Rating: 
Summary: Globalism: Capital that "moves on a dime"
Review: The book attempts to create a paradigm shift from the optimistic traditional American dream of hard work and reward, to the more pessimistic global reality of being displaced by big business as the social classes polarize. Greider takes on an immense task as he presents a macroeconomic view of the global economy, which he states has caused a decline in the standard of living for the average worker since 1974. His main argument is that the free running of global capitalism has recreated the conditions that preceded the Great Depression -- excess supplies of goods and labor, an expanding inequality of wealth, and social exploitation in the name of free market economics, which threatens global economic crisis and social revolution. As multinational firms fiercely complete for global market shares, they abandon the national interests of their home country and disregard any social obligation that does not promote short-term profits, including displacing or exploiting workers. Without multilateral intervention that would regulate global commerce and protect the rights of workers everywhere, a world economic and social crisis is inevitable. Greider successfully illustrates the struggle between labor and capital: Organized labor's power to control wages and working conditions, which has traditionally been grounded in its ability to limit the supply of workers, has been decimated by the mobility of capital. In a global market, there will always be workers willing to accept a lower wage as opposed to no wage. As this Awage arbitrage@ forces earnings down, the middle class with disposable income will slowly disappear. Grader's argument of the economic model looks carefully at the demand side of the equation and asks -- who will buy the surplus if there is no middle class with disposable income? Capital driven by profits and quick returns at all costs are ignoring the fundamental relationship. Labor needs capital for income, and capital needs labor's income for profits and growth. Greider also illustrates a breakdown in American democracy: A government no longer run by the people, but by big business, which makes government the broker of deals that only serves to further breakdown our domestic economy in the interest of the free-market.
Rating: 
Summary: An Alarming But Accurate Perspective on the Global Economy
Review: The Washington political elites repeatedly tell us how wonderful things are today; why does the American public have difficulty believing the message. Inspite of 8 years of economic growth, why is real median family income stagnant? Why is income polarization increasing across America and the entire world? Sadly, the American public is clueless to the economic forces reshaping the nation. William Greider addresses the most important issue concerning America's economic future: the globalization of the economy and it's implications. In the new world order, capital is in limited supply but labor is in overabundance. As would be expected in a laizze faire economy, the cost of labor will remain depressed in the industrialized world. In the developing nations across Asia and Latin America, the factory workers simply don't have the purchasing power to buy the products they are manufacturing. Since Japan has never matured into a consumer based society, developing nations especially China will add to the global oversupply of labor and production. While few mainstream economists predicted the recent economic collapse of the 11th largest economy (ie. South Korea), William Greider's prediction of global economic chaos and collapse can no longer be ignored. "One World, Ready or Not" should be heeded by Washington policymakers mesmerized by the exuberance of the stock market.
Rating:
Summary: The global economy brought to you by William Greider
Review: This book is a must read for anyone interested in learning about the global economy that runs our world today. This book does not have a story line or a plot, but it tells how our global economy works, and how it affects people's lives. The book is divided up into many different narratives. Having traveled the world and talked to factory workers, corporate CEOs, economists, and government officials, William Greider presents information with much insight and knowledge. Greider points out, the way multinational corporations are designed to work is not geared for what is best for national interests, but instead they are set up to take advantage of the free market. Greider tells it how it is. Multinational companies today are in a race to find the cheapest labor, and to become more effecient than their competitors. Multinationals are going into countries such as Malyasia and hiring poor, single females to manufacture computer chips and other goods. Just when these workers are starting to accumulate enough money to live on and feel like they are becoming productive, the company packs up and moves in hopes to become more productive elsewhere. Through the global economy and free market capitalism many people are being dehumanized and demoralized and are losing precious jobs to computer orchestrated robots. The globalization of many large companies has taken its toll on factory jobs in the US, and is a threat to middle-class lifestyle, as well as the social peace between the rich and poor countries of the world. Cheap labor and cheap production costs have created many product surpluses. Because of the surpluses the price of many goods has stayed status quo, or even dropped. The time we are in now is great for the consumer. Greider believes that the global economy is generating too much growth, and it is becoming hard for the free market to absorb. To find out a possible solution to this problem I suggest reading One World, Ready or Not.
Rating: 
Summary: Anti-Globalists Disavow this book
Review: This is a well written book. Congratulations Mr. Greider. However, his anaylsis is of the worst kind. He takes a kernel of truth and constructs a scenario wholly devoid of critical thinking: so he is not an academian. However, he has a reponsibility to present valid, relevant, concrete examples to support his scenario. Instead we get a vaugue book filled with easily debunked innuendo. If you are truly against globalism, then do not use this book to support your agenda, your arguements will be ignored at best.
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