ABSTRACT
The postwar boom petered out in the 1970s. Its demise ushered in a period of upheaval worldwide, and we are still living with the consequent political and economic changes. Because these were largely unforeseen, they have presented a profound challenge to established ideas and theories about the nature of modern society. A major intellectual effort directed towards establishing a new understanding has followed. Agreement on which social processes should command our attention and how they should be treated is most unlikely. Even so, the research agenda will almost certainly include analyses of the increasing mobility of capital, the adoption of more flexible production methods, the complex relations between technology and environment, the influence of more clearly articulated consumer interests, and the widespread deregulation and reregulation of economic and political structures.
