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The (post)modern economy finds itself undoubtedly in the center of a large scale, deeply contradictory and uncertain current transformation of the world. Together with the (post)modern technologies, it composes the dominant core of the globalizing processes, often referred to as globalization. The key features and especially the accumulated consequences of these processes pose a challenge for scientific and theoretical thought in the form of essential questions and dilemmas which are in the last instance tied to the impact of globalization on the quality and meaning of human life. This problem relates as much to individuals as it does to different social groups and human communities, that is to the entire humanity as such. This paper attempts to problematic these contradictory relationships between global corporative economy as an instrumental value and the human liberty as a substantive that is the highest value in itself (summum bonum), which gives meaning and dignity to human life. Therefore, if economy in one form or another covers most of human practical activity, then it is certain that it can have a decisive impact on the most fundamental value of human life, that is the value of freedom (individual, general; internal and external). Of course, the spectrum of economy can act either way - as an encouragement or as often happens, as a deterrent to expansion of human freedom. This paper aims to briefly indicate some causes, characteristics and consequences of global economic processes which, as it seems paradoxically, contribute more to narrowing than to widening room for human liberty, or they simply generate proliferation of "hedonism of non-freedom". Is this another case of "surplus of knowledge" and "deficit of wisdom" that so strongly characterizes our time or something else?.

Books Reviewed: Peter Isard, Globalization and the International Financial System: What's Wrong and What Can be Done Matthew Odedokun (ed.), External Finance for Private Sector Development: Appraisals and Issues Sunanda Sen, Global Finance at Risk: On Real Stagnation and Instability Susanne Soederberg, The Politics of the New International Financial Architecture: Reimposing Neoliberal Domination in the Global South Anne Marie Goetz and Rob Jenkins, Reinventing Accountability: Making Democracy Work for Human Development Patricia L. McCarney and Richard E. Stren (eds), Governance on the Ground: Innovations and Discontinuities in Cities of the Developing World Michael Carley, Paul Jenkins and Harry Smith (eds), Urban Development & Civil Society: The Role of Communities in Sustainable Cities David Potts, Patrick Ryan and Anna Toner (eds), Development Planning and Poverty Reduction Feargal Cochrane, Rosaleen Duffy and Jan Selby (eds), Global Governance, Conflict and Resistance Pranab Bardhan, Scarcity, Conflicts, and Cooperation: Essays in the Political and Institutional Economics of Development Lyuba Zarsky (ed.), Human Rights and the Environment: Conflict and Norms in a Globalizing World Krishna B. Ghimire (ed.), The Native Tourist: Mass Tourism within Developing Countries Donald G. Reid, Tourism, Globalization and Development: Responsible Tourism Planning Rosaleen Duffy A Trip Too Far. Ecotourism, Politics and Exploitation Kees Jansen and Sietze Vellema (eds), Agribusiness and Society: Corporate Responses to Environmentalism, Market Opportunities and Public Regulation Ashok Gulati, Ruth M. Dick and K. V. Raju, Institutional Reforms in Indian Irrigation Robin Clarke and Jannet King, The Atlas of Water: Mapping the World's Most Critical Resource Janelle Plummer and John G Taylor (eds), Community Participation in China: Issues and Processes for Capacity Building Tunde Zack‐Williams, Diane Frost and Alex Thomson (eds), Africa in Crisis: New Challenges and Possibilities

Democratic politics might be defined as the agonistic struggle of different parties, groups or individuals over resources, recognition and influence under reciprocal and inclusive conditions. It is based on an unconditional orientation to equality as well as freedom of all those involved to consent to - or dissent from - the norms, policies and practices that are established in the process of public dialogue. This article reconstructs the general agent-based capabilities required for a democratically defined public sphere under conditions of globalization. Making capabilities central is intended to correct a certain over-emphasis regarding institutional macro-structures in the discourse on globalization and cosmopolitanism. After setting the stage with a critical analysis of Martha Nussbaum's concept of capabilities, the analysis proceeds in two major steps. In the first part, a notion of hermeneutic agency is introduced that avoids a Foucauldian reduction of agency to power structures, while thoroughly situating agency in a symbolically mediated social context. The symbolic mediation of agency is, in the second part, taken as a ground of potentiality for reflexive capabilities that, once actualized and enacted, allow for a normatively satisfying process of public deliberation. The aim of the analysis is to relate a normative model of value-orientation to the linguistically grounded empirical resources of social agents. The core argument lays out as basic capabilities (1) to be able to normatively orient oneself at contextually defined yet universally open postconventional commitments, (2) to be able to engage in an interpretive and dialogical perspective-taking vis-a-vis differently situated agents and backgrounds, and (3) to be able to critically distance oneself from one's taken-for-granted assumptions and background structures via a power-alert social reflexivity.

