This work challenges the argument that globalization will sweep away politics and democracy. It avoid generalities and abstractions by grounding discussion in particular historical and national contexts, and it links broad theorectical debates to current and tangible examples.

Most analyses of globalization convey the message that it is an unstoppable force sweeping away national sovereignty and inevitably creating a brave new world of borderless and boundless consumerism. In such a context politics and democracy become irrelevant. This collection of essays develops a more critical and grounded analysis of the nature and implications of globalization. Many of the contributions to this book conclude that there are real political choices to be made. Even though the economic context has changed, politics still matters.

Part I Theoretical perspectives: what is globalization, G. Teeple
the politics of globalization and labour strategies, S. McBride. Part II Political agency and the instruments of globalization: globalization as discipline - the case of Australia and international finance, D. Bryan &
M. Rafferty
creating the institutions of the global economy? central bank independence in Japan and Italy, B. MacLean, A. Croci &
P. Bowles
the right thing - globalization and the policy process - a case study, R. Watts
international financial institutions, international capital flows and financial liberalization in developing countries, J. Busumtwi-Sam
benchmarking, global best practice and production renorming in the Australian coal industry - the impact of globalization, B. Bowden &
B. Russell. Part III Contradictions and ambiguities: global markets and state power - explaining the limited impact of international tax competition, M. Webb
the making of the citizen self and citizen other - Canada's non immigrant employment authorization program, N. Sharma
globalization and cross border people movements - the case of recent revisions in U.S. immigration legislation, T. Cohn
the ICFTU Labour clause proposal - a legal and political critique, M. Swenarchuk
a "Double Movement" - implications of globalization and pluralization for the Canadian welfare state, J. Rice &
M. Prince. Part IV Crisis, levels of action and alternatives: economic turmoil in Asia - a crisis of globalization, J. Price
rethinking global strategies, M.G. Cohen
alternatives to oppressive globalization, J. Wiseman.