Book excerpt: '. . . it offers expanded coverage of issues from pure international economics to certain aspects of political economy. . . . the present book is a fine work and certainly makes a valuable contribution to the growing list of books addressing globalization. Students of globalization and last but not least practitioners and politicians, as well as diplomats working in international organizations, can learn from it.' – Marjan Svetlicic, Journal of International Relations and Development This authoritative Handbook provides a thorough account and analysis of the important issues relating to the globalization of the international economy. The increasing interdependence of the world's economies has caused a breakdown in national economic boundaries and a freer access to goods, services and labour. This comprehensive book, written by experts in the field, addresses major issues associated with this international economic integration. This reference work considers: • global growth including inequality, saving, foreign direct investment, external debt and multinational corporations • regionalization and globalization of trade such as the role of international institutions, external economies of scale and trading blocs • transition to market economies in Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union and East Asia • internationalization and integration of markets including the financial, capital, labour and agricultural markets • global environmental and resource problems including transboundary pollution, the implication of North-South trade for natural resource depletion and environmental degradation, and the impact of energy markets on global growth, pollution and economic stability.