Description
Book SynopsisUsing a variety of economic, financial, and political indicators, this book demonstrates that the global system has become an 'architecture of collapse'. The global financial crisis of 2008, the bilateral relationship between the U.S. and China, and the European sovereign debt crisis illustrate the causes and the consequences of global instability
Trade ReviewFew social scientists have the urbane vision and capacious intellect of Mauro Guillén. His dissection of the shock inducing and absorbing features of our interconnected world system vividly details the risks we presently face, but also paves the way for steps that could cushion the present volatility. * Walter W. Powell, Stanford University *
A brilliant critical engagement with different interpretations of what makes a system prone to failure. The author develops a multi-level and multi-nodal analysis that allows him to single out strategic sources of systemic instability and to demonstrate what can be done. * Saskia Sassen, Columbia University, author of Expulsions *
A fascinating perspective on the sources of instability in the global system. Professor Guillén brings to bear powerful concepts from the study of system complexity. A must read for anyone interested in financial markets, international migration, and the rise or fall of nations. * Simon Johnson, MIT Sloan School of Management and former IMF Chief Economist *
This book offers a sobering analysis of the risks facing the global economy, from population aging to financial inter-connections. The policy recommendations are important and timely. * Lady Barbara Judge, CBE *
A careful conceptual construction of complexity and coupling... [providing] new insights into why countries are likely to experience more frequent crises. Guillén skillfully navigates a multidisciplinary interrogation of the increasing fragility of the global economic system. * CHOICE *
Table of ContentsPreface 1: The Global System 2: Complexity 3: Coupling 4: Complexity, Coupling, and the Great Recession 5: The U.S./China Relationship 6: The Euro Zone as a Complex, Tightly-Coupled System 7: The Future of the Global System