Abstract:  In East Asia the rural society is not a society based upon agricultural industry anymore and the peasant society with its long history has been disappearing. The occupation and income sources of rural inhabitants have diversified and among them those who specialized in farming are the minority. There is a shortage of rural labor, which used to be abundant in the past, and presently it is not as easy to hire the farm workers. The reason for the diversification of the rural occupations is, to put it simply, because people cannot live merely on farm income. Indeed the farm operation costs have become more expensive due to labor saving techniques, but the livelihood costs have become more expensive due the new uniform lifestyle standards from globalization. Electric machines and education are the typical of these increased costs. The background of this rural change is industrialization and urbanization in the context of globalization and its strong impact is penetrating into the rural society through the regional urban center as the relay point of the global mechanism. This change is different based upon the location of each rural society. Generally, rural societies around a big urban center enjoy opportunities for the younger generation, but remote areas have serious problems with few employment opportunities and a smaller youth population. To reproduce and sustain the regional society as a whole, it is necessary to attract younger people and make them stay. We should plan to develop a variety of industries and the resultant diversified work opportunities in the broader region beyond the narrowly demarcated village and community. Subsistence and commercial agriculture might merely be a part of such diversity.

International audience ; After the collapse of the Soviet Union, many researchers announced a happy globalization. Capitalism was then considered to be the most efficient economic system, leading inevitably to the end of wars (as Proudhon had already hoped in his time) and to an optimal social situation, with the forthcoming victory of liberal democracy. Of course, other economists have predicted economic conflicts between states, the loss of influence of states in relation to multinational firms, the rise of integrated regionalism. However, in a little more than a decade, the United States has begun to lose influence, the war in Iraq has begun, China is gradually becoming a great power to be reckoned with, and capitalism itself is being combined with several forms and regimes that are notably different from the liberal illusion Globalisation, guerre, guerre économique, régionalisme, paix Globalization, war, economic war, regionalism, peace. ; Après l'effondrement de l'Union soviétique, nombre de chercheurs ont annoncé une mondialisation heureuse. Le capitalisme était alors considéré comme le système économique les plus performant, conduisant inéluctablement à la fin des guerres (ce qu'avait d'ailleurs déjà espéré en son temps Proudhon) et à une situation sociale optimale, avec la victoire prochaine de la démocratie libérale. Certes, d'autres économistes ont annoncé les conflits économiques entre les Etats, la perte d'influence des Etats par rapport aux firmes multinationales, l'essor du régionalisme intégré. Cependant, en un peu plus d'une décennie, les Etats-Unis ont commencé à perdre de leur influence, la guerre en Irak a été engagée, la Chine devient progressivement une grande puissance sur laquelle compter et le capitalisme lui-même se conjugue à plusieurs formes et régimes qui s'éloignent notablement de l'illusion libérale.

It is hard these days to open a newspaper or watch television without coming across a debate about capitalism. "Globalization," "imperialism," and "neoliberalism" have become household words. Experts preach the gospel of productivity, while anti-globalization protestors blame the IMF and transnational companies for much of our social ills. Some view economic growth as a magic bullet, for others it spells ecological disaster. Many interpret the new wars of the twenty first century as serving "economic" interests and the rise of Islamic fundamentalism as a backlash against western "liberalism." For some capitalism means the "end of history," for others a source of conflict and an engine of change. No aspect of capitalism seems to escape controversy. In this context, it is surprising to find little or no debate on the concept which matters the most: capital itself. Capital is the central institution of capitalism and yet we do not have a satisfactory theory to explain it. As it turns out, we do not know precisely what capital is. This omission is crucial. Without a clear definition of capital we cannot fully understand how it works and why. Until we understand capital we are destined to misunderstand our society, misjudge its alternatives and fail to imagine a better future. In order to debate capitalism we first need to debate capital. This book offers a new way to do so. The secret to understanding capital, we argue, lies not in the narrow confines of production but in the broader processes and institutions of power. Capital, we claim, is neither a material object, nor a social relationship embedded in material entities, but rather a symbolic representation of power.

