Homecoming: The Path to Prosperity in a Post-Global World

Globalization has yielded supply shortages, hostile superpowers, the hoarding of essential commodities, and the collapse of small businesses under the weight of massive retail chains, according to this ardent call for change. Arguing that the benefits of globalization have accrued at the “very top” and the “very bottom” of the marketplace, Financial Times columnist Foroohar (Don’t Be Evil) advocates for a slew of policies designed to promote and protect local interests in agriculture, manufacturing, housing, and finance. Debunking the myth that globalization produces free societies, Foroohar details how China and other countries have used free trade in self-serving ways, undermining their trading partners and destabilizing global politics. Throughout, Foroohar offers fascinating glimpses into the future, describing, among other innovations, farms grown in shipping containers, sustainable homes fashioned by 3D printers, and affordable education programs that provide career paths for students and needed skill sets for regional businesses. Though the obstacles to untangling global interdependencies on oil, grain, and other resources are somewhat underdeveloped, Foroohar lucidly explains complex financial and political matters and draws sharp profiles of imaginative labor organizers, business leaders, and policymakers. This astute survey provides a welcome measure of hope. (Oct.)