Understanding Globalization: The Social Consequences of Political, Economic, and Environmental Change

Understanding Globalization introduces students to the concept of globalization, providing an essential history, overview of key themes and theories, and a wealth of engaging examples. The fifth edition has been completely revised to connect with students today, opening with a discussion of the far-reaching causes and effects of the recent financial crisis and including new material on global migration patterns, ISIS, and more, while maintaining the book’s accessible and student-friendly style. The book begins by examining the roots of the recent global financial crisis, looking at the roles of inflation, the housing crisis, Wall Street, policy makers, and more. It also explores the varying impact of globalization—from democratization and equality in some countries to destabilization and inequality in others. The fifth edition of Understanding Globalization is a compelling and current introduction to the myriad influences of globalization in our lives.

Table of Contents:
Preface Introduction The Crisis of GlobalizationThe Rise of Wall StreetThe Housing BoomFinancial Crisis and Great RecessionDemocratization in the RepublicsDivision and Sub-division, Conflict and WarGlobalization and ChinaMarginalization and Exit in AfricaGlobalization and Global Warming

About the Author :
Robert K. Schaeffer is professor of sociology at California Polytechnic State University. He is author or coauthor of a number of books, including Social Movements and Global Social Change: The Rising Tide and Fast Forward: Work, Gender, and Protest in a Changing World.

Review :
This book is wonderful. It presents a very clear history of modern globalization and the role the United States has played in this process. It is currently the best book on explaining the historical conditions that have led to modern globalization. Understanding Globalization reveals the complex, uneven, and often contradictory outcomes of globalization, such as growing economic inequality in some places, and increasing equality in others. It can facilitate economic integration as it has done in China or exacerbate disintegration and marginalization as it has in Africa. In this fifth edition, Robert Schaeffer explores how globalization impacts long-term processes such as development, democratization, and climate change, and how it can create short-term crises, such as war and conflict, and the 2008 global financial crisis that began in the United States. As a geographer, I appreciate that the book soundly documents the consequences that globalization has on both people and places, and that it seeks to explain a dynamic that is unevenly experienced around the world. The book is both accessible and substantial—a rare accomplishment. It has become my 'go-to' book on globalization. Praise for previous editions: This clearly written and vastly comprehensive book is a valuable and fascinating read. . . . Schaeffer turns his gaze to topics as varied as inflation, debt crises at home and abroad, stock market booms and busts, hunger and agriculture, free trade agreements, global climate change, democratization, and the global drug trade. In nearly every case, the research is solid and the choice of details fascinating. . . . I would recommend this book for general readers . . . or mid-level courses wishing to incorporate a global perspective. Understanding Globalization is an exceptional book that thoroughly covers contemporary issues relating to globalization that students find extremely readable.