ABSTRACT
This book began by arguing that globalization encapsulates both changes and continuities and has been driven by a combination of underlying and proximate causes. Capitalism was identified as a central dynamic behind the process of globalization. The pressure to reduce costs has driven companies to look farther afield for cheaper material inputs and labour. At the same time, it is imperative that circulation time be reduced as much as is feasibly possible. There is therefore a strong incentive to invest in new forms of transport that will shorten the time between producing a product and selling it in its designated market. Because of the inevitability of market saturation, capitalism also produces an expansionary dynamic, establishing new markets for commodities wherever they can be found. However, the current epoch is marked by important new developments in technology and the promotion of neo-liberal economic policies across the globe.
