Globalization in Historical Perspective

As awareness of globalization grows, so too does our need to understand it historically. This volume is one of the few to consider globalization in the context of the history of international trade. Its eleven papers explore a synthesized variety of topics, including how the process of globalization can be measured by the long-term integration of markets, what trends and questions develop as markets converge and diverge, what roles technology and geography play, the effect of globalization on inequality and social justice, and the roles of political institutions in responding to such injustices. Ultimately this work provides a panoramic view of globalization, one that will offer much to readers interested in this crucial issue.

"The volume reads, in some ways, like a handbook of the history of globalization. . . . It should prove valuable to any scholar interested in the long and winding course the international economy has taken. . . . Together, [the articles] remind readers just how much may be at stake in the process of economic integration, and just how important a well-articulated understanding of that process may be in guiding the political responses to globalization. In that regard, this volume makes a valuable contribution."—William J. Collins, EH.net

Michael D. Bordo is professor of economics at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and a research associate of the NBER.

Alan M. Taylor is the Souder Family Professor of Arts and Sciences in the Department of Economics at the University of Virginia and a research associate of the NBER.

Jeffrey G. Williamson is the Laird Bell Professor of Economics at Harvard University and the author or coauthor of many books, including Globalization and History, with Kevin O’Rourke. All three are research associates of the National Bureau of Economic Research.