ABSTRACT
The seminar that led to this book was held at the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis in Laxenburg, Austria, in April 2006, and was sponsored by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation of Lisbon. The seminar focused on the long-term process of globalization. The meeting showed several distinct features, including its wide scope and the participation of scientists from many different countries and areas of expertise: political science, anthropology, history, physics and engineering.
