Globalization

An updated version of Leslie Sklair's highly successful Sociology of the Global System, this book examines the positive and negative aspects of capitalist globalization and develops a new theory of possible alternative futures. Essential reading for anyone interested in the ongoing debate in this topical area, and especially for those studying the area as part of politics or sociology courses.

Focuses on alternatives to global capitalism, arguing that there are other alternative futures that retain and encourage the positive aspects of globalization whilst identifying what is wrong with capitalism. This book will be useful to students and academics concerned with understanding how the global system works.Capitalist globalization has been instrumental in globalizing civil and political rights all over the world as a condition of 'free' markets and trade, but capitalist globalizers have no answer to the rapidly accelerating demands for universal economics and social rights, expressed in the enormous growth of local, national, multinational and global NGOs and anti-globalization movements. In this book, based on his highly successful Sociology of the Global System, Leslie Sklair focuses on alternatives to global capitalism, arguing strongly that there are other alternative futures that retain and encourage the positive aspects of globalization whilst identifying what is wrong with capitalism. The negative aspects of capitalist globalization are explored in a new critique which argues that there are two main crises of capitalist globalization: the class polarization crisis and the crisis of ecological unsustainability. The book also presents a new analysis of a long-term alternative to global capitalism: the globalization of human rights.