Review: Economic Governance in the Age of Globalization
| DOI | 10.1177/002070200506000228 |
| Author | David H. Bearce |
| Published date | 01 June 2005 |
| Date | 01 June 2005 |
| Subject Matter | Review |
I
Reviews
|
footnotes shows that beyond the many branches of economics,
Wolf
also
cites
the leading lights of sociology, history, political science, and interna-
tional relations in building his case for the integration of economic activity
via
the free market.
This
is not to say the book is flawless. Some of Wolf's proposals for
improving the current rules that govern globalization sound good, but he pro-
vides no guidance as to their political feasibility. His chapter on finance is
schizophrenic on the question
of
whether fixed or floating exchange rates are
better in a globalized economy.
Wolf
overestimates the
effect
that economic
interdependence has on the promotion of peace. More generally, there is a
mild tension between the first and last
parts
of the text. In the first section,
Wolf
recognizes the non-economic prerequisites for functioning markets, the
moral and political architecture of societies that leads to good governance.
Reading this section, the reader comes away with an appreciation for the
equipoise required to balance the economic and non-economic dimensions of
society.
In the final sections of the book, however, it is far from clear whether
the benefits from economic globalization are significant enough to have a
salutary
effect
on the political and social foundations of poor countries. This
does not mean that globalization does not bring economic benefits—but per-
haps
those benefits are smaller
than
some boosters suggest.
These
are minor carps, however, about an excellent book. Why
Globalization
Works
is a wonderful alchemy of accessible prose and
academic rigor. At a minimum, it will take longer
than
an op-ed for
skeptics of globalization to properly respond to its arguments.
Daniel
W.
Drezner/University
of
Chicago
ECONOMIC
GOVERNANCE
IN THE AGE OF
GLOBALIZATION
William
K. Tabb
New
York:
Columbia University Press,
2004.
viii,
52opp,
US$69.50 cloth
(ISBN
0-231-13154-2),
US$29.95 paper
(ISBN
0-231-13155-0)
The
somewhat generic title of this book could be replaced with a more
descriptive one, such as "How the United States rules the global economy
through
the IMF, World Bank, and the WTO." William Tabb's manuscript
on this subject is not a traditional research monograph, motivated by an
unresolved research puzzle. Instead, he offers a strong critical assessment
I 588 I International
Journal
|
Spring
2005
|
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