Inequality, Power, and Development: Issues in Political Sociology [Paperback]

Jerry Kloby (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2003

The growth of transnational corporations, the dominance of world-wide financial and political institutions, and the extensive influence of media that are nearly monopolised by corporate interests are key factors shaping our global society today. What are the consequences of these developments for the great masses of people throughout the world? One of the great strengths of Kloby's work is the comprehensive picture he creates from many diverse events and trends - local and international, contemporary and historical. The many graphs and tables containing supporting data add a visual element that guides the reader to a clear understanding of the complex forces underlying contemporary developments. He also clearly explains the meaning and relevance of such sophisticated but important terms as neoliberalism, dependency, civil society, and social capital. This fully revised and updated edition will have enduring value for students and scholars of sociology, political science, economics, and international relations.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"... arguably the best and most up-to-date text in the field of political sociology available today. Its useful tables and illustrative inserts make this book ideal for undergraduate students..." -- Martin Oppenheimer, Associate Professor of Sociology and Labor Studies, Rutgers University.

About the Author

Jerry Kloby teaches sociology at Montclair State University in New Jersey. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 417 pages
• Publisher: Humanity Books; 2 edition (June 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591021030
• ISBN-13: 978-1591021032
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #808,152 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Critical Perspectives on Inequality and Globalization, June 21, 2005

By 

AJ Faas (Montclair, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Inequality, Power, and Development: Issues in Political Sociology (Paperback)

Inequality, Power, and Development: Issues in Political Sociology, 2nd edition by Jerry Kloby (Humanity Books) is an invaluable resource for the student or professor of social science that looks critically at global power and inequality. At once impressive for its breadth, depth and readability, this work speaks to audiences beyond the classroom and should therefore earn a more popular readership among activists, organizers and engaged citizens of diverse political orientation or interest.

The book begins with an introduction to the origins, rise and crises of capitalism and its attendant socio-political conditions along with theories of political economy that prepare the reader for a tour of economic inequality in the United States, corporate and state power, and global development.

The chapter that directly addresses the sociology of development provides an honest and cogent appraisal of the prevailing theoretical approaches to development in our time in a way that is potable for both high school and college students and rich enough for scholars of inequality and development.

Overall, Kloby's book is a grand and critical tour of US and global power relations in the 20th century and the present that concludes with valuable speculation about grassroots challenges to corporate, state and neoliberal hegemony.

The wealth of data and information that is invested in the work provides a valuable resource for classroom discussion and an unmistakable transparency to the skeptical reader. I have used Inequality, Power and Development in the classroom with great success and I will be sure to continue.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excerpts from the Journal of Political & Military Sociology:, May 18, 2005

By 

G. Kloby (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Inequality, Power, and Development: Issues in Political Sociology (Paperback)

"Few sociology texts extensively review global issues of inequality even as economic inequality grows prolifically and causes significant damage to the world's ethnic minority peoples across all geographic borders. However, Kloby's book accomplishes this feat by extensively reviewing the relationship between transnational corporate exploitation, the extensive reach of Western political institutions, and the alleged "free trade" or neo-liberal policies of the world's richest nation-states and international financial institutions.

Even for those of us who fail to include a political sociology course in our curriculums, this text is a necessity for introductory sociology courses, inequality courses, and criminology courses that dare to take a critical worldview of current socio-economic and political dynamics.

... this book is a necessity for any Introductory Sociology class, not simply political sociology classes. It should be mandatory reading for all sociology students at some point in their undergraduate curriculum and furthermore, a necessary adjunct to any graduate class. Jerry Kloby has spoken the truth in the fashion of Noam Chomsky and bell hooks..."

Read the full review at: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3719/is_200407/ai_n9434774

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Important Approach to Globalization, August 24, 2004

By 

P. Nagy "revreader" (Chapel Hill, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Inequality, Power, and Development: Issues in Political Sociology (Paperback)

Inequality, Power, and Development: Issues in Political Sociology, 2nd edition by Jerry Kloby (Humanity Books) More than ever before the world is being shaped by the interests of transnational corporations and their partners in global financial institutions such as the IMF and WTO. What are the consequences of such concentrated power for the great masses of people throughout the world? One clearly emerging pattern is the growing disparity between the developed nations and the rest of the world. In this excellent analysis of power distribution and its effects, sociologist Jerry Kloby presents data on the increase of wealth and income inequality, and argues that many of the policies pursued by the developed nations and transnational corporations have led to a deterioration of both living standards and the environment in many parts of the world. He also discusses a power shift in the United States that has weakened the working class.
Kloby creates a comprehensive picture of global society from many diverse events and trends-local and international, contemporary and historical. The many graphs and tables containing supporting data guide the reader toward a heightened understanding of the complex forces underlying contemporary developments. He also clearly explains the meaning and relevance of such sophisticated but important terms as neoliberalism, dependency, civil society, and social capital.
This fully revised and updated edition will have enduring value for students and scholars of sociology, political science, economics, and international relations.