Customer Reviews

Beyond Globalization: Shaping a Sustainable Global Economy

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This is a small book that packs a powerful punch.Henderson shows that the primary focus of globalization is not the creation of booming ,international economic exchanges of goods among nations seeking other countries goods,but the financial manipulation of exchange rates and currencies that allow increased speculative behavior by the world's commercial and investment banks.The goal is to provide " financial services ";this is simply a codeword for the manipulation of accounting balance sheet items so that profits can be made without any production.The history of international economic relations over the last 25 -30 years is primarily the history of speculative,short term,"hot" money being "invested " in various second and third world countries for purely short run speculative goals.The result is always some kind of bubble that invariably deflates.The " hot" money is instantaneously pulled out and deposited in another contry where the speculative bubble making process repeats over and over again.The result has been one financial crisis after another financial crisis at the international level .These types of bubbles create highly detrimental,negative externality and spillover impacts on the local,indigenous population.Significant decreases in the standard of living and quality of life are imposed after the bubbles deflate.None of these costs shows up directly in the GDP figures of the countries effected.

Henderson presents a number of suggested policy changes that would lead to better economic outcomes that would be sustainable over the long haul.

I have one criticism to make of this book.Adam Smith already went over this problem in great detail in his The Wealth of Nations(1776;Modern Library(Cannan)edition,pp.260-340).Smith makes it crystal clear that the only way to prevent speculative bubbles and the ensuing financial crisis is to set up a independent central bank that will prevent the member banks from making any loans to speculators(Smith calls them PROJECTORS and shows how bankers are attracted to these types of individual borrowers),PRODIGALS, AND IMPRUDENT RISK TAKERS.Smith's conclusion is that any such loans will waste the savings of the depositors and lead to a decrease in needed investment.The savings will not be invested in necessary job creating businesses over time.The result will be what Keynes called involuntary unemployment.I have deducted 1/2 of a star because of this lacuna.