Globalisation: Making Sense of an Integrating World

Goods, ideas and people have crossed the globe for millennia but modern technologies and anti-capitalist protests have thrust the issue of globalisation into the spotlight. Will globalisation hurt workers in developing countries? Are some industries consolidating too rapidly? Is tax harmonisation just around the corner? In 10 years, will we all be watching "Oprah Winfrey" and shopping at Wal-Mart? This book is a collection of surveys and articles on globalisation that have appeared in The Economist. They cover a wide range of issues: migration; trade; culture; the influence of multinationals; the role of organisations such as the IMF, the World Bank, and the WTO; the spread of equity culture; taxation; inequality; the environment; and how technology is raising standards in the world's poorest countries. Together, through careful analysis of the facts, the articles discuss the case for globalisation. For anyone who wants an understanding of the conceptual and practical issues involved in this contentious subject there is no broader or more illuminating guide. It is divided into four parts and eight chapters as follows: The case for globalisationGlobalisation and its criticsPopular myths and economic factsThe business of globalisationThe spread of equity cultureGoodbye to taxpayersHow industries go globalRich and poorInequality, aid and the environmentThe uses of technology Governing the global economyReform of international financial architecture The authors are all Economist writers and include; Clive Crook, the Deputy Editor, Matthew Bishop, the New York Bureau Chief and author of Pocket Economist, John Peet, the Business-Affairs Editor, Zanny Minton Beddoes, Washington Economics Correspondent and Robert Guest, Africa Editor.