Customer Reviews

Alternatives to Economic Globalization

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Drafted by a committee of 19 (but sufficiently well edited to read as if it were written by a single author) this book provides a well-argued, detailed and wide-ranging analysis of the consequences of economic globalization (the term corporate globalization is also extensively used in the book) and an examination of alternatives and the action required to move towards those alternatives. It has succeeded brilliantly, and deserves very close study, whether or not you agree with the drafting committee's views.

This is no extremist anti-corporate, anti-capitalist text, although it does clearly come to the conclusion that the vector of economic globalisation that we are on is neither inevitable, desirable nor sustainable. It is notable for arguing at the level of underlying principles and their practical consequences - it makes explicit the assumptions underlying corporate globalisation and questions them. This, in itself, is a valuable service as so much of the 'debate' in the media proceeds on the basis of bald assertion of essentially fallacious economic dogma.

The report starts with a critique of 'corporate globalization'. The term itself is useful, because the term 'globalization' has become something of a 'Humpty-Dumpty' word ('when I use a word, it means exactly what I want it to mean, neither more nor less'). 'Corporate globalization' describes a process driven and promoted by the large global corporations which, whatever its other consequences, gives primacy to the benefits that will flow to global business.

The critique identifies eight key features of corporate globalization:

1. 'Promotion of hypergrowth and unrestricted exploitation of environmental resources to fuel that growth
2. Privatization and commodification of public services and of remaining aspects of the global and community commons
3. Global cultural and economic homogenization and the intense promotion of consumerism
4. Integration and conversion of national economies, including some that were largely self-reliant, to environmentally and socially harmful export oriented production
5. Corporate deregulation and unrestricted movement of capital across borders
6. Dramatically increased corporate concentration
7. Dismantling of public health, social, and environmental programs already in place
8. Replacement of traditional powers of democratic nation-states and local communities by global corporate bureaucracies.'

It demonstrates each of these propositions and explores who are the beneficiaries of application of these policies. One of the complexities of trying to follow the arguments of the pro- and anti- globalisers is that both use statistics, both from apparently authoritative sources, that directly contradict each other. It is almost as if the two sides inhabit parallel universes that operate in different ways. Suffice it to say that the report puts forward convincing arguments in support of its case.

The critique proceeds to a devastating analysis of the impact of the World Bank, The IMF and the WTO, the three pillars of corporate globalisation, over the last four or five decades.

The report then argues ten principles for sustainable societies, as a basis for identifying ways of realising these principles in the subsequent chapters of the report. It argues that these principles 'seem to be the mirror opposites of the principles that drive the institutions of the corporate global economy.'.

One of the minor problems in the debate is that, whereas 'globalization' rolls easily off the tongue, 'the principle of subsidiarity' is neither easy to say nor obvious in its meaning. The report contains a chapter on the case for subsidiarity, and it is a strong one. The counter argument is almost entirely concerned with power. While there are many elements of conflict between corporate globalisation and the principle of subsidiarity - local control - they are not entirely antithetical. But the reach of the large corporates would unquestionably be reduced.

You may or may not agree with the arguments in this report, but they deserve serious attention. They are well and carefully argued, they represent (in fairly sophisticated terms) the views of a growing number of people around the world who believe that current beliefs and institutions serve them poorly, and they show those who wish to promote change a path for doing so.

A friend of mine who is involved with Rabbi Michael Lerner's Tikkun Community movement recently gave me a copy of Alternatives to Economic Globalization: A Better World is Possible. I'm not an expert in this field at all, but I found the book worthwhile and very accessible. (So accessible that I read the entire thing in a week!) The writers include Jerry Mander, David Korten, Lori Wallach, and many people working around the world in the anti-globalization movement.

What makes the book really important is the positive solutions and alternatives offered. The authors offer real ways to put into practice the Tikkun Community's first and second core principles (interdependence and ecological sanity, and a new bottom line in economic and social institutions).

I think other Tikkun readers, progressive-Democrats, Green party members, and thoughtful people everywhere---who want to see the world change from how it is now to how it could be---would want to read a book outlining specifics of how to create sustainable energy, transportation and food systems. And Alternatives to Economic Globalization does just that. I can't recommend this book enough (in fact I've already bought several copies to give to some of my friends).

This provocative text is the work of an impressive collection of luminary scholars, writers, and environmental activists, all of whom have something important to contribute to the issue of economic globalization and how it is affecting the environment. This distinguished group of authors, including Jerry Mander, Ralph Nader, David Korten, John Cavanaugh, and Lori Wallach, have joined in a collaborative effort herein to render what is likely the single most definitive and sober critique of the current state of globalization as well as the rising tide of anti-globalization efforts across the planet. As the culminating product of a three-year effort by the International Forum on Globalization, the book can best described as being both painstaking and muckraking, providing a series of ten core requirements which must be instituted to make democratic societies sustainable; among which are equality, human rights, local decision-making, and of course, ecological sustainability. In the narrative, each is addressed in terms of both how they are affected by the globalization process as well as what kind of strategies work to counteract these untoward effects.

Moreover, the individual contributors offer a series of quite specific collective strategies for combating and limiting the extent of corporate domination, and also discuss various alternative systems in the critical areas of energy, agriculture, transportation, and manufacturing. There is also a lively discussion pertaining to modes of political action to deconstruct and even destroy the World Trade Organization (WTO), as well its predecessor and corollary institutions, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund or IMF. From the time of the creation of the post WWII international monetary system at Bretton Woods in 1944, through the institution of the World Bank, the IMF, and GATT, the rise of globalization has necessarily towed in its wake an increasing pressure both on the natural environment and the natural resources the corporate forces must dominate and control to continue its essential core function of international economic growth.

