Network Power: The Social Dynamics of Globalization

For all the attention globalization has received in recent years, little consensus has emerged concerning how best to understand it. For some, it is the happy product of free and rational choices; for others, it is the unfortunate outcome of impersonal forces beyond our control. It is in turn celebrated for the opportunities it affords and criticized for the inequalities in wealth and power it generates.

David Singh Grewal’s remarkable and ambitious book draws on several centuries of political and social thought to show how globalization is best understood in terms of a power inherent in social relations, which he calls network power. Using this framework, he demonstrates how our standards of social coordination both gain in value the more they are used and undermine the viability of alternative forms of cooperation. A wide range of examples are discussed, from the spread of English and the gold standard to the success of Microsoft and the operation of the World Trade Organization, to illustrate how global standards arise and falter. The idea of network power supplies a coherent set of terms and concepts—applicable to individuals, businesses, and countries alike—through which we can describe the processes of globalization as both free and forced. The result is a sophisticated and novel account of how globalization, and politics, work.

Summary: essential for anyone interested in the dynamics of the modern world
Rating: 5

David Grewal is a brilliant scholar with a background in law, philosophy, and political science. This, his first book, is a dense, incredibly intelligent take on the ways that cultural and political memes spread through society and affect us all. Network power is a concept that's been discussed in legal antitrust circles for years, but here, it's applied to a much larger sphere.

I could attempt a more detailed summary, but it would do Grewal a disservice, because these points are complex and not easily boiled down to boilerplate text. Just read the book – that's my advice.