A globalization reading group

I concluded last night a reading group on globalization that a small band of mostly MPAID students have prevailed on me to hold. We met every two weeks to discuss a recent book. See this file for the list of books:Download globalization_reading_group.doc I use the reading group as an opportunity to think of where the gaps in the literature are. One thing I have become convinced of is that we still lack a really good book on economic globalization.  The students' reaction to the books we read is quite indicative of this.  They found most of the books simplistic, criticized them roundly for their poor analytics and empirics (we must be doing something right in the MPAID program!), and in general thought the literature too ideological.  But when I tried to sell them on my take, they were not exactly non-critical either. So I have got work to do too...      

Comments

[sameer mehta]

Dr. Rodrik,

I would also recommend 'In Defense of Globalization' by Dr. Bhagwati as a good book to discuss.

I found it quite thought provoking, I am not well versed enough to pass judgment on its merits from an economics perspective.

[Tim Showerst]

Thought it is probably too specific for a book group discussion, 'Globalization and the Politics of Development in the Middle East' By Henry/SpringBorg is a great read on the Middle East angle, and presents perspectives that can be easily applied to much of the developing world.

[pm]

Interesting if the books you "criticized...roundly" are those who were also written by those who supposedly know what they are talking about (Wolf, Stiglitz, Mishkin, and Easterly). What does this say about the state of the profession?

[Rich C]

I'm not sure if this would exactly speak to the criticisms your students raise, but I think that Gavin Kitching's Seeking Social Justice Through Globablization is very well written, all about economic globalization (with a lot of discussion of the differential effects on industrial vs agricultural economies), and is sort of heterodox all around (very pro-free trade, very left wing). There's also a great chapter on derivatives.

[Quarrel]

I suspect the criticisms reflect more on the target audiences for most of the books, than on the authors themselves.

Generally I assume they are not aimed at practising globalization economists.

--Q

[Ryan Luck]

I can recommend "The Power of Productivity" by William Lewis. He was the first director of Mckinsey & Co.'s Global Institute. It presents a systematic, sector-by-sector study of the economies for a dozen countries, some low income, some middle income, some high income. The book has been chastised as something worth of Cato or the Reagen administration, but I thought it was very balanced and relied heavily on good analytics. (The analytics are not included, but there are references to the specific Mckinsey reports that are available free online.) The sector-by-sector breakdown of individual economies is really beautiful and completely changed my understanding of economic growth and development.
Link on Google Books:
http://books.google.com/books?id=J0WBRuv4vSAC&printsec=frontcover&dq=the+power+of+productivity

[Omar Z]

Dear Prof. Rodrik.
Kudos for your new blog. I've heard that your appearance in the blogosphere has caused true impact and the response from your fans has been more than enthusiastic, as a simple search in Amazon can confirm. ;)

http://www.amazon.com/Love-Rodrik-T-shirt-Large-White/dp/B000J1OKMY/ref=sr_1_6/002-5559416-8112035?ie=UTF8&s=apparel&qid=1178059628&sr=8-6

Best Regards

[pm]

Q,

Perhaps...perhaps not.

P

[C]

For next time: Douglass North, Understanding the Process of Economic Change (2005)

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