A review by taylermae
The Globalization Paradox: Democracy and the Future of the World Economy by Dani Rodrik

3.0

This book focused heavily upon economics and the world economy: both how we got to this point and how we should move forward. He focuses on how many policy makers believe that full globalization is something to aspire to, and he argues that this way of thinking will ultimately not create many benefits. Instead, he makes a compelling argument that states should have "policy space" for their own growth plans instead of pushing for market access. However, I believe that Rodrik leaves no room for a discussion of the non-economic gains from globalization. In Chapter 7, he claims that it is much better to be poor in a rich country than rich in a poor country. However, in terms of other factors (such as overall health, lifespan, family-life, satisfaction, etc.) it is often better to be rich in a poor country. Even though the focus of this book is obviously on markets, I feel that if the author is going to make claims about what is "better" or "worse," he needs to look at more than wage and GDP.