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Compares the organization of financial sectors in Germany, Japan, & the US to challenge the notion that bank-based financial systems are a product of late industrialization & the state's need to focus on financial investment. Differences between bank-based & market-based finance are described. It is noted that banking systems account for most of the financial-system assets in Japan & Germany but only for about 25% in the US. However, Germany is closer to the US than to Japan in relation to the state's role in credit allocation. An exploration of the timing of industrialization (TOI) thesis for explaining these differences shows that TOI understates the significance of varied patterns of state regulations & overstates both the importance of bank-based finance for rapid industrialization in Germany & Japan, as well as the degree of difference between them. The need for a more nuanced analysis of the emergence of different types of financial regimes is discussed, along with the potential for transformation toward a market system in both countries. 5 Tables, 1 Figure. J. Lindroth

Examines the emergence of Hong Kong's new rich class & explores its political, economic, social, & international implications, drawing on the literature. This new group, including members of the capitalist & middle classes who have emerged from the process of industrialization since the 1960s, is categorized into four types: local bourgeoisie, local middle-class liberals, local middle-class nationalists, & mainland Chinese bourgeoisie. Politically, the rise of the new rich has contributed to the emergence of pluralism in Hong Kong. However, because Hong Kong is increasingly tied economically to the People's Republic of China, its politics in the future will likely be shaped by China's political & economic circumstances. The social liberalization brought about by the middle class is also likely to be tempered by China's authoritarian political system. However, China's influence over postcolonial Hong Kong may be kept in check by international concern over Hong Kong's future. D. M. Smith

Describes the new rich class in Taiwan, which has emerged since the 1960s as a fragmented, heterogeneous group of individuals from different social classes & status groups. The new rich class includes the old middle classes, encompassing the military, civil servants, school teachers, owners of small & medium-sized businesses, affluent workers in labor-intensive, export-oriented technology industries, & lower-administrative & managerial employees attached to the service sector. It is suggested that because these groups emerged at different stages of the industrialization process, they are susceptible to different sets of social values & support different political platforms & parties. However, social & political harmony has been achieved between these classes through the common, binding experience of ascending from hardship to abundance. It is forecast that if the economic restructuring project is kept on track, this harmony should continue. D. M. Smith

This discussion of the slow food-fast food revolution in Mexico focuses on the tortilla, a staple of the country's peasant cuisine, an occasional part of the diet of most Mexicans, & today a global food, fried as the shell for tacos, sold worldwide by Taco Bell & other fast food franchises. For centuries, rural women rose before dawn to grind the corn into flour, combine it with water, knead the dough, shape it into round flat patties, & bake the tortillas -- all before the men left for the fields. Making good tortillas was a talent required of women. The first change came with a mechanical grinder, which was denigrated at first by the peasant women, but then accepted because it gave them time to engage in other work. Then small factories developed that made tortillas but also sold ground corn to those who wanted to make their own. With industrialization came the rise of Grupo Maseca, a multinational producer of masa harina, or corn flour. Still there were those who insisted that there was no substitute for fresh hand-ground corn flour. Eventually the fast food tortillas & tacos made their way back to Mexico. At present, slow food, moderate-speed food, & fast food coexist. References. J. Stanton

(Originally published in John A. Hall & Ian C. Jarvie [Eds], Transition to Modernity, 1992, see abstract 93c01707.) Builds on Ernest Gellner's theory (1983) that nationalism results from the development of impersonal, universalistic, context-free communication, which in turn develops from industrialization. The cases of France, England, Prussian Germany, & Austria in the 18th century are used to make a historical argument that industrialization arrived too late & too unevenly to give rise to nationalism in this period. The two principle causes of the rise of discursive literacy were the rise of commercial capitalism & its attendant universal social classes, & the development of the modern state & its armed forces & bureaucracy. The combined pressures of external fiscal & military competition & internal agitation for popular representation produced a variety of modern nationalisms. 39 References. H. von Rautenfeld

Problems engendered by globalization processes that could cause mass death on an international scale are examined. The need to realize that historical periods of industrialization have caused significant hardships for the peasant classes is stressed. After discussing the connection between population growth, modernization, & urbanization, it is contended that various factors, eg, gender inequity, must be addressed to reduce population growth. Additional associations between industrialization processes & (1) migration trends & (2) energy resource usage are considered. It is contended that the current rates in population growth, energy consumption, & decrease in land resources & certain environmental constraints could potentially create an insurmountable obstacle for the market-oriented international community. Several issues that the international community must address to help humankind persevere are raised, eg, determining whether social control over production processes will augment national solidarity. J. W. Parker

