This book throws new light on the complex processes that are reshaping the contemporary world. All too often debates about globalization - and about whether it implies the end of the nation-state - have descended into polemics and confusion. Global Transformations overcomes these difficulties. Based on many years of original research, it maps the shape and scope of globalization and provides a comprehensive introduction to the subject, presenting its material in a clear and accessible way. This is the most systematic account available of the process of globalization. It will be illuminating not only to academics and students, but also to policy-makers, managers, and all those interested in the profound transformations affecting societies today.