International audience ; After the collapse of the Soviet Union, many researchers announced a happy globalization. Capitalism was then considered to be the most efficient economic system, leading inevitably to the end of wars (as Proudhon had already hoped in his time) and to an optimal social situation, with the forthcoming victory of liberal democracy. Of course, other economists have predicted economic conflicts between states, the loss of influence of states in relation to multinational firms, the rise of integrated regionalism. However, in a little more than a decade, the United States has begun to lose influence, the war in Iraq has begun, China is gradually becoming a great power to be reckoned with, and capitalism itself is being combined with several forms and regimes that are notably different from the liberal illusion Globalisation, guerre, guerre économique, régionalisme, paix Globalization, war, economic war, regionalism, peace. ; Après l'effondrement de l'Union soviétique, nombre de chercheurs ont annoncé une mondialisation heureuse. Le capitalisme était alors considéré comme le système économique les plus performant, conduisant inéluctablement à la fin des guerres (ce qu'avait d'ailleurs déjà espéré en son temps Proudhon) et à une situation sociale optimale, avec la victoire prochaine de la démocratie libérale. Certes, d'autres économistes ont annoncé les conflits économiques entre les Etats, la perte d'influence des Etats par rapport aux firmes multinationales, l'essor du régionalisme intégré. Cependant, en un peu plus d'une décennie, les Etats-Unis ont commencé à perdre de leur influence, la guerre en Irak a été engagée, la Chine devient progressivement une grande puissance sur laquelle compter et le capitalisme lui-même se conjugue à plusieurs formes et régimes qui s'éloignent notablement de l'illusion libérale.

International audience ; After the collapse of the Soviet Union, many researchers announced a happy globalization. Capitalism was then considered to be the most efficient economic system, leading inevitably to the end of wars (as Proudhon had already hoped in his time) and to an optimal social situation, with the forthcoming victory of liberal democracy. Of course, other economists have predicted economic conflicts between states, the loss of influence of states in relation to multinational firms, the rise of integrated regionalism. However, in a little more than a decade, the United States has begun to lose influence, the war in Iraq has begun, China is gradually becoming a great power to be reckoned with, and capitalism itself is being combined with several forms and regimes that are notably different from the liberal illusion Globalisation, guerre, guerre économique, régionalisme, paix Globalization, war, economic war, regionalism, peace. ; Après l'effondrement de l'Union soviétique, nombre de chercheurs ont annoncé une mondialisation heureuse. Le capitalisme était alors considéré comme le système économique les plus performant, conduisant inéluctablement à la fin des guerres (ce qu'avait d'ailleurs déjà espéré en son temps Proudhon) et à une situation sociale optimale, avec la victoire prochaine de la démocratie libérale. Certes, d'autres économistes ont annoncé les conflits économiques entre les Etats, la perte d'influence des Etats par rapport aux firmes multinationales, l'essor du régionalisme intégré. Cependant, en un peu plus d'une décennie, les Etats-Unis ont commencé à perdre de leur influence, la guerre en Irak a été engagée, la Chine devient progressivement une grande puissance sur laquelle compter et le capitalisme lui-même se conjugue à plusieurs formes et régimes qui s'éloignent notablement de l'illusion libérale.

