Demystifying Globalization

Globalization has, within academic, political and business circles alike, become the buzz word of the 1990s, conjuring an ever growing diversity of associations, connotations and attendant mythologies. In this volume an array of international academics assess the contribution of the globalization thesis, in its various guises, to our understanding of social, political and economic change in contemporary societies. They expose, challenge and demystify many of the exaggerated and over-generalized claims made about globalization, whilst developing a distinctive "third wave" perspective on the world we inhabit and the processes currently reconfiguring it.

'With welcome scholarly care and attention, this hugely impressive book takes a step back from the often frenzied discussions about globalization. The result is an important volume that supplies both a comprehensive survey of debates about globalization and a series of penetrating interventions into that literature. It is a book that should become essential reading for all students of comparative and international political economy'. - Ben Rosamond, University of Warwick '...a welcome addition to the growing list of publications on the new global economy.- Constantine E. Passaris, Review of Political Economy

Colin Hay is Professor of Government and Comparative Public Policy at Sciences Po, Paris and Affiliate Professor of Political Analysis at the University of Sheffield, where he co-founded the Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute (SPERI). He is the author of a number of books including The Failure of Anglo-Liberal Capitalism and The Political Economy of European Welfare Capitalism (with Daniel Wincott). He is editor of the journals Comparative European PoliticS and British Politics (both published by Palgrave Macmillan) and New Political Economy (Taylor & Francis).