Reshaping globalization

If the importance of globalization were judged by the volume of discussion it has generated, it would surely be a concept of fundamental importance in the contemporary world. And yet, as a concept, globalization is often indigestible, meaning different things to different people, and remaining obscure in its connotations. A virtue of this volume of essays is that the phenomena of globalization are made more approachable by being divided into five discrete themes, each of which forms part of the overall concept and each of which has important implications for policy decisions at the international, regional, and national levels. By differentiating the concept in this way -- into the production of global knowledge, the provision of global public goods, the global trade system, global foreign aid, and global governance -- the analysis is sharpened in an illuminating and stimulating manner. At the same time, the editors, Drs Violetta Zentai and Andrea Krizsan, provide a masterly introductory essay that shows how the various parts make up the whole. The fact that the book is a product of an international conference held at the Central European University shortly after September 11 in 2001, adds a layer to its significance. The Center for Policy Studies at the Central European University and its collaborators deserve praise for such a thorough and timely analysis of these various strands of globalization. Book jacket.