This book brings an empirical social science perspective to a public issue on which observers, economists, and business gurus have freely unleashed their abstract models and jumbo schemes. Written by internationally acclaimed authors, the chapters engage empirically tractable issues that are basic to any overall understanding of the social origins, structures, and consequences of the current wave of globalization.

Contributions by: Giovanni Arrighi, Jack Burgers, Richard Falk, Michael Hanagan, Connie Hum