This book examines the development and transformation of global capitalism in the late 20th and early 21st century. It analyzes the dynamics and contradictions of the global political economy through a comparative-historical approach based on class analysis. After providing a critical overview of neoliberal capitalist globalization over the past three decades, the book examines the emergence of new forces on the global scene and discusses the prospects of change in the global economy in a multi-polar direction in the decades ahead. The book concludes by focusing on the mass movements that are playing a central role in bringing about the transformation of global capitalism.

While some people debate whether globalization really exists, it proceeds apace, affecting all societies. It presents us with unknown challenges and, as governments start to discuss what to do about these challenges, it is becoming obvious that globalization is not manageable. With globalization the juggernaut of the 21st century, all countries of the world become interdependent in relation to the coming energy crisis, climate change, the sharper cleavages between rich and poor countries and people, and the emergence of a multicultural social structure. This interesting and erudite book adopts a distinctive approach to the multiple dimensions of the globalization debate. The impressive coverage of philosophical thought – including Popper, Weber, Habermas, Lipset and Hobbes – makes a valuable contribution to the debates on globalization.

"No word has evoked as much passion in recent times as the word 'globalization,' which carries an array of meanings among different people and disciplines. But the fact is that globalization is an historical process that has connected the world and influenced it, for better or worse, in every aspect of life. A World Connected: Globalization in the 21st Century is a collection of more than 100 thought-provoking essays by renowned scholars, journalists and leading policymakers published over the past decade by the flagship publication of the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization, YaleGlobal Online. The essays are grouped by chapters on Global Economy and Trade, Security, Diplomacy, Society, Culture, Health and Environment, Demography and Immigration, Anti-Globalization, Innovation and Global Governance and offer insights about globalization trends for the future. The volume contains a general introduction by the editors and a preface by Yale University President Richard C. Levin"--Provided by publisher.

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An ongoing and pervasive phenomenon, globalization is redefining the economic, social and cultural dynamics of contemporary societies in complex ways. The process of globalization is generally considered beneficial, but it is also viewed in some quarters as a threat to national sovereignty and indigenous culture. Although globalization has largely arisen as a result of greater stability and security, its key developments can also be deployed towards the opposite end. Without global integration, for example, terrorist groups would find it much more difficult to unobtrusively communicate, travel and transfer money and materials. Globalization has also facilitated illegal international trade, be it in materials, people or money. Here experts discuss globalization and its economic foundations and manifestations; migration and freedom of mobility; the social implications of globalization; politics in a globalized international system; new security threats resulting from globalization; and evolving national and commercial global responsibilities. Globalization in the 21st Century is essential for all those interested in international relations, politics and change in the twenty-first century.

Winner of the first Paul A. Baran-Paul M. Sweezy Memorial Award for an original monograph concerned with the political economy of imperialism, John Smith's Imperialism in the Twenty-First Century is a seminal examination of the relationship between the core capitalist countries and the rest of the world in the age of neoliberal globalization.Deploying a sophisticated Marxist methodology, Smith begins by tracing the production of certain iconic commodities-the T-shirt, the cup of coffee, and the iPhone-and demonstrates how these generate enormous outflows of money from the countries of the Global South to transnational corporations headquartered in the core capitalist nations of the Global North. From there, Smith draws on his empirical findings to powerfully theorize the current shape of imperialism. He argues that the core capitalist countries need no longer rely on military force and colonialism (although these still occur) but increasingly are able to extract profits from workers in the Global South through market mechanisms and, by aggressively favoring places with lower wages, the phenomenon of labor arbitrage. Meticulously researched and forcefully argued, Imperialism in the Twenty-First Century is a major contribution to the theorization and critique of global capitalism.

Perhaps no word today is used and misused more than globalization. It generally serves to refer to worldwide epoch-defining changes in the organization of societies, economies and politics. But as Petras and Veltmeyer demonstrate, the term globalization obscures much more than it reveals. In practice, globalization provides a cover for a new form of imperialist exploitation and the institution of US hegemony over a global process of capital accumulation. In the last decade, capitalists in Europe and the United States have created favourable conditions for the takeover and recolonization of economies across the developing world. International capital has managed to restore highly profitable returns on investments and operations as never before, creating islands of opulent prosperity within a sea of growing poverty and misery. In effect, this book argues that the terms globalization and imperialism are widely used as alternative frameworks for understanding the dynamics of the same worldwide developments and trends. Employing an imperialist analytical framework over that of globalization not only provides a better understanding but also points towards forces of resistance and opposition that through political action may bring about necessary change.

The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.tandfebooks.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 3.0 license.Globalization has adversely affected working-class organization and mobilization, increasing inequality by redistribution upwards from labour to capital. However, workers around the world are challenging their increased exploitation by globalizing corporations. In developed countries, many unions are transforming themselves to confront employer power in ways more appropriate to contemporary circumstances; in developing countries, militant new labour movements are emerging. Drawing upon insights in anti-determinist Marxian perspectives, Verity Burgmann shows how working-class resistance is not futile, as protagonists of globalization often claim. She identifies eight characteristics of globalization harmful to workers and describes and analyses how they have responded collectively to these problems since 1990 and especially this century. With case studies from around the world, including Greece since 2008, she pays particular attention to new types of labour movement organization and mobilization that are not simply defensive reactions but are offensive and innovative responses that compel corporations or political institutions to change. Aging and less agile manifestations of the labour movement decline while new expressions of working-class organization and mobilization arise to better battle with corporate globalization. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of labour studies, globalization, political economy, Marxism and sociology of work.

Despite troubled trade negotiations, global trade—and trade policy—will thrive in the twenty-first century, but with a bow to the past. Is the multilateral trading order of the twentieth century a historical artifact? Was the creation of the World Trade Organization in 1995 the high point of multilateral cooperation on trade? This new volume, edited by Bernard M. Hoekman and Ernesto Zedillo, assesses the relevance of the WTO in the context of the rise of China and the United States' turn toward unilateral protectionism. The contributors adopt a historical perspective to discuss changes in global trade policy trends, adducing lessons from the past to help understand current trade tensions. Topics include responses to U.S. protectionism under the Trump administration, the policy dimensions of trade in services and the rise of the digital economy, how to strengthen the WTO to better negotiate new rules of the game and adjudicate disputes, managing China's integration into the global trade system, and the implications of global value chains for economic development policies. By reflecting on past episodes of protectionism and how they were resolved, Trade in the 21st Century provides both context and guidance on how trade challenges can be addressed in the coming decades.

"The purpose of the book is to introduce the people who are interested in World politics - scientists, researchers, representatives of civil society, public sector, students etc. with the main characters of the modern political structure of the world, global problems related to International Security and ways for their resolution"--