the European Union. He uses his expertness to paint a very dark view of the future of the world and of the natural world, too. As a matter of fact he describes a horrifying Armageddon of the World.

If the reader has the strength and intellectual curiosity to make the walkabout together with Gregory Greene, he ort she will have a gratifying sense of relief at the end of the book: the final truth is that only the unconditional love makes the world go around.

Well written, thought provoking, worth owning, and interesting.

Is FTAA a good idea? Which topics should be covered in future trade talks? Bhagwati will help you structure your ideas on trade. He will teach you how trade talks should develop, and which of the recent happenings in this field that are purely Pyrrhus victories. On the way, you will also enjoy the usual pie-throwing among economists. Unfortunately, you might also come across an instance when an argument is backed by poor evidence - which is a shame when there ought to be plenty of good evidence available.

If only all those opposing free trade would feel a need to inform themselves, this book could help (as could a basic course in macroeconomics). But this book is compiled of several all too similar essays, which is why I hope Bhagwati writes more soon. Reading this book is like dipping only your toe in the water on a hot summer day.

Columbia Economist Jagdish Bhagwati is an funny, intelligent, and highly persuasive writer on free trade. He argues (among other things) that we should separate the economic agenda of the WTO from other social, moral, and environmental agendas, and that those who oppose free trade effectively undermine the social goals they seek to support. Like his student Paul Krugman, Bhagwati has a gift for making complex economic arguments seem transparent to non-economists. The issues are *not* really transparent, and readers who desire a balanced view should read opposing voices as well. But opponents of free trade and the WTO must lend Bhagwati's arguments an ear and an open mind. This book is an enjoyable "must read," and might serve as an introduction to Bhagwati's more technical works.

Okay, I would have given 5 stars , but I wrote a "rave review" for Professor Bhagwati's other collection of articles ( Stream of Windows). So I am holding back on this one.

This collection is a collection of more recent essays. To a large extent he deals with much of the same issues as in Stream of Windows - are Free Trade Agreements ( what he calls Preferential Trade Agreements) really free trade? Is the "blue" and "green" protectionism based on solid arguments or incomplete analysis? etc

The one new section is on Capital Controls. There is a series of articles , especially his famous/notorious Foreign Affairs article, where he argues that while trade in goods and services has gains that have been demonstrated, those in short-term capital haven't been so unambiguously demonstrated. Therefore he advises restraint about capital account convertibility to those who haven't done so already. His caution is based not just on the irrationalities of the 97 East Asia crisis , but also on careful analyses by several economists which show that speculators who bet against a country's fundamentals are not (necessarily) punished. They can actually change the fundamentals. Therefore short-term capital flow can have noxious effects not associated with trade in goods and services.

Anyway, good collection, yes repetitive (as another reader says) like the Stream of Windows , but ultimately good reading about careful thoughts on globalization , as opposed to all this pop-literature floating around. Some intellectual discipline for a layman like me.

This book is a good anecdote and reality check for people who believe that a Socialist construction like the EU will prevail over a more freedom loving USA, or that various International Protocols and organisations will somehow force a diminution of national power and the elevation of UNO relevancy.

"The clash between U.S. hegemony and the E.U. and its attendant international organizational framework is really a `typical' clash, often seen in history, between differing views of socio-economic organization." writes Read.

How did this conflict arise and what are its possible consequences on the countries involved? In such a confrontation we have the classic battle pitting orthodox liberal freedoms against that of state managed socialism. Upon this confrontation and outcome resides the future of Western civilization.

This volume-realistic, impartial, intelligent-proves to be an important and relevant analysis of the political dynamics between the world's powerful countries. "America and Europe: Conflict and Power will challenge prevailing liberal media bias and force people to consider the proper structure of politics and economics in the context of freedom both domestically and internationally," says Read.

The Contents are detailed and include:
-Political and Economic Ideologies
-Modern concepts of Socialism and Statism
-Regionalism and Globalization
-International Economics
-Military Power
-The Political Economy of Europe vs. USA
-Islam
-The UNO, IMF, and WTO
-Kyoto
-Conflict between the US and EU models
-Internationalism vs. Nationalism

Written in a scholarly but accessible manner. Plenty of sources and footnotes. Well researched and written.

