George Soros On Globalization by George Soros

George Soros On Globalization Reviews

• 
  Tom Darrow

  This book is pretty awful. I bought it 8 or so years ago when I was in college and the "globalization" thing was a hot topic. It still is today, but this guy does a horrible job at explaining it. It's a very superficial view, which is good for beginners, but it is jam packed with TLA's (three letter acronyms), which make it nearly impossible to understand. Look elsewhere for globalization reads.
• 
  Lothario

  A decent analysis of the role of international institutions like the IMF and WTO. George offers some solutions to the world system and how globalisation can be used as a tool for good. It is interesting reading this almost two decades after it's publication and how world events have led the US, EU and world down a different path than was originally envisioned
• 
  Matt

  Soros writes remarkably concise, clear prose. He acknowledges that, like everyone else, he is better at pointing out problems than proposing solutions, but his solutions are intriguing. I cannot say that I support all of them, but I would enjoy seeing them taken up for discussion.
• 
  Socrate

  Globalizarea este un termen superuzitat căruia îi putem atribui numeroase semnificații. Pentru scopurile prezentei cărți, prin acest termen voi înțelege dezvoltarea piețelor financiare globale, creoterea corporațiilor transnațio- nale oi dominația lor crescîndă asupra economiilor naționale. Consider că majoritatea problemelor pe care oamenii le asociază globalizării, incluzînd pătrunderea valorilor de piață în acele domenii de care ele nu aparțin în mod tradițional, pot fi atribuite acestor fenomene. S-ar putea discuta totodată despre globalizarea informației oi a culturii, despre răspîndirea televiziunii, a internetului și a celorlalte forme de comunicare și despre mobilitatea crescută a comercializării ideilor, dar îmi este teamă că asemenea aspecte ne-ar îndepărta de la subiect. Limitînd discuția astfel, cred că o putem menține între niște repere controlabile și că vor rezulta unele propuneri cu caracter practic în vederea unor îmbunătățiri instituționale. Așa cum am definit-o, globalizarea este un fenomen relativ recent care deosebește prezentul de ceea ce se petrecea acum 50 sau chiar 25 de ani.
  La sfîrșitul celui de-al doilea război mondial, tranzacțiile internaționale de
  capital erau strict controlate în majoritatea statelor. Instituțiile rezultate la
  Bretton Woods, Fondul Monetar Internațional (FMI) și Banca Mondială, au fost concepute tocmai pentru a facilita comerțul internațional și investițiile într-un mediu caracterizat prin restricționarea fluxurilor de capital privat. Controalele asupra mișcărilor de capital au fost treptat înlăturate, iar piețele financiare off-shore, stimulate și de criza petrolului din anul 1973, s-au dezvoltat rapid. Mișcările internaționale de capital s-au accelerat la începutul anilor 80, în timpul lui Ronald Reagan și Margaret Thatcher, piețele financiare devenind cu adevărat globale la începutul anilor 90, după colapsul imperiului sovietic.
• 
  Alex

  Read Carl Teichrib's Game of Gods to fully understand George Soros' direction for us. Here is a quote from On Globalization's preface:
  
  I believe [this] book...puts forward a constructive agenda that the public could support and the governments of the world implement. The centerpiece of the book is a proposal to use Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) for the provision of public goods on a global scale. The scheme will not cure all the ills of globalization - nothing will - but it should help to make the world a better place.
  
  Cambridge Dictionary
  SCHEME: an organized plan for doing something, especially something dishonest or illegal that will bring a good result for you:
  AGENDA: a secret aim or reason for doing something
  
  SDRs are:
  
  What are SDRs? The best way to view them is as a virtual currency the IMF issues and controls for the purpose of conducting its lending operations and for balancing monetary deficits and surpluses between nations. SDRs exist in accounting form only. In their purest form, a country with a surplus of SDRs has the right to use its allocations to draw upon the freely usable currencies of other IMF members. Consider them a precursor to bitcoin and a global virtual float that can facilitate an FX swap when it’s most needed. For a long time they were dubbed “paper gold” for this reason. Source: Financial Times "Time for an SDR injection?"; Izabella Kaminska.
  
  Read Carl Teichrib's Game of Gods. Please. And listen to "conspiracy" theorists. Not all of them lack oxygen and many understand the bigger picture to know what they're saying.
• 
  Esteban Roche

  "Es el fundamentalismo del mercado, que sostiene que la mejor manera de conseguir el bien social es permitiendo que la gente persiga su propio beneficio sin pensar en el bien común (ya que las dos cosas son lo mismo), lo que es una perversión de la naturaleza humana."
• 
  Đạt Tiêu

  It's a pretty condensed book.
  Still some good insight from the author about globalization
• 
  Nynke Doesburg

  Very interesting view on the inequalities created by global capitalism, and a moving argument for creating a global open society. But, written in 2002, it already feels very outdated.
• 
  John Gurney

  George Soros defends globalization and free trade against its critics on the Left. The rising tide lifts all boats, though he disagrees with what he disparages as "market fundamentalism". He writes, "Globalization is indeed a desirable development in many ways. Private enterprise is better at wealth creation than the state." He defends the IMF.
  
  Soros is concerned about the shortcomings of the interconnected world. Most of this book covers his very detailed proposals to assist the countries that fail to keep up with the developed world. This book is short as Soros writes in a rather cold, sterile manner. Written in 2002, we read it now with the benefit of hindsight; Soros was right in a vague concern about global financial market instability, though not anticipating its causes (primarily housing finance in the US, Spain, Ireland and other nations) and a few thoughts turned out to be flat wrong, such as his thinking that the Euro was benefiting Europe's periphery - Spain, Italy and Ireland - while, "Germany is fast becoming the sick man of Europe." Not quite. A moderately interesting read for those who enjoy global finance and discussions of the IMF and WTO: all two of us.
• 
  Tiago Martins

  Como sempre e já é apanágio da matilha de Soros, livro extremamente simplista, cheio de contradicoes e clichés. Leva 2 (não leva 1) estrelas não pelo conteúdo, mas por expor a cada vez maior nebulosidade no discurso e falta de cultura das nossas elites,quando comparadas às elites do século XX por exemplo. Compare-se os escritos de Julian Huxley com Soros. Diferença abismal. A elite emburreceu e a população enburreceu com ela.
  
  Sempre com um discurso académico, que afasta a frontalidade e a honestidade. Vê se bem de onde vem o discurso académico atual. Um mundo com palavras cliché e bonitas que parecem marcar posição, mas não marcam coisa nenhuma.
  
  Se tivéssemos que analisar o discurso de Soros e da maioria dos académicos e da elite de hoje iríamos notar que o doublespeak (dizer algo com vários sentidos para confundir) era tanto que seria o maior pesadelo de um jurista que quisesse interpretar um crime através deste palavreado.