La transnacionalización y la globalización, entre otros fenómenos, han planteado la crisis del estado como forma de organización política y correlativamente la búsqueda de alternativas para adaptarlo o reemplazarlo. El presente trabajo propone una puesta en perspectiva de esa crisis a partir de las condiciones históricas y culturales que dieron origen a la aparición del Estado y una revisión de sus supuestos existenciales y su posible vigencia en los tiempos actuales. A continuación ubica esta crisis en el marco del fin de la modernidad y el auge del sistema capitalista como sustrato cultural y fáctico del análisis para plantear si la crisis del Estado nacional se resuelve dentro de los límites de la formas políticas o afecta a la concepción misma de la política. Para ello enuncia sumariamente los desafíos que afectan la organización de la convivencia y que no pueden ser resueltos sin su concurso. ; Globalization and transnationalization, among other phenomena, have stated the state crisis as a way of political organization and the search of alternatives to adapt it. This paper emerges from de historical and cultural conditions that built up the modern state. The state crisis is related to the so called ending of the modernity, too. In this enviroment, our works explains if the state crisis is analized by the national state itself. On the other hand, the crisis can be solved whiting the political framework or it modifies the contents of the Politics itself. Finally, this paper focuses the callenges of globalization and transnationalization which impact on the social organization wich can not be cleared up without the political ocurrence. ; Fil: González, Juan Antonio. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Políticas y Sociales

Books reviewedJohn McGarry (ed.), Northern Ireland and the Divided World: the Northern Ireland Conflict and the Good Friday Agreement in Comparative PerspectiveBrendan O'Leary, I. S. Lustick and T. Callaghy (eds.), Right–sizing the State: the Politics of Moving BordersVictor Roudometof, Nationalism, Globalization, and Orthodoxy: the Social Origins of Ethnic Conflict in the BalkansWill Kymlicka, Politics in the Vernacular: Nationalism, Multiculturalism, and CitizenshipDavid Miller and Sohail H. Hashmi (eds.), Boundaries and Justice: Diverse Ethical PerspectivesAlexandra Barahona de Brito, Carmen Gonzalez–Enriquez and Paloma Aguilar (eds.), The Politics of Memory: Transitional Justice in Democratizing SocietiesShalva Weil (ed.), Roots and Routes: Ethnicity and Migration in Global PerspectiveMontserrat Guibernau and John Hutchinson (eds.), Understanding NationalismErnest B. Haas, Nationalism, Liberalism and Progress. Volume II: The Dismal Fate of New NationsMargaret Moore, The Ethics of NationalismDavid Theo Goldberg and John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic StudiesSita Ranchod–Nillson and Mary Ann Tétreault (eds.), Women, States and Nationalism: At Home in the Nation?Robert Shannan Peckham, National History, Natural States: Nationalism and the Politics of Place in GreeceNicholas Doumanis, Italy: Inventing the NationKenneth McRoberts, Catalonia: Nation Building Without a StateJan–Werner Müller, Another Country: German Intellectuals, Unification and National IdentityBill Niven, Facing the Nazi Past: United Germany and the Legacy of the Third ReichDavid McCrone, Understanding Scotland: the Sociology of a Stateless Nation (2nd edn).Igor Zevelev, Russia and its New DiasporasParimal Ghosh, Brave Men of the Hills: Resistance and Rebellion in Burma, 1825–1932Angelene Naw, Aung San and the Struggle for Burmese IndependenceGreg Robinson, By Order of the President: FDR and the Internment of Japanese AmericansJune C. Nash, Mayan Visions: the Quest for Autonomy in an Age of Globalization

Considers the impact of European & Asian-Pacific regionalization in terms of reducing dependency on US security guarantees, arguing that continued cooperation with the US & dependency reduction via regionalization are not mutually exclusive. Three major learning processes driving post-WWII European regionalization are elaborated in terms of intraregional change, security policies, & US-European relations, respectively. Though comparable in many ways to the European learning process, the Asian-Pacific process is different in two ways, eg, intraregional cooperation started late & followed a more diverse pattern & architecture than Europe. WWII & US engagement in the region contributed objectively & subjectively to region building there, & the region is less a region in & of its own than it is defined by a far-reaching network of US bilateralisms & balance-of-power approaches. Considering European regionalization from the perspective of the functional logic of current & future security challenges, three structural changes are reflected: end of East-West conflict, revitalization of EU integration, & globalization of EU interests. These combine to work on reducing security dependence on the US. Analysis of the threat situation in the Asia-Pacific allows an assessment of the prospect for a regionalized response & for comparison to Europe. Similarities & differences are found in the nature of Asian-Pacific military threats, highlighting issues surrounding the People's Republic of China & the Korean peninsula. The Asian-Pacific security architecture evinces a higher degree of diversity & less cohesion as far as political coordination & common interests than in Europe. Two implications attendant with the concept of regionalization of peace, security, & conflict management are articulated: (1) Regionalization is linked to globalization. (2) Regionalization of security policies is not only an issue of power structures but also of concepts. J. Zendejas