This book is a good antidote and reality check for people who believe that a Socialist construction like the EU will prevail over a more freedom loving USA, or that various International Protocols and organisations will somehow force a diminution of national power and the elevation of UNO relevancy.

"The clash between U.S. hegemony and the E.U. and its attendant international organizational framework is really a `typical' clash, often seen in history, between differing views of socio-economic organization." writes Read.

How did this conflict arise and what are its possible consequences on the countries involved? In such a confrontation we have the classic battle pitting orthodox liberal freedoms against that of state managed socialism. Upon this confrontation and outcome resides the future of Western civilization.

This volume-realistic, impartial, intelligent-proves to be an important and relevant analysis of the political dynamics between the world's powerful countries. "America and Europe: Conflict and Power will challenge prevailing liberal media bias and force people to consider the proper structure of politics and economics in the context of freedom both domestically and internationally," says Read.

The Contents are detailed and include:
-Political and Economic Ideologies
-Modern concepts of Socialism and Statism
-Regionalism and Globalization
-International Economics
-Military Power
-The Political Economy of Europe vs. USA
-Islam
-The UNO, IMF, and WTO
-Kyoto
-Conflict between the US and EU models
-Internationalism vs. Nationalism

Written in a scholarly but accessible manner. Plenty of sources and footnotes. Well researched and written.

A true gold mine of knowledge for both history and geography, American Empire is based on about twentyfive years of solid original research. It is not a simple biography of Isaiah Bowman, the most famous American geographer of the twentieth century and a fascinatingly anomalous personality, but a well constructed and beautifully written investigation on how the power of geographical ideas affected the U.S. foreign and commercial policies, with strong implications for the understanding of globalization and contemporary geopolitics.

Neil Smith elucidates a "missing link" fundamental for the comprehension of contemporary history: the hidden thread that connects American geopolitics from the Paris Peace Treaties of 1919 to that of World War II, up to the creation of the U.N. and the beginnings of the Cold War. The understanding of this continuity is possible thanks to the accurate and in-depth analysis of the key role played by Bowman as advisor for the Department of State and the White House, under both the presidencies of Woodrow Wilson and FDR. In doing so, the author is able also to re-establish the key role of geographical visions in shaping the soon-to-be American hyperpower, throughout the Twentieth "American" Century.

Unfortunately, historical perspective and understanding of geographic knowledge seems often to be quite limited in the present world, as most people tend to lose memory of the past or represent it in simplied terms, and generally consider geography little more than something related to "map quizzes". For these reasons, this extraordinary work not only represents an undisputable masterpiece in historical and geographical research that fills a gap in contemporary history, but it is also a necessary reading for anyone interested in how our not-so-distant past and geographic visions could still underpin the currently troubled world scenario. An amazing work that is bound to last.

Interesting but not entirely correct

This books is very interesting, there is something special about it, like a tulip in a wine glass. It seems oddly inspiring and intellectual. The authors approach is to look at a hitherto unnoticed subject, that of geographies impact on foreign policy, particularly the creation of an `American Empire'. The authors opening paragraph explains his thesis. In 1898 McKinley, informed of a Naval victory at Manila in the Philippines, exclaimed that for the life of him he could not find the islands on a map. Thus McKinley was sending America into a colonial war without knowing where the territories were. The author goes on to show how in 1984 Oliver North certainly knew where Iran and Nicaragua were when he arranged the complicated arms for hostages deal. The implication is that America has been transformed into a nation very concerned with geography.

A man named Bowman is the culprit, according to the author. Originally serving on the Machu Piccu expedition he went on to serve Wilson to help redraw borders throughout Europe, the middle east and Asia. Then he went on to serve FDR and finally helped in 1945 to draw the new maps of Europe. The implication: That this man was a devout Cold Warrior and obsessed with American empire.

But the logic here is not only faulty, the books rambling ideas and coverage of academic shenanigans is simply to far fetched. Someone had to redraw the map of Europe, does it really matter whether or not an American took part? In 1945 someone had to draw a line down the center of Germany. Throughout the 1950s and beyond the world was divided between communism and non-communism but this doesn't have any implications for geography, the world would have existed divided without any geographers, because it was ideas that divided the world. Thus this book could have done more. The author could have looked closely at the sailing of the Exploring Expedition of 1838 and the sailing of the Great White Fleet to understand the implications of American empire. Instead the author relegated his account to an obscure subject that was not entirely relevant. An interesting book, but it does not live up to its potential.

