The Ages Of Globalization (geography, Technology, And Institutions)

By (author) Sachs, Jeffrey D.; By (author) Sachs Jeffrey D.
Short description/annotation:
Jeffrey D. Sachs turns to world history to shed light on how we can meet the challenges and opportunities of the twenty-first century. He takes readers through a series of seven distinct waves of technological and institutional change, starting with early modern humans and ending with reflections on today’s globalization.
Description:
Today’s most urgent problems are fundamentally global. They require nothing less than concerted, planetwide action if we are to secure a long-term future. But humanity’s story has always been on a global scale. In this book, Jeffrey D. Sachs, renowned economist and expert on sustainable development, turns to world history to shed light on how we can meet the challenges and opportunities of the twenty-first century.

Sachs takes readers through a series of seven distinct waves of technological and institutional change, starting with the original settling of the planet by early modern humans through long-distance migration and ending with reflections on today’s globalization. Along the way, he considers how the interplay of geography, technology, and institutions influenced the Neolithic revolution; the role of the horse in the emergence of empires; the spread of large land-based empires in the classical age; the rise of global empires after the opening of sea routes from Europe to Asia and the Americas; and the industrial age. The dynamics of these past waves, Sachs demonstrates, offer fresh perspective on the ongoing processes taking place in our own time—a globalization based on digital technologies. Sachs emphasizes the need for new methods of international governance and cooperation to prevent conflicts and to achieve economic, social, and environmental objectives aligned with sustainable development. The Ages of Globalization is a vital book for all readers aiming to make sense of our rapidly changing world.
Table of contents:
1. Seven Ages of Globalization
2. The Paleolithic Age (70,000–10,000 BCE)
3. The Neolithic Age (10,000–3000 BCE)
4. The Equestrian Age (3000–1000 BCE)
5. The Classical Age (1000 BCE –1500 CE)
6. The Ocean Age (1500–1800)
7. The Industrial Age (1800–2000)
8. The Digital Age (Twenty-First Century)
9. Guiding Globalization in the Twenty-First Century
Acknowledgments
Data Appendix
Notes
Further Readings
Bibliography
Index
Review quote:
Sachs has produced a masterpiece—its scope is breathtaking, its insights stimulating, and its conceptual innovation pathbreaking. For those seeking a story about where humanity has come from and is going to, his book is a story with many lessons and hopes for the future. At once clear-headed and opinionated, he provides a roadmap for what we could and should do for our grandchildren. A wonderful book.
Review quote:
This romp through world history, by the famous economist Jeffrey Sachs, summarizes most of what you really need to know about the history of the last 70,000 years. Buy just this one book: it will let you throw away dozens of specialized books that you already own!
Review quote:
Understanding history can help steer the future, yet economic history is too often missing from the economics curricula. Sachs goes directly against this trend by providing a tour de force historical account on how humans, technology, and nature have interacted over the last 72,000 years! Key to the book’s message is that while technological progress has been exponential, our ability to benefit from it has always depended on the ways in which people have chosen to organize themselves. Today this means that while digital technologies provide endless possibilities, public policy and corporate governance decisions are key to determining who benefits. Sustainable and inclusive development