The global trap : globalization and the assault on prosperity and democracy / Hans-Peter Martin and Harald Schumann ; translated by Patrick Camiller.
By: Martin, Hans-Peter
.
Contributor(s): Schumann, Harald.
Material type: 
BookPublisher: London ; New York : Zed Books, 1997Description: x, 269 p. ; 22 cm.ISBN: 1856495299 ; 1856495302 .Subject(s): Competition, International | International economic relations | CapitalismDDC classification: 337 | Item type | Current library | Call number | Copy number | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Lending | MTU Bishopstown Library Lending | 337 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) | 1 | Available | 00070395 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
This extraordinary book explores the spread of globalization. The authors - journalists on Der Spiegel - provide an account that is highly informed, yet extremely readable. They show how internationalism, once an invention of social-democratic labour leaders, has firmly changed sides. Now more than 40,000 transnational corporation play off their own workers - and different nation-states - against one another.
The book opens with a fly-on-the-wall account of a seminar attended by the leaders of major corporations. It revealed that the biggest manufacturers are not simply shifting production away from the industrial countries, but foresee a new century where their labour needs will plummet. Talk at the gathering was all about the 20:80 society, where 20 per cent of the population will suffice to keep the world economy going and the unemployed 80 per cent will be pacified by a diet of 'tittytainment' - ie the modern equivalent of bread and circuses but without nearly so much bread.
Calling for the restoration of the primacy of politics over the economy and the repair of the state before it is too late, this book is a a cry of alarm. Currently being translated into 13 languages, The Global Trap is set to become an international bestseller; it cannot be ignored.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 244-256) and index.
The 20:80 society. World rulers en route to a different civilization -- Everything is everywhere. Globalization and global disintegration -- Dictatorship with limited liability. Playing pool on the world money market -- The law of the wolves. The jobs crisis and the new transnationals -- Comforting lies. The myth of locational factors and the fairness of globalization -- Sauve qui peut: but who still can? The disappearing middle classes and the rise of radical seducers -- Perpetrators or victims? The poor global players and the welcoming back of compulsion -- Who does the state belong to? The decline of politics and the future of national sovereignty -- An end to disorientation. How to get out of the dead end -- Ten ways to prevent the 20:80 society.
Translation of: Die Globalisierungsfalle : der Angriff auf Demokratie und Wohlstand.
Reviews provided by Syndetics
Library Journal Review
One of the preoccupying themes of this book is the question of what it means to be a human being in a global society. In an era that has seen the rise of multinational corporations, the fall of communism, and the decline of traditional religions and cultures, this work makes a significant contribution to our understanding of how the world has worked, is working, and will work in the next century. A key question the authors ask is, What really changed for ordinary people? On the surface, it seems, very little indeed. But lurking below the surface, the global socioeconomic system has been ripping the heart out of the global village. Perhaps the more pointed criticism of the global socioeconomic-political system is that it is always swayed by its own vested interests and values. It is hard to find anything to complain about in this excellent book. The one thing that will probably strike American readers the most here is the absolute triumph of unbridled capitalism. The authors are journalists for the German magazine Der Spiegel. Highly recommended for all large collections on global economy, sociology, and futurism.John Xanthopoulos, Palm Beach Community Coll., Fla. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.Author notes provided by Syndetics
Hans-Peter Martin is an Austrian journalist and politician who has been a Member of the European Parliament since 1999.
Harald Schumann is a German author and investigative journalist .
Hans-Peter Martin is an Austrian journalist and politician who has been a Member of the European Parliament since 1999.
Harald Schumann is a German author and investigative journalist .