"Anti-Capitalism: A Marxist Introduction" is a collection of essays seeking to establish, or perhaps re-establish, the Marxist paradigm as the only one which can explain and analyze the broad range of important economic, social, environmental etc. phenomena we see today. With each essay being written by someone of the very highest quality of Marxist scholarship, this collection succeeds completely in its purpose, and provides an invaluable guide for analysis for every Marxist thinker.

The book is divided into three parts: the first establishes the Marxist critique of political economy and explains why Marxism, and only Marxism, can adequately explain all the phenomena of capitalism as well as its past. The Marxist theory of value is explained and defended, the meaning of money, unions, labor markets, technological change and so forth are all discussed. Lapavitsas' essay on the role of money is particularly enlightening considering the somewhat difficult subject matter, and Lev Levidow's article on technological change in agriculture is very useful, dispelling a lot of mythology about the "Green Revolution" as well as technology in general.

The second part of the collection is about "global capitalism" or 'globalization'. This goes into the history and origins of capitalism, its impetus to spread across the globe and to 'capitalize' all prior relations, as well as the position of the developing world vis-á-vis capital. Particularly interesting here for people familiar with the general arguments on development economics is Elizabeth Dore's article on social relations in the Third World: she makes a good argument that a lot of socialist movements in and about the Third World in the past have tended to overstate the 'proletarianization' of those countries, and this leads to strategic errors when trying to make socialist policies (she uses the Sandinistas as example). There's also an article by Simon Clarke on the Soviet system, but it's rather vague and poorly argued, probably the weakest essay in the book.

The overcoming of capitalism and the possibility and nature of socialism is the subject of the third part. Lebowitz here summarizes the argument made in his excellent book "Beyond Capital" (Beyond Capital: Marx's Political Economy of the Working Class) in a short essay, and Fred Moseley has a very interesting article on the falling rate of profit and its meaning for the US economy. Chattopadhyay and Holloway finish the work with strong essays showing the use of class struggle and the possibility of socialism.

What makes this collection all the more interesting is that all the essays are not only by world-class Marxist thinkers, but they are also all short and well-written, making reading it a breeze. This is probably why the book is called an introduction, even though not all essays are at introductory level. This book is a must-have for anyone interested in the state and possibilities of Marxism today.

This collection of 19 articles is divided into three parts, on Capital, exploitation and conflict, Global capitalism, and Crisis and the supercession of capitalism. The contributors, from across the world, reflect the increasingly widespread understanding that capitalism doesn't work. They analyse the exploitation intrinsic to capitalism and recognise that in countries like Britain there are just the two classes, a tiny minority of exploiters and the vast majority who depend on selling their labour power to make a living.

The struggle against capitalism is rooted in the workplace, where we must fight for democracy, as Saad-Filho says in his Introduction. We need to be in work, in our union, and fighting the employer. Adding together any number of pressure groups, even infusing those groups with anti-capitalist ideology will not do what is needed to end capitalism - transform the ideology of the working class.

Ben Fine accuses our trade unions of pursuing sectional interests both nationally and sectorally, when the problem is that our unions are hardly fighting for our industries and services at all. He also sees defence workers as depending on war, and energy and car workers as depending on pollution: so to end war and pollution, all we have to do is destroy what remains of our manufacturing industry!

Targeting the IMF or McDonald's is to attack symptoms, not the root of the problem, as Ellen Meiksins Wood shows. It is not a matter of building a bigger demo next time. It would really terrify the ruling classes of the world if all the anti-globalisation protestors turned to focus on working in their workplaces and trade unions to weaken and destroy capitalism.

We need workers' nationalism, that is, workers deciding their own future, in their own lands and for their own interests. As Marx wrote in the Manifesto, each working class must first of all settle accounts with its own bourgeoisie. We also need workers' internationalism, to save the future of the world and defeat the vested interest of the multinationals and the proponents of reaction and fundamentalism.