Globalisation and Ideology in Britain Neoliberalism, Free Trade and The Global Economy

The "globalization" concept has become ubiquitous in British politics, as it has in many countries of the world. This exciting new book examines discourse on foreign economic policy to determine the impact of globalization across the ideological landscape of British politics. The book critically interrogates the assumption that the idea of globalization is derivative solely of neo-liberal ideology by profiling the discourse on globalization of five political groups involved in making and contesting British foreign economic policy between 1997 and 2009: New Labor, International Financial Services London, the Liberal Democrats, Oxfam and the Socialist Workers Party. In addition to the relationship between neo-liberalism and globalization, it also explores the core meaning of the idea of globalization, the implications for the principle of free trade, the impact on notions of the state, nation-state and global governance, and whether globalization means different things across the ideological spectrum. Topically, the book examines how the responses to the global financial crisis have been shaped by globalization discourse and the value of ideology as an analytical concept able to mitigate debates on the primacy of material and ideational explanations in political economy. It will be of vital use to students and scholars of global economic change, financial crisis, the state, the impact of globalization on national governance, and those interested in ideological change.