Introducing Globalization: Ties, Tensions, and Uneven Integration

An Introduction to Globalization is a major textbook on globalization designed specifically for introductory courses and students engaging with the topic for the first time. Interdisciplinary in scope, this broad guide identifies and explores the major economic, political and social ties that comprise contemporary global interdependency. At the same time, the book is designed to help students understand the way in which the word ‘Globalization' and the struggles over its meaning lie at the heart of debates between advocates of a ‘free-market' and what critics describe as the damage and devastation of ‘market fundamentalism' and ‘neoliberalism'. Accessible and comprehensive, An Introduction to Globalization is enhanced by numerous empirical examples, maps, tables, and other illustrations. Each chapter includes suggestions for further reading and student research, while an extended bibliography, glossary of key terms, and accompanying website add extra depth for students looking to explore topics further. Issues examined in detail include the rise of transnational corporations and global commodity chains, the development of global labor markets and worker solidarity, global finance and its recent crises, transnational law and legal advocacy, the increasing influence of market forces over governance locally and globally, the development of global cities and the emergence of other new spaces mediated by market relations, global health challenges and policies, and emerging forms of global mobility and organization by both business elites and their critics. While outlining the empirical evidence about interdependency in detail and with historical sensitivity, this is a text that helps students to develop informed opinions about globalization, inviting them to become participants rather than just passive learners.Matthew Sparke is the author of 'Introducing Globalization: Ties, Tensions, and Uneven Integration', published 2013 under ISBN 9780631231295 and ISBN 0631231293.