The acceptance of the decreasing relevance of the core- periphery structure as a one of the characteristic themes of globalization is contested to argue that the global political economy shows few signs of the superseding that form of stratification. The arguments by the globalization scholars that the North-South core periphery divide that are being superseded by the formation of a transnational capitalist class & a world proletariat are refuted as being based on cursory observations that do not pay much attention to the empirical evidence on global inequality & the conceptual problems of interpreting various models of global industrialization. The contention that the absolute novelty of contemporary globalization makes multi-century time frames irrelevant is also refuted by the rules of the comparative method that require identifying what is recurrent as opposed to the true peculiarities of contemporary globalization. The benefits to critical globalization studies of the world systems analysis are explained in terms of the reorganization of world society in which financialization & hypermobility of capital are premonitory signs, & the trajectories of such reorganization. Monitoring the unrealistic US universal world empire project is the important task for true critical globalization studies, as well as providing the global social justice movement with a reliable map to lead to more equitable & just world as opposed to exploit hated empire or endless chaos. References. J. Harwell

Introduces a section in The Migration Reader: Exploring Politics and Policies on a historical analysis of migration patterns. General themes emerge such as the impact of international migration on capitalism, nation building, ethnic patterns, & race relations.

Reviews the nature of Thailand's economic development, focusing on social forces in emerging the middle class, & assesses the political implications of these new forces. Reviewing government reports & the literature shows that a main consequence of Thailand's drive to become a newly industrializing country has been the rise of a middle class as a significant consumer group & crucial element of capitalism's workforce. Its strategic position in the economy has provided the middle class some autonomy from the capitalist class, which is being used to propose political reforms; environmental & consumer groups have contributed to these efforts. In 1992, this coalition of groups came together to overthrow the military-led government. However, it is noted that recent pressures for a kind of pork-barrel politics indicate that the middle class may not be in a position to institute major parliamentary reforms. 10 Tables. D. M. Smith

Ideologies that appear to have intrinsic similarities are often at odds with one another. This was the case in 20th-century Russian society -- a society divided between Western capitalism & slavophile socialism. Out of this conflict emerged "developmental socialism" as an ideology of modernization. The end goal of "developmental socialism" was a socialist society, but it was recognized that industrialization was necessary. Thus, a variant of communism emerged alongside another variant of socialism -- social democracy. This form of socialism allowed market societies to become part of the socialist ideology. Social democracy also recognized the need to defend such values as equality, feminism, & workers' rights. Following WWI, socialist parties were forced to become less isolationist. The barriers that separated socialism from other ideologies were eliminated, yet the differences between socialism & capitalism were still apparent. Modern socialism's chief success following WWII was its ability to prevent the spread of market capitalism; yet, herein also lies its failure. While social democratic systems may keep market capitalism from encroaching on their own borders, they cannot prevent it from spreading to the remainder of the world. K. Larsen

"The Political Economy of the Developmental State in Latin America" published on by Oxford University Press.

Suggests that racism is not an innate human characteristic, but instead a historic & cultural belief that national elites promote to preserve their favored status. Cultural & institutional practices have been used to obscure economic class interests in favor of racialized social identities. As the world moved from an agricultural to an industrial economy, the opportunity to employ the available black labor force was consciously ignored by the social elites. It is argued that the incorporation of black labor into the industrial economy would have lifted the population out of poverty -- a prospect that the elites could not allow. Instead, a new social order was created through the import of poor Europeans & East Indians to diffuse the impact of black political potential. 51 References. M. Greenberg

Explores the social impacts of individuals' nationalist feelings, particularly in light of the world's growing internationalism. Historical & contemporary examples of nationalism & factors contributing to it are cited, comparing it to patriotism & citizenship. Nationalist conflicts are reviewed, describing how differences in minority & majority groups in terms of color (race) & language can lead to exploitation, particularly economically. It is argued that, with increased border crossing, nationalism may ebb, but nationalities will remain. K. Hyatt Stewart

Several emendations to Ernest Gellner's conceptualization of the long trends of history are offered, along with some speculative social predictions. A fourth epoch of high technology is posited as following the industrial epoch of modernity. Gellner's idea that the form of wealth will undergo considerable transformation must be understood as very long-term, as the West will continue to be considerably distanced from the rest of the world, which strives to emulate its wealth. The consolidation of new democracies is predicted on the basis of Francis Fukuyama (1994) & Samuel Huntington (1993), although it is argued that Russia will revert to an authoritarian regime. 33 References. H. von Rautenfeld

An analysis of Ernest Gellner's Plough, Sword, and Book (1988) as a late-20th-century British vision of philosophical history. A summary of Gellner's discussion of the cognitive evolution of humankind culminating in modern industrial society is included. Although the book points to the great difference between modern & premodern societies, Gellner does not explain the transition as much as call it a miracle. It is argued that this failure to explain the origin of modernity is attributable to the abrupt & dramatic form this change takes in Gellner's book. A gradual evolution of cognitive & productive capacities in numerous spheres is defended as a more likely historical narrative. The widening net of communication & material trade that drove the transformation of the premodern world would have borne the fruit of industrial modernity somewhere else, if Europe had not simply been lucky enough to have been first. H. von Rautenfeld