With the rise of an organized opposition and a declaration of that organization's policies to systematically resist and counter the effects of the WTO, the anti-globalization forces around the world now have a formal manifesto for the systematic resistance to the forces of corporate sponsored economic globalization. Of course, given the fact that the existing corporate effort is so widespread, pandemic, and attractive to a variety of international corporate forces, any prospect for reversing the trend will be problematic indeed. Yet, given the potential for catastrophic consequences stemming from the movement toward the expanding influence of such global corporate enterprises, the authors argue that we would do well to try.

This is an important book, one that arms the reader with an array of facts regarding what the so-called "New World Order" really means in terms of its potential impact on each us in every aspect of our lives, as individuals, as members of the local community, as consumers of necessary (and other) products, and as citizens of a nation and of the world at large. The scope of the change to come is immense, and it is obviously in the interest of each of us to better understand exactly what is at stake in terms of our lives, our freedoms as citizens, and our survival in a world increasingly endangered by reckless corporate activities that are destroying the biosphere. I highly recommend this book. Enjoy!

Unlike THE CASE AGAINST THE GLOBAL ECONOMY, an anti-globalization compilation put out by many of the same people who contributed to ALTERNATIVES TO ECONOMIC GLOBALIZATION, this book is more slim and concisely articulated. If you are in any way interested in the debates surrounding democracy, ecology, sustainability, resource management, globalization, locatization, the environment, corportism, bio- and cultural-diversity, human rights, food security, job security, energy, transportion, manufacturing and the general measure of progress, this book is a must. I was particularly impressed with the way ALTERNATIVES was able to blend an argument for global regulations while at the same time stridently championing the rights of local, autonomous indigenous peoples. This is THE document for anyone interested in understanding globalization and its possible alternatives.

An impressive treatise that is both comprehensive and detailed in its coverage, and practical in its idealogies towards an economic model that is ethical yet beneficial to all. Far from being just a "lefty" manifesto, this is a thoroughly researched piece that was compiled by a group of the best and brightest thinkers in the arena of economic reform worldwide.

The authors of this incisive book issue a timely and essential wake-up call to all those who consider economic globalisation to be a positive, inevitable and irreversible process. The authors' clear and articulate arguments illustrate the extent to which a small rich and powerful corporate elite have pulled the wool over the eyes of the rest of us in selling a corporate model of global trade built on the poverty and suffering of the majority of the world's people. The book outlines a comprehensive and coherent alternative vision of a more just and sustainable world that is hard to argue with. Prepare to be both informed and inspired to campaign for a fairer world!

This is a very important book that lays out workable solutions to the worst aspects of globalization. And it's nice to read a book that not only offers hope and solutions, but that goes beyond the 101 primers about globalization that are widely available. This book assumes you already know some of the issues and the problems that they create.

The downside to this is that it's unlikely to be a book read by the people who most need to read it. While the information is laid out clearly, it's not very readable; at times, it's even pretty dry. Personally, I would have found more examples helpful both in terms of illustrating the points and in giving a human face to the problems and their solutions. It's one thing to know how Monsanto is shutting down x-number of family farms; it would be another thing entirely to hear the story of a farmer who lost his livelihood due to a ridiculous Monsanto lawsuit.

So while it's nice to find something on the subject that's more challenging to read, I do wish it's something that the general public would be inclined to pick up and feel inspired by. The Forum has very, very important things to say about the future of work, the environment, and human life, but I'm afraid, given the format and style, that they're likely preaching to the converted.

This book is heavily mis-titled. It does not offer any alternatives at all. The book is merely a compilation of rants and raves about the current world system. The people who compiled this book are clearly unhappy with how things are going with the present situation in the global economy. But, they do not know what to do about it. So, it's not worth reading.

This book, and the IFG group in general, do not offer an alternative to capitalist globalisation, which is the real problem, not solely globalisation. While subsidiarity, or localisation, is an important concept that should be considered and implented in any alternative to capitalism, this book misses the point that capitalism is the problem.

This book operates on the outmoded and illusionary idea that Adam Smith's capitalism, local capitalism, can be achieved and will provide an opporunity for fairness and equality. Capitalism can never be this way, as it is by nature expansive and anti-local.

This book leaves out the perspectives of many concerned social actors such as Indigenous people and women. It provides the view of a very narrow selection of the anti-globalisation movement.

This book is dangerous and subversive in that it appears to offer a viable alternative to the exploitation of the current economic world order, and so activists will work toward this reform of capitalism, and in the end prolong suffering and exploitation.
The only way is to end capitalism and explore alternatives that are noncapitalist(and perhaps anti-globalisation as well) in nature.

SMASH CAPITALISM!

This book is excellent for all those who think we can do better-that small farmers needn't be driven from the land, our water needn't be polluted, people need not go hungry while others are overfed genetically engineered chemically altered junk food, etc. It has great thinkers presenting clear, well thought out ideas about what's wrong and what we can do about it. It helps when getting in that classic argument of keynesianism/communism v. neoliberalism because it outlines the thrid alternative very well. I am a grad student and I used it for a paper i wrote recently refuting neoliberalism and it was very helpful. I highly recommend it! Also, look into Maria Mies. She is the anti-capitalist-patriarchy bomb, yo.