Globalization, Poverty and Inequality
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
1. Edition September 2005
216 Pages, Hardcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
Globalization is characterised by persistent poverty and growing
inequality. Conventional wisdom has it that this global poverty is
residual - as globalization deepens, the poor will be lifted
out of destitution. The policies of the World Bank, the IMF and the
WTO echo this belief and push developing countries ever deeper into
the global economy.
Globalization, Poverty and Inequality provides an alternative
viewpoint. It argues that for many - particularly for those
living in Latin America, Asia and Central Europe - poverty
and globalization are relational. It is the very workings of the
global system which condemn many to poverty. In particular the
mobility of investment, and the large pool of increasingly skilled
workers in China and other parts of Asia, are driving down global
wages.
This poses challenges for policy makers in firms and countries
throughout the world. It also challenges the very sustainability of
globalisation itself. Are we about to witness the implosion of
globalisation, as occurred between 1913 and 1950?
Using a variety of theoretical frameworks and drawing on a vast
amount of original research, this book will be an invaluable
resource for all students of globalization and its effects.
List of Tables x
A Guide to the Reader xii
Acknowledgements xiv
Part 1 Setting the Scene 1
1 Global Dynamics 3
2 Globalization and Poverty 26
Part II Gaining from Globalization 53
3 Getting it Right: Generating and Appropriating Rents 55
4 Managing Innovation and Connecting to Final Markets 86
5 The Global Dispersion of Production - Three Key Sectors
122
Part III Losing from Globalization 161
6 How Does it All Add Up? Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place
163
7 Does it All Add Up? 196
8 So What? 232
Notes 258
References 265
Index 276
globalisation and to the theory of global value chains. Clearly
written and data rich, it presents compelling evidence that
globalisation itself - by intensifying competition between low wage
producers - is perpetuating poverty and amplifying
inequality."
Political Studies Review
"This book is a useful addition to the growing literature on
globalisation. It is well-balanced, well-researched and relatively
jargon-free."
Development Policy Review
"Contains much new material and results of original research
which should enable the reader to rise above the simplicities of
'globalization good' and 'globalization bad'."
Sir Hans Singer
"Highly readable and informative and challenges many of our
assumptions about how industrialization and globalization works and
how we might manage the process more effectively and equitably. It
ought to be on the 'required reading' list for any courses which
deal with the challenge of managing technological and industrial
change"
John Bessant
"Uncovers the perils as well as the promise of globalization in
an unvarnished look at winners, losers, and the new rules of the
game in the global economy."
Gary Gereffi
"Kaplinsky's book provides a powerful and insightful
vision of the opportunities and threats of globalization. His view
of today's complex global economy examines the aggregate
picture relating it to the historical context and with constant
reference to specific cases that exemplify and deepen the
understanding of the various processes at play.
His own considered view is that many economies in Latin America
and Africa, and many people in the advanced industrial economies,
are likely to be clear losers in a globalizing economy. Yet the
analysis is rich enough to feed both sides of the necessary debate
on whether globalization could become a positive-sum game for both
advanced and developing countries."
Carlota Perez, Universities of Cambridge and
Sussex
"This book is a rich contribution to the growing body of
critical literature on globalisation."
The Hindu, Chennai, India
