Bloc by Bloc

This is a work of economic geography about how best to organize global enterprises--whether firms or NGOs--for an emerging age of regionalization. Steven Weber argues that the day of the Globally Integrated Enterprise (GIE) is passing, along with its enabling idea that there will eventually be one global regime governing trade. He explains that a new global economy will coalesce around regional blocs dominated by separate standard-setters, like the US, China, and the EU. The "regions," however, will not necessarily consist exclusively of nations in the same geographical area, as some countries will prefer to align their standards and economies with those of hegemons far away. The world promised by this system may be more prosperous and less anxious about the homogenization of culture. Given rivalries between the blocs, however, it may also be more dangerous.--