Borderless Economics Chinese Sea Turtles, Indian Fridges and the New Fruits of Global Capitalism

by Guest, Robert

• ISBN13: 9780230113824
• ISBN10: 0230113826
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-11-08
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Summary

Today, thanks to the ease of technology and travel, we enjoy unprecendented levels of interconnectedness. Societies are increasingly mobile, and immigrant populations maintain strong ties with their native countries, allowing for an unbroken chain of innovation and knowledge that stretches all the way back home. Robert Guest, Global Business Editor for The Economist, shows how today's tribal networks transcend national borders, and how they are shaping the global community in unforeseen ways, including: *So-called "Chinese sea turtles," young Chinese who come to the West for college before returning to China, eagerly absorb democratic ideals along with their technical training. Now, as they assume leadership positions in Chinese government and business, they will slowly turn China democratic. *Indian diasporas, having long brought western technology to their home countries, are now bringing Indian technology to the West. They've already developed $70 refrigerators and $2,000 cars; their frugal innovations and managerial know-how are about to turn the global economy on its head. In a world where trade, trust, and information flow through ethnic networks, the nation that values open borders and encourages the growth of its diaspora populations will be the superpower of the twenty-first century. With on-the-ground reporting from dozens of countries, this is a timely look at the forces greater than national boundaries, and how they can be harnessed to move the whole planet forward.

Author Biography

Robert Guest is currently the Global Business Editor at The Economist. Before joining The Economist, he was the Tokyo correspondent for The Daily Telegraph. The winner of numerous awards, Guest is a regular on both the BBC and CNN. He is the author of The Shackled Continent.

Table of Contents

“An informative, engaging survey of the beneficial consequences of globalization.”—Kirkus Reviews

"Robert Guest has discovered the quantum mechanics of economic growth and political liberty. It turns out the wave-particle duality of economic matter and political energy is us. We the people of the world-- moving where we want and doing what we will -- create the universe of progress. Governments of Earth, say goodbye to the Newtonian concepts of nation and state. The apple of Borderless Economics has hit you on the head and knocked you out."-- P. J. O'Rourke

“For most, globalization has been about the movement of goods, services, technology and capital. As Robert Guest succinctly explains in this eminently readable book, globalization is actually about people - their migration, the networks they form and the ideas that they transmit through their mobility. In a world grappling with rising protectionist fever, this book is a warning that those nations who want to batten down the hatches and shut the free flow of people and ideas do so at their own risk.”—Nandan Nilekani, Chairman, Unique Identification Authority of India

“Too much of economic and political analysis is about countries. Robert Guest shows us the myriad ways in which countries are connected by people who move around to learn, to work and to live. These networks are increasingly central both to the nature of opportunity and to public policy issues in the United States. The book is persuasive: America will stay prosperous and strong only so long as we remain the Hub of the World.”--Simon Johnson, co-author, 13 Bankers, and professor at MIT Sloan

“Guest has produced a book that is witty, rigorous, humane, provocative and dazzlingly well-reported. Everyone should read it. Bravo!” --Tim Harford, author of Adapt and The Undercover Economist
“Fantastically entertaining and well-written…[I] couldn’t put it down.” --Chris Anderson, Editor-in-Chief of Wired and author of The Long Tail and Free.
"This is a thoughtful, entertaining and above all inspiring hymn of praise to the cultural, social and economic benefits of freer migration. Its conclusion should be noted by every politician running for office: immigration is an opportunity, not a threat."—Bill Emmott, author of 20:21 Vision and Rivals

“A wonderful antidote to the tired and vague clichés about ‘globalization’. Drawing on a breadth of research and decades of reporting from 70 countries, Robert Guest makes the case for why global migration is (mostly) an extraordinary force for good.”--Charles Wheelan, author of Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science