Globalization and Free Trade, Second Edition is part of the Global issues series, which is designed to be a first-stop resource for research on the key challenges facing the world today. Each volume contains three sections, beginning with an introduction that clearly defines the issue, followed by detailed case studies of the issue's impact in the United States and several other countries or regions. The second section draws together significant U.S. and international primary source documents, and the third section gathers useful research tools such as brief biographies, facts and figures, an annotated bibliography, and more. A foreword written by an expert in the field complements each volume. A chronology, glossary, and index provide additional help. Ask a group of people what the word globalization means to them, and one will likely get any number of answers. To some, the term means bringing economic development to the people of the world. To others, it implies ruthless exploitation by large corporations. Regardless of one's definition, the voices from both sides of the globalization debate have only grown louder in recent years as the global financial crisis has gripped the world and brought the issue into greater focus. With the debate regarding globalization growing increasingly heated, and the effects of the financial crisis felt by so many, grasping this concept is as vital as ever if one wants to truly understand how our modern world works. Globalization and Free Trade, Second Edition begins by providing an overview of the history of globalization. Following are case studies of the United States, East Asia, China, Iceland, and the Bolivian city of Cochabamba. Book jacket.
