Open World

Globalization is one of the most controversial issues in the world today. While protestors take to the streets at international summits, it is becoming conventional wisdom that companies are taking over the world, that governments' ability to tax, spend and regulate is under threat from global competition, that globalization harms the poor and that democracy is at risk. The author of this text argues that this is not so. Aiming to demolish some of these myths, Legrain shows how, without globalization, the poor are never going to get richer. It is simply the only way, he argues, to give governments the means to combat poverty: money for schools, hospitals and welfare. Focusing on the history of world trade as well as topical issues such as the power of corporations, whether globalization is bad for poor countries, whether it threatens the environment and Americanizes indigenous cultures, Philippe Legrain shows why elected governments are still very much in control and why a more open world offers greater opportunity for everyone, rich and poor, to better their lives.