Regards information technology as a seed for a new society in which the winners in the knowledge economy will construct their own 'smart regions' founded on libertarian principles and enlightened self-interest. The losers, however, face a bleak future. The three evils of religion, ethnicity and socialism will prey on the economic insecurity of the masses, as transnational businesses roam the globe in search of ever cheaper labor. [back cover].

Seeks to help readers understand the forces of advancing technology and shows how to use them to advantage.

It's time to rediscover the passionate, fearless life that Jesus called us to live. Are you ready to choose the barbarian way? In today's world, where faith often walks the line of comfort and convenience, The Barbarian Way, stands as a thunderous call to break free and experience Christianity as it was truly meant to be - wild, free, and untamed. An acclaimed author and dynamic lead pastor of Mosaic, a Los Angeles church movement, Erwin McManus challenges you to step out of the safety of the familiar, urging you to live with unbridled faith and boldness that will fulfill the deepest longing of your heart. This Christian classic opens up a new way to view your walk with Christ, encouraging you to take risks and liberate yourself from mundane existence. Join an engaged community of spiritual seekers and followers of Christ as you: Challenge yourself to live a more bold faith Satisfy the deepest cravings of your soul Discover a revolutionary way to live as a Christian Brave the unknown, armed with passion With each chapter, Erwin McManus examines Biblical figures like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, and Samson. Viewing their eccentric lives through a lens of vibrant faith, the book reminds us that faith is not a shield against adversity, but a call to meaningful and sometimes challenging contribution. The book aims to dismantle the belief that God's will is a haven of comfort and safety, propelling readers instead towards a life of valor, adventure, and sacrifice. Read The Barbarian Way and ignite the flame within to live out your faith with a radical, barbaric love. This is your moment, your crossroads, your destiny. Choose to live passionately, boldly, fearlessly. Choose the barbarian way!

From one of Italy's most respected literary voices, a manifesto on the state of global culture and how connectivity is changing the way we experience it. For the gatekeepers of traditional high culture, the rise of young ambitious outsiders has indeed seemed like nothing short of a barbarian invasion. In this concise and powerful manifesto, Alessandro Baricco explores a handful of realms that have been "plundered"-wine, soccer, music, and books-and extrapolates that it is not a case of old values against new but a widespread mutation that we are all part of, leading toward a different way of having experiences and creating meaning.

Alongside flows of trade and capital, the free movement of professionals, technical personnel, and students is seen as a key aspect of globalization. Yet not much detailed empirical research has been completed about the trajectories and experiences of these highly skilled or highly educated international migrants. What little is known about these forms of "global mobility," and the politics that surround them, contrasts with the abundant theories and accounts of other types of international migration--such as low income economic migration from less developed to core countries in the international political economy. Drawing on the work of a long-standing discussion group at the Center for Comparative and Global Research of UCLA's International Institute, this collection bridges conventional methodological divides, bringing together political scientists, sociologists, demographers, and ethnographers. It explores the reality behind assumptions about these new global migration trends. It challenges widely held views about the elite characteristics of these migrants, the costs and consequences of the brain drain said to follow from the migration of skilled workers, the determinants of national policies on high skilled migrants, and the presumed "effortlessness" of professional mobility in an integrating world. The volume also sheds new light on international student migration, the politics of temporary, non-immigrant workers in the United States, new international forms of regulating movement, and the realities of the everyday lives of multinational employees in the world's transnational cities. Key differences between the regional contexts of this migration in Europe, North America, and the Asia-Pacific are also emphasized.

Offers a critical perspective on knowledge work, arguing that the rise of knowledge work is not only an economic or managerial issue, it reflects a major social and cultural transformation comparable to the Industrial Revolution. Sheds light on the everyday realities of knowledge work, with empirical evidence from Finland.

The Global Nexus: Political Economies, Connectivity, and the Social Sciences is a provocative critique of the social sciences in the age of neoconservative and alt-right globalisation sweeping across modern democracies globally. The writer persuasively argues that the mainstream western social science modality of describing indigenous knowledge and sub-altern discourses as 'alternative knowledge' is due for serious review, for it describes, devalues, and renders it the same renegade status as the 'alternate realities' of the alt-right, neo-conservative agencies of Western and Asian governments. The abuse of indigenous knowledge by neoconservative governments to promote racism, ethno-centricities, and misogyny has also reduced vital sources of local knowledge to fodder, only salvaged by 'the good press' — specialists of the media in investigative journalism, communications, and literature, who propose that worldviews and ideas of the underclasses, including women, migrants, minorities, refugees, war prisoners, and refugees should be brought to the fore and 'mainstreamed' for the reader to understand that the stories they tell and their reasons why tell them, are closer to truth than fiction. These lost voices, often silenced, suppressed, and understated, generate new knowledge of the marginalised and disadvantaged sectors of modern society, reflecting the social realities of globalisation.Focusing on Southeast Asia with comparisons across nations in the Levant and the Middle East, Europe, and the United States, Wazir Jahan Karim vividly demonstrates how plural political economies have emerged and rendered flaws in the globalisation process. As powerful elites compete to accumulate and control wealth, power, and vital global resources, the growing phenomenon of global agencing, wealth- and poverty-generating institutions exist together in complex networks of hierarchical relationships, strategies, and alliances, with dire consequences for those on the receiving end of the global spectrum.

This book offers a critical analysis of consumer credit markets and the growth of outstanding debt, presenting in-depth interview material to explore the phenomenon of mass indebtedness through the life trajectories of self-identified debtors struggling with the pressures of owing money. A rich and original qualitative study of the close relationship between financial capitalism, consumer aspirations, social exclusion and the proliferation of personal indebtedness, The Dark Side of Prosperity examines questions of social identity, subjectivity and consumer motivation in close connection with the socio-cultural ideals of an ‘enjoyment society’ that binds the value of the lives of individuals to the endless acquisition and disposal of pecuniary resources and lifestyle symbols. Critically engaging with the work of Giddens, Beck and Bauman, this volume draws on the thought of contemporary philosophers including Žižek, Badiou and Rancière to consider the possibility that the expansion of outstanding consumer credit, despite its many consequences, may be integral to the construction of social identity in a radically indeterminate and increasingly divided society. A ground-breaking work of critical social research this book will appeal to scholars of social theory, contemporary philosophy and political and economic sociology, as well as those with interests in consumer credit and cultures of indebtedness.

Contemporary city and suburban dwellers are constantly on the move. Does this mean they lack a sense of belonging to their neighbourhoods, or does enhanced mobility co-exist with feelings of community and belonging? This collection examines these questions through a unique series of neighbourhood-based global case studies.

Globalised Minds, Roots in the City utilises empirical evidence from four European cities to explore the role of urban upper middle classes in the transformations experienced by contemporary European societies. Presents new empirical evidence collected through an original comparative research about professionals and managers in four European cities in three countries Features an innovative combination of approaches, methods, and techniques in its analyses of European post-national societies Reveals how segments of Europe’s urban population are adopting “exit” or “partial exit” strategies in respect to the nation state Utilises approaches from classic urban sociology, globalization and mobility studies, and spatial class analysis Includes in depth interviews, social networking techniques, and classic questions of political representation and values