• Completely revised and updated to include the latest developments in the field of global studies
• Unlike many other introductions to the subject, this short book looks beyond simple explanations of globalization as a purely economic phenomenon
• Shows how the transformative powers of globalization reach deeply into the political, cultural, technological, and ecological dimensions of contemporary social life
• Explores the ideological aspects of globalization - looking at political movements both for and against globalization
• Discusses the role of social networking in the process of cultural globalization
• Part of the bestselling Very Short Introductions series

New to this edition

• Thoroughly updated - incorporating all the major global developments in the past few years
• Incorporates the major world events of the past few years - the 2008-2010 global financial crisis; the 2011 Japanese earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster; the 2011 killing of Osama bin Laden; and the on-going revolutions in the Middle East
• Considers the rise of social networking such as Facebook and Twitter

'Globalization' has become one of the defining buzzwords of our time - a term that describes a variety of accelerating economic, political, cultural, ideological, and environmental processes that are rapidly altering our experience of the world. It is by its nature a dynamic topic - and this Very Short Introduction has been fully updated for a third edition, to include recent developments in global politics, the global economy, and environmental issues. Presenting globalization in accessible language as a multifaceted process encompassing global, regional, and local aspects of social life, Manfred B. Steger looks at its causes and effects, examines whether it is a new phenomenon, and explores the question of whether, ultimately, globalization is a good or a bad thing.