Six Faces of Globalization
Who Wins, Who Loses, and Why It Matters
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- 33,99 €
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- 33,99 €
Publisher Description
A Financial Times Best Book of the Year
A Fortune Best Book of the Year
A ProMarket Best Political Economy Book of the Year
An essential guide to the intractable public debates about the virtues and vices of economic globalization, cutting through the complexity to reveal the fault lines that divide us and the points of agreement that might bring us together.
Globalization has lifted millions out of poverty. Globalization is a weapon the rich use to exploit the poor. Globalization builds bridges across national boundaries. Globalization fuels the populism and great-power competition that is tearing the world apart.
When it comes to the politics of free trade and open borders, the camps are dug in, producing a kaleidoscope of claims and counterclaims, unlikely alliances, and unexpected foes. But what exactly are we fighting about? And how might we approach these issues more productively? Anthea Roberts and Nicolas Lamp cut through the confusion with an indispensable survey of the interests, logics, and ideologies driving these intractable debates, which lie at the heart of so much political dispute and decision making. The authors expertly guide us through six competing narratives about the virtues and vices of globalization: the old establishment view that globalization benefits everyone (win-win), the pessimistic belief that it threatens us all with pandemics and climate change (lose-lose), along with various rival accounts that focus on specific winners and losers, from China to America’s Rust Belt.
Instead of picking sides, Six Faces of Globalization gives all these positions their due, showing how each deploys sophisticated arguments and compelling evidence. Both globalization’s boosters and detractors will come away with their eyes opened. By isolating the fundamental value conflicts—growth versus sustainability, efficiency versus social stability—driving disagreement and showing where rival narratives converge, Roberts and Lamp provide a holistic framework for understanding current debates. In doing so, they showcase a more integrative way of thinking about complex problems.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
International law scholars Roberts (Is International Law International?) and Lamp survey arguments for and against globalization in this evenhanded guide. Documenting the viewpoints of liberal investors, leftist populists, protectionist nationalists, and others, the authors pay particular attention to commonalities and potential points of agreement. They note, for example, that classical liberal economists and corporate interests both support the free movement of people, and that the Trump administration's China tariffs won favor with U.S. trade protectionists as well as national security experts. The authors' focus on how each side makes its case, however, means that some details and counterarguments get skipped. For instance, the political maneuvering behind the 2018 renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement is underdeveloped, while a mention of how Covid-19 exposed the fragility of "just-in-time" production methods doesn't mention that Toyota, the company credited with innovating lean manufacturing, largely avoided the semiconductor chip shortage that has impacted other automakers. A chapter on the legacy of colonialism incisively challenges the Western viewpoints that make up the rest of the book, though it makes the selection of six "prominent narratives" about globalization to focus on seem somewhat arbitrary. Still, policymakers and business leaders will appreciate this levelheaded and wide-ranging look at a hot-button issue.