Why Globalization Works for America - by Edward Goldberg (Hardcover)

About the Book

A leading expert on issues of globalization and American foreign policy, Edward Goldberg explains why globalization is here to stay, why the United States is the winner in the game of globalization, and why there's no turning back.

Book Synopsis

Blue-collar job loss, immigration, trade deficits--Americans blame globalization for a host of problems. Indeed, even in a political system split by fundamental divisions, populists and progressives alike belong to a chorus that decries globalization's effects on our politics, way of life, and interactions with the world. Yet the United States is the biggest beneficiary of the global economy it has helped to create.

Edward Goldberg argues that globalization is the economic and cultural version of evolution, a natural process that pushes people into more efficient behavior influenced by the market and our human need to explore, change, and grow. Properly implemented, it propels cultures and societies forward as one new idea challenges or blends into another. Harmful nationalist policies have arisen because Americans do not equally share globalization's benefits, a situation made worse by the government's refusal to implement policies that would mitigate the rampant inequalities.

A bold challenge to popular opinion, Why Globalization Works for America offers a historically informed analysis of why we should celebrate globalization's place in our lives.

Review Quotes

"Why Globalization Works for America is a welcome addition to a debate that has been hijacked by partisan and populist interests, to the detriment of what the author rightly calls America's globalized DNA."--Daniel Griswold, National Review-- (9/15/2020 12:00:00 AM)

"A powerful defense of economic globalization and an indictment of the American political system's failure to adapt to its accelerating and inexorable advance--a failure that has sparked a populist revolt by those left behind, threatening America's global leadership and even our democracy."--William M. LeoGrande, professor of government at American University-- (9/19/2019 12:00:00 AM)

"A richly detailed, clear-eyed examination of how America arrived at this odd moment in history and what truly makes the U.S. economy great. Goldberg's chapter on the disastrous history of trade tariffs should be required reading for everyone working on trade policy in DC. An approachable, sophisticated examination of the problems ailing America and the political myopia that led to them."--Heather Timmons, economics editor for Reuters-- (9/19/2019 12:00:00 AM)

"In this economics book, Goldberg, an adjunct professor at New York University and the author of The Joint Ventured Nation (2016), provides a concise overview of how economic and political globalization have worked throughout history, and how ideologically driven propaganda and the unequal distribution of benefits have shaped the perception of globalization in today's United States. . . . Consistently informative and highly readable."--Kirkus Reviews-- (10/15/2020 12:00:00 AM)

"This book offers an outstanding overview of a complex subject by placing a pro-globalization thesis within a broader historical framework. . . . This work should have cross-party and cross-disciplinary appeal"--Irene E. Finel-Honigman, coauthor of International Banking for a New Century-- (9/19/2019 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Edward Goldberg is an adjunct professor at the New York University Center for Global Affairs specializing in international political economy and is a scholarly practitioner at the Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College, City University of New York. Goldberg has commented about the issues of globalization on Bloomberg radio and TV, PBS, and NPR's Marketplace. He also writes a regular column on international economics and politics for Salon and is a frequent commentator to the Hill. He is the author of The Joint Ventured Nation: Why America Needs a New Foreign Policy.