Globaloney: Unraveling the Myths of Globalization(Globalization)

A second edition of this book is now available. What's the truth about globalization ...and what's just "globaloney?" Michael Veseth believes that much of what students understand about globalization is really globaloney-bombast built on a few vivid images and exceptional cases that distort more than they reveal about the world around us. Globaloney separates rhetoric from reality by snapping close-ups of the classic globalization images and comparing them with unexpected alternative visions that resonate with culturally savvy college-aged readers. Do Michael Jordan and Nike really define globalization? Why not David Beckham and World Cup soccer? Is globalization McDonalds and McWorld? Why isn't the global wine market a better metaphor? And what can we learn about how globalization works at the grassroots by comparing the elitist, publicity-hungry Slow Food movement with the massive but virtually invisible international trade in worn and wrinkled second-hand clothes? Veseth convincingly explains how all globalization is local, why the French so love to hate it, and what Adam Smith has to do with it. The book shows why it is dangerous to generalize about globalization and, through its wealth of examples, demonstrates that globalization is not one big thing but many different yet related, particular things. An ideal supplement for courses on international political economy and international relations, Globaloney is an irreverent but important look at how globalization really works.

Table of Contents:
Introduction Chapter 1: The Globaloney Syndrome Chapter 2: Blame It All on Adam Smith Chapter 3: Michael Jordan and NBA Global Fever Chapter 4: The Beautiful Game and the American Exception Chapter 5: Globalization as McWorld Chapter 6: Globalization versus Terroir Chapter 7: Grassroots Globaloney Chapter 8: Globalization and the French Exception

About the Author :
Michael Veseth is the Robert G. Albertson Professor of International Political Economy at the University of Puget Sound and author of many books that approach national and global issues from innovative and controversial angles, including Selling Globalization and Mountains of Debt, the latter of which was reviewed in The New York Times Book Review and The Economist. Veseth is the founding director of the international political economy program at Puget Sound and an academic advisor to the interactive educational website for the PBS/WGBH series, "Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy." He lives in Tacoma, Washington and lectures widely.

Review :
Engaging, illuminating, and thought-provoking. International Review Of Modern Sociology Using a term coined by Clare Boothe Luce in 1943 for Vice President Henry Wallace's foreign policy, Veseth critiques today's rhetoric of globalization. He uses case studies and economic concepts to help readers understand globalization's basis in finance and its many complications. Recommended particularly for academic libraries supporting programs in business and economics; libraries should consider purchasing Veseth's previous work as well. Both titles aim to have readers 'think out of the box' when it comes to the concept of globalization. With a valuable extensive bibliography. Library Journal This book is destined to please many readers. -- P. K. Kresl, Bucknell University CHOICE Michael Veseth's entertaining book is written for a more general audience than standard academic texts and as such represents an attempt to engage the mythology and the rhetoric of globalisation on its own ground. Most interestingly, perhaps, Veseth chooses to take on some of globalisation's harshest critics, suggesting that they are as guilty of conjuring up myths to serve particular claims about the world as are their opponents in the pro-globalisation camp. Veseth's prose is eminently readable while being grounded with solid empirical findings. Globaloney should prove to be of great use in the classroom. Political Studies Review Veseth ... succeeds in debunking conventional wisdoms, and his digressions on such subjects as the international wine trade and French snobbery are entertaining. Washington Post Book World In Globaloney, Michael Veseth achieves a rare combination: he conveys important economic arguments in a vivid and highly entertaining style. For anyone trying to assess the goods and bads of headlong progress toward a global economy, and trying to sort bogus fears from genuine reasons for concern, this book is a great place to start. -- James Fallows, national correspondent, The Atlantic Monthly, and author of Breaking the News and Looking at the Sun With his customary verve, Michael Veseth has launched a passionate broadside against what he calls the 'myths' of globalization. Not everyone will agree with his unorthodox views; many will be provoked. But this book deserves to reach a wide audience. In a style both witty and easily accessible, Veseth uses familiar elements of popular culture to challenge conventional thinking. Readers will feast on Globaloney. -- Benjamin J. Cohen, Louis G. Lancaster Professor of International Political Economy, University of California, Santa Barbara Michael Veseth's Globaloney is the perfect down-to-earth primer for undergraduates trying to understand the debate over globalization. By focusing on commodities within every student's reach-baloney, Michael Jordan, and soccer balls-Veseth transparently links abstract global processes to real life. -- Herman Schwartz, University of Virginia Here's a book to break the spell cast by simplistic economic creeds from both left and right. If you want to make fresh discoveries about the global marketplace, Michael Veseth is your man. Don't let his lively, informal prose style fool you. He has a scientist's keen nose for tracking what's true back to its native lair: that wild thicket of fact where prevailing theory just won't fit. -- Howard Cutler, executive producer, Commanding Heights Online-The Battle for the World Economy This book presents a novel and engaging critical analysis that incorporates insights from political economy into a story that will appeal to a wide readership. -- Jarrod Wiener, University of Kent Michael Veseth has written an accessible book that focuses on the inherent complexity of globalization. With clear language, gentle wit, and incisive logic, Veseth skewers the simple myths we like to believe about the interconnectedness of the world around us. However, Globaloney is more than just an aid to clear thinking, and complexity is hardly a virtue in its own right. Veseth's real aim is to help us better understand the many and conflicting ways that globalization touches on different societies and individuals. Understanding his argument is a necessary first step in the development of a 21st-century worldview. -- Erik Jones, School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University Michael Veseth continues his amiable progress through the enchanted, topsy-turvy world of contemporary economic mythology. A real economist with an observant mind, he provides a series of suave and charming tales from his travels through the real world-stories whose subjects range from Adam Smith to Michael Jordan, from soccer to the French, from mediocre mass food to global good wine. Skillfully blended together, these chase away the goblins of globaloney and leave us with a nicer world than we had thought. -- David P. Calleo, Johns Hopkins University Michael Veseth's imaginative account of the varieties of globalization demands the attention of both scholars and students of the world economy. Through original case studies and deeply informed analyses, Veseth presents a fresh picture of a refreshingly diverse and serendipitous globalization. While the media, activists and policymakers generally paint globalization with a single brush, Veseth draws on a broad palette to puncture popular myths and promotes critical thinking. Globaloney is an important new work that advances our understanding of globalization and its effect on society and culture as well as business and finance. -- G. Pascal Zachary, author of The Diversity Advantage: Multicultural Identity in the New World Economy A lively and informative textbook that brings to life the real meaning of globalization. The author is neither a cheerleader for nor a crusader against globalization. He simply seeks to explain this concept and its various manifestations in an objective fashion. -- Nader Entessar