Outside the Box: How Globalization Changed from Moving Stuff to Spreading Ideas

The author of "The Box" provides a new history of globalization that shows how to navigate its future, highlighting how it has evolved over two centuries in response to changes in demographics, technology, and consumer tastes. He explains how the 1980s creation of long-distance value chains shifted manufacturing to Asia, but globalization was taken too far due to large government subsidies and the systematic misjudgment of risk by businesses.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 28 September 2021
Publisher: Princeton University Press

Globalization has had a profound impact on the world we live in, shaping it in ways that were both inevitable and unplanned. It is a contentious issue that has led to significant flows of money across borders and a shift in the global balance of power. While globalization has brought about some benefits, such as lower prices for goods, it has also caused significant job losses and devastated industrial centers in various parts of the world.

Marc Levinson, the acclaimed author of "The Box," offers a fresh and lively history of globalization in his book "Outside the Box." Levinson traces the evolution of globalization over two centuries, highlighting how it has responded to changes in demographics, technology, and consumer tastes. He explores the people who have played a crucial role in eliminating barriers and pursuing new ways of doing business, showing how the nature of globalization has changed dramatically over time.

One of the significant changes Levinson describes is the creation of long-distance value chains in the 1980s. This new economic relationship shifted manufacturing to Asia, leading to the destruction of millions of jobs and the devastation of industrial centers in North America, Europe, and Japan. Levinson explains how improvements in transportation, communications, and computing made international value chains possible, but how globalization was taken too far due to large government subsidies and the systematic misjudgment of risk by businesses.

As companies began to account properly for the risks of globalization, cross-border investment fell sharply, and foreign trade lagged long before Donald Trump became president and the coronavirus disrupted business around the world.

In "Outside the Box," Levinson argues that globalization is entering a new era in which moving stuff will matter much less than moving services, information, and ideas. He suggests that countries need to focus on developing their service industries, investing in education and innovation, and promoting cultural exchange to navigate the challenges and opportunities of the globalized world.

Levinson's book offers a valuable perspective on the history and future of globalization, providing insights into the factors that have shaped its evolution and the challenges that lie ahead. It is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the complex and multifaceted nature of globalization and its impact on our world.

Weight: 260g
Dimension: 135 x 202 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691227092