Colloquium on 'Identity and Territorial Autonomy in Plural Societies', IPSA Research Committee on Politics and Ethnicity. University of Santiago (July 17-19, 1998), Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Printed in Nationalism and Ethnic Politics 5 (3-4): 61-75, 1999. ; At the turn of the millenium, new telecommunications are shaping social life worldwide in a far-reaching manner. Impacts associated with these technological developments affect both economic globalization and territorial identities. These latter trends, apparently contradictory, bring with them elements of rapid social change and uncertainty. This paper reflects on the conjunction of both dimensions of the local and the global, and carries out a prescription of the progressive consolidation of a new cosmopolitan localism within the meso-level of community life. A theoretical review of concepts such as multiple identities or territorial accommodation serves as an introduction to the subsequent discussion on the effects of globalization, the extension of market values, and the loss of power by the nation states. A critical digression on the diffusionist, functionalist, and neoinstitutionalist approaches seeks to illustrate some conceptual misunderstandings regarding identity and territory. Mesogovernments no longer depend upon the rationalizing actions taken by central bureaucracies and élites within national arenas. At present, some minority nations, small nation-states, regions and conurbations appear to be better equipped to maximize the impacts associated with downward and upward developments. These relate to global action and local identities, respectively. References made to the European context seek to illustrate how the interaction of multiple identities makes possible a more effective access of civil society to the process of decision-making. This process finds its expression at various political and institutional levels within the wider framework of transnational Europeanization.

by Wong Tze-Kin. ; Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1998. ; Includes bibliographical references (leaves 191-199). ; Abstract also in Chinese. ; ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.i ; ABSTRACTS --- p.ii ; LIST OF TABLES AND DIAGRAM --- p.ix ; ABBREVIATIONS --- p.x ; Chapter PART ONE: --- APEC AND THEORIES OF INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ; CHAPTER ; Chapter I. --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 ; Chapter 1.1 --- Background: the First APEC Meeting in 1989 --- p.1 ; Chapter 1.2 --- Thesis Statement --- p.4 ; Chapter 1.2.1 --- Propositions of Thesis --- p.6 ; Chapter 1.3 --- Conceptual Framework --- p.9 ; Chapter 1.3.1 --- Premises --- p.10 ; Chapter 1.3.2 --- The Political Economy of Globalization and Regionalization --- p.12 ; Chapter 1.3.3 --- International Cooperation and the Differentiation between Strong Regimes and Weak Regimes --- p.14 ; Chapter 1.3.4 --- "Functions of Regimes: Information, Institutional Nesting and Cross Issues-Linkage" --- p.16 ; Chapter 1.4 --- Sources of Materials and Organization of the Study --- p.20 ; Chapter II. --- LITERATURE REVIEW --- p.22 ; Chapter 2.1 --- Concepts of Globalization and Regionalization --- p.22 ; Chapter 2.2 --- Theories of Cooperation Among States --- p.25 ; Chapter 2.2.1 --- Realist Theories --- p.25 ; Chapter 2.2.2 --- Neo-Liberal Institutional ism --- p.27 ; Chapter 2.2.3 --- Remarks --- p.32 ; Chapter 2.3 --- The Study of APEC --- p.33 ; Chapter 2.3.1 --- Objectives of APEC --- p.33 ; Chapter 2.3.2 --- Constraints on APEC --- p.35 ; Chapter 2.3.3 --- Theoretical Implications of APEC --- p.37 ; Chapter 2.4 --- Concluding Remarks --- p.39 ; Chapter PART TWO: --- "INTERDEPENDENCE, INDIVIDUAL VISIONS AND THE BIRTH OF APEC" ; Chapter III. --- THE CREATION OF APEC AND INCENTIVES OF ORIGINAL PLAYERS --- p.40 ; Chapter 3.1 --- Interdependence and the Development of Non-governmental Organizations in the Asia-Pacific Region --- p.40 ; Chapter 3.1.1 --- Historical Development of Non-governmental Organizations --- p.41 ; Chapter 3.1.2 --- Problems of Economic Cooperation in the ...

