Contesting Globalization

This work examines the challenges faced by those wishing to develop progressive visions of transparent global governance and civil society. It traces the history and development of the institutions of global governance as well as the emergence of the anti-globalization movement.

Contesting Global Order traces dominant values and patterns on a world level over the last half century. Including a framing introduction written for the volume, this book presents James H. Mittelman’s most influential essays. It offers cross-regional analysis, drawing on his fieldwork in nine countries in Africa and Asia. This research explores mechanisms by which prevailing knowledge about global order is implicated in its deep tensions: chiefly, the impetus for development and global governance embodies aspirations for attaining wellbeing and upholding human dignity; yet market- and state-driven globalization embraces basic ideas inscribed in power, thus increasing vulnerability and making the world more insecure. Rather than exalt one element in this quandary over another, Mittelman shows how different aspects of the relationship collide. Examining cases of specific localities, international organizations, and social movements, this grounded study unveils evolving structures that shape our times. It projects scenarios for future global order and how to make it work for the have-nots. Mittelman consistently forges a critical perspective throughout this collection. His reflections cut against conventions in international studies and, more generally, global order. This volume will be of great interest to all students and practitioners of development, global governance, and globalization.

Identity, Place, Knowledge Looks Closely At The Knowledge That Arises From Activist Practice And Its Significance For Enacting New, Democratic Politics. The Result Is A Innovative Approach To The Study Of Social Movements That Combines Activist Ethnography With Wide-Ranging Theoretical Discussions In Political Economy, Cultural Studies, Critical Pedagogy And Urban Theory. This Allows Us To See How A Local Social Movement Interfaces With The Global Conjuncture Of The Anti-Globalization Movements, 9/11 And The Resurgence Of Empire.

Essay from the year 2007 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Topic: Globalization, Political Economics, grade: 1,8, University of Warwick (University of Warwick, UK, Dep. of Economics), course: Making of Economic Policy, 12 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: “We don’t know what globalization is, but we have to act.” This sentence, from a peasant activist in North East Thailand interviewed in Bangkok on 10 June 2002, makes clear why ‘globalization’ is still one of the most contested concepts in recent international political economy. Global media has raised people’s awareness of the fact that ‘the world is moving faster than ever’. Reduced formal barriers to commerce (e.g. import tariffs) have helped world trade to grow faster than output and foreign direct investments faster than trade . Multi-national corporations with a global target market have entailed the threat of off-shoring and outsourcing, which exerts a constant downward pressure on wages in developed countries. The information and communication technology revolution as well as the decreased transportation costs due to the airplane and containerization have accelerated a new division of labour. Moreover non-economic issues as the change of the nation-state role and the growing importance of transnational institutions are feeding the talks about globalization. Yet, just as the interviewed peasant above, nobody really knows what the exact topic is.

An innovative and original addition to the literature on globalization which examines the challenges faced by those wishing to develop progressive visions of transparent global governance and civil society.

This exciting book, available in paperback for the first time, provides an illuminating account of contemporary globalisation that is grounded in actual transformations in the areas of production and the workplace. It reveals the social and political contests that give 'global' its meaning, by examining the contested nature of globalisation as it is expressed in the restructuring of work.Rejecting conventional explanations of globalisation as a process that automatically leads to transformations in working lives, or as a project that is strategically designed to bring about lean and flexible forms of production, this book advances an understanding of the social practices that constitute global change. Through case studies that span from the labour flexibility debates in Britain and Germany, to the strategies and tactics of corporations and workers, the author examines how globalisation is interpreted and experienced in everyday life. Contestation, she argues, is about more than just direct protests and resistances. It has become a central feature of the practices that enable or confound global restructuring.This book offers students and scholars of international political economy, sociology and industrial relations an innovative framework for the analysis of globalisation and the restructuring of work.

This edited volume brings together exciting new research and ideas related to the ongoing internationalization of higher education, particularly in the Asia Pacific region, where this phenomenon has been rapidly developing in recent years. It also specifically focuses on analyzing the extent to which resurgent nationalisms from around the world effect the growth and direction of this sector of education. As cultural and political tensions rise globally, many are turning to educators and education researchers for suggestions on how to respond to this trend. This volume seeks to answer that call. Moreover, as authors share perspectives and data from a wide range of national and institutional contexts, the applicability of this volume extends beyond national or regional boundaries, offering questions, challenges, and lessons for educators worldwide.

Global and domestic policies, and the rapid processes of economic globalisation, have led to burgeoning levels of inequality. Drawing upon insights from critical international relations theory, this book explores how global justice movements use socioeconomic rights to challenge neo-liberal global governance.