ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the way capitalist societies mature, and examines the profound changes they have undergone since the 1970s. In particular, we explore the ideas of deindustrialisation and globalisation that have emerged, as a way
of explaining some of these wider trends. While deindustrialisation, the loss of large amounts of traditional heavy industry, is usually associated with the Western developed economies, the causes of these trends have their roots in the rise of the global economy and increased international competition. This chapter looks at the consequences of these losses in Western Europe and the USA and the parallel gains in other parts of the developing world. We shall also examine some of the claims about the new society emerging out of these struggles and ask what this means for work and workers across the globe. We are particularly interested in the way these shifts in the global economy have repercussions for different social groups – benefiting some while marginalising others still further.
