I just read Daniel Cohen’s Globalization and Its Enemies
(MIT Press, 2006). (This edition is a
translation of Cohen’s 2004 French-language book, La Mondialisation et ses
ennemis.)
important insights mixed with archaic Marxist assertions. I read it as soon as I bought it because its
back cover features glowing praise from William Easterly, who calls the book “A
must read.”
as highly as does Bill. (But, Café patron,
you should put more trust in Bill’s judgment than in mine.)
Europe offers one important
lesson. It shows that economic
integration does not at all entail the eradication of cultural diversity. In view of the diversity of the Swedes, the
Italians, the Germans, and the French, or even the Portuguese and the Spanish,
one should not fear that an integrated global market erases the world’s
plurality [p. 136].
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In view of the diversity of the Swedes, the Italians, the Germans, and the French, or even the Portuguese and the Spanish, one should not fear that an integrated global market erases the world’s plurality.
One might even say the same of the diversity of Texans, New Yorkers, and Minnesotans. Even an integrated national market, free migration, and shared language don't erase plurality.
Slocum,
Indeed so!
Maybe the better question is whether the Professor recommends Easterly's recent book?
(I read "The Elusive Quest for Growth," and I wonder–or doubt–whether he has new insights to offer.)
You could look at the state of New Jersey and say the same thing.
- Josh
Europe hasn't been integrated economically for all that long. Wait a hundred years and see what happens.
And Texans, New Yorkers and Minnesotans aren't as different as they used to be. But you can thank TV and other mass media for that; economic integration isn't as important as sheer distance in this case. Maybe the coming of the long tail in media will result in people becoming more different once more…
"Texans, New Yorkers and Minnesotans aren't as different as they used to be. But you can thank TV and other mass media for that"
Maybe they were never really so different. Perhaps television just helped us realize retards in Minnesota get as excited watching Fear Factor as retards I work with here in Texas. Who would have guessed that exhibitions of reindeer testicle consumption would achieve equally high ratings in Boston, MA, and in Cut and Shoot, TX?