This book is a clear, imaginative and wide-ranging picture of the globalising world, written for a general educated readership. It is not an argument for or against globalisation but a careful and thorough analysis of the issues involved, drawing on scholarly study and debate but avoiding technical issues and demanding detail. Organised in two parts, it explores the economic theory behind globalisation, then the political and social consequences and concludes with the various options for nations in a globalised world. Distinctive in setting globalisation in a historical context also inteprets it from the point of view of a small, rich economy. In each section individual chapter focus on a particular historical experience, typically in a single country; for example, a chapter on cities and industry economies of scale focuses on New York; one on technology transfer focuses on Japan; one on nationalism focuses on Germany.