by Lee Wing Choi, Ernest, So Man Kai, Waynie. ; Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1992. ; Includes bibliographical references. ; ACKNOWLEDGEMENT --- p.ii ; ABSTRACT --- p.iii ; TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iv ; LIST OF TABLES --- p.vii ; Chapter ; Chapter I. --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 ; Objectives Of This Study --- p.2 ; Foreign Investment In Hong Kong --- p.2 ; Japan's Economic Ties With Hong Kong --- p.4 ; Chapter II. --- METHODOLOGY AND APPROACH OF STUDY --- p.7 ; Approaches Of This Study --- p.7 ; Research Problems Definition --- p.7 ; Data Collection Methods --- p.8 ; Data Analysis And Interpretation --- p.8 ; Limitations And Obstacles --- p.9 ; Chapter III. --- INVESTMENT CLIMATE IN HONG KONG --- p.11 ; Transition From Uncertainty To Stability --- p.12 ; Impacts Of China's Political And Economic Policies --- p.13 ; Hong Kong Government's Attitude Towards Foreign Investment --- p.14 ; Chapter IV. --- JAPAN'S ECONOMIC GLOBALIZATION AND DIRECT INVESTMENT --- p.16 ; Japan's Globalization Economic Policy --- p.16 ; Increasing Trade Volume --- p.18 ; Growth Of Overseas Direct Investment --- p.22 ; Diversifications In Investment --- p.26 ; Chapter V. --- JAPANESE INVESTMENT IN HONG KONG --- p.30 ; Japan - Largest Investor In Manufacturing --- p.30 ; Prospects Of Hong Kong's Manufacturing Industry --- p.34 ; Rising Importance Of Non-Manufacturing Industry --- p.37 ; Chapter VI. --- JAPAN'S INVESTMENT IN HK'S REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRIES --- p.41 ; Focus On Commercial Buildings --- p.41 ; Rationales For The Japanese Investment In Real Estate --- p.44 ; Commitment From The Japanese Construction Companies … --- p.47 ; Directions For Future Japanese Investment --- p.50 ; Chapter VII. --- JAPAN'S INTERESTS IN Hong Kong's FINANCIAL MARKETS --- p.51 ; Nature Of Hong Kong's Financial Industry --- p.51 ; Role Of Japanese Banks In Hong Kong --- p.52 ; Vitality Of Japanese Financial Investment --- p.56 ; Chapter VIII. --- PENETRATION OF JAPANESE DEPARTMENT STORE --- p.61 ; Retail/Department Store ...

The end of the Cold War, which came on the heels of the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the near-collapse of the Soviet-styled communist ideology, paved the way for globalization and the entrenchment of a Western-styled economic system hinged on free enterprises. Free enterprises encourage such liberal economic programmes as private initiative and entrepreneurship, accumulation of capital, de-regulation, competition, and trade liberalization, among others. Most developing countries, without much choice, got integrated into this global capitalist system. How they fare as regards economic growth and development is determined by an objective research and interpretation of available data on their economic performance since the trend of "free trade" absorbed them in the global capitalism. The debate on the credibility of "free trade" as a determinant of mutual economic growth and development has been prevalent in international political economy discourse since the 18th century. The credibility of "free trade" has been called into question, especially its effects on the countries of the global South or the developing economies. This study assesses the debate on free trade over the years and how this trend affects the countries of the South in the 21st century economic recession. Most of the scholars and experts of the developing world extraction vehemently kick against the premature integration of the developing economies into the already established western capitalism. They blame the adverse effects of the recession on the South on this unequal relationship. This study also presents some of their arguments. The work makes use of diverse secondary and tertiary sources and the thematic historical approach in the interpretation and discussion of the accounts presented.Key words: Free trade, globalization, economic recession, and global South