Overview

"As demonstrations at meetings of world economic leaders have dramatically shown, the ""globalization"" of the world economy is now a subject of heated political debate. Generally supported for its positive benefits by neoliberals and attacked for its negative repercussions by the left, it is a multifaceted phenomenon, and even the term is much in dispute as both academic experts and political activists tend to define it in ways that best support their own biases. In this book, Gavin Kitching is not interested so much in providing new information about globalization as an economic and social process as he is in clarifying how globalization is to be understood and evaluated as a ""good"" or ""bad"" thing. Central to his argument is that a proper evaluation requires historical self-awareness, both of the historical background of globalization itself and of the historical origins of the very norms by which such evaluations are made. Unusual for a book written from a leftist perspective. Seeking Social Justice Through Globalization argues that those who care for social justice should seek more globalization, not try to prevent its development or roll it back. In his ""modified Ricardian"" analysis, Kitching warns especially about the constraints that the inherited discourse of economic and cultural nationalism places on the full potential of globalization to improve the welfare of poor people, which is his principal concern."

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9780271021621

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Reviews

Gavin Kitching provides a readable argument about what the left should like about globalization and why most left critiques misunderstand the consequences of trade. He ably combines solid economic analysis and normative arguments into a revealing commentary on the post-Seattle world. - Herman Schwartz, University of Virginia In the phase for understanding globalization, this book cuts to the quick. It addresses: What are the propellants of globalization? How to diminish the harms caused by this powerful force and turn it to advantage? Readers may not agree with Kitching's provocative argument but will certainly gain from grappling with it. - James H. Mittelman, American University

Author Information

Gavin Kitching is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. Australia, and the author of Marxism and Science: Analysis of on Obsession (Penn State, 1994).

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