Amid a torrent of claims and counter-claims about the pros and cons of globalization, this book takes a critical look at the actors, institutions and processes that mediate the relationship between the forces of globalization and the poverty experienced by the majority of the world's people.

Drawing out dimensions often neglected in these debates, the contributors and editors emphasize three key facets of globalization:

* the gender inequalities at the heart of any consideration of development and poverty

* its relationship to processes of environmental degradation and the movements that have emerged to challege them

* the crucial role of micro-actors including small-scale producers and enterprises

These themes are explored through a structured enquiry beginning in Part I with an examination of the consequences of globalization including environmental change, intellectual property rights and global trade. Part II looks at the shifting roles of key development actors on the global stage, including firms, NGOs and international institutions. Part III considers the ways in which processes of globalization are being contested and reconfigured by a range of social movements and organized groups to harness them to the goal of poverty elimination.

The chapters in this important book clearly demonstrate that globalization is a process with repercussions that extend far beyond the power centers of the North where global economic policies are formulated. The book will be of interest to researchers, practitioner and activists in development.

Table of Contents:

Introduction: Development and the Challenge of Globalization -- Peter Newell, Shirin M. Rai and Andrew Scott.
Section I: Globalization and its Consequences.
Chapter 1. Globalization and Environmental Change: The Case of Asia's 1997 Financial Crisis -- Peter Dauvergne; Chapter 2. Intellectual Property Rights: A Gendered Critique -- Sharmishta Barwa and Shirin M. Rai; Chapter 3. Stagnant Backwater or Dynamic Engine of Growth?: The Small Enterprise Sector and Globalization -- Jonathan Dawson

Section II New and Old Actors on the Global Stage
Chapter 4. The Emerging Linkage between the WTO and the ISO: Implications for Developing Countries -- Matthias Finger and Ludivine Tamiotti; Chapter 5. Slaying the Serpent: Knowledge Management in Development NGOs -- Ines Smyth; Chapter 6. Globalization and Small and Medium Enterprises - the European experience -- Charlie Dannreuther

Section III Contesting Globalization
Chapter 7. Challenging Globalization: The Response of Women Workers and Entrepreneurs to Trade and Investment Policies -- Marilyn Carr; Chapter 8. "Flexible" Female Employment and Ethical Trade in the Global Economy -- Stephanie Wade Barrientos; Chapter 9. Globalization and Environmental Change in Madagascar: The Opportunities and Challenges Offered by Rio Tinto -- Philip Mulligan