On the Cutting Edge of Globalization: An Inquiry into American Elites - Tapa dura

The authors, well-known theorists of international relations and international political economy, turn their attention to the agents and processes behind globalization. Rather than focusing on the dynamics and effects of globalization, this work describes those whose decisions drive globalizing processes: corporate and government leaders, professionals, tourists, and consumers. A well-constructed example of empirical research in globalization studies. * CHOICE *

Woefully little systematic knowledge is available about leaders who shape and sustain globalization. On the Cutting Edge of Globalization is the first systematic study to investigate elite attitudes toward the emergent structures of world affairs. Surveys of more than 1,700 American leaders before and after 9/11 yield compelling and provocative findings that depict the attitudes and activities of an important group of people who, even as they collectively influence the course of events, are not linked and coordinated in their efforts. Chock full of original data, the book's unique contribution is enhanced by an entertaining narrative explanation that casts a Cutting Edger, an Other Leader, and a Researcher in a good-natured argument about the meaning of social science inquiry and the validity of survey data. From an author group as powerful as the targets of their inquiry comes this one-of-a-kind, intriguing, and thoroughgoing analysis.