The orthodoxy today has it that the world is integrating at a furious pace on account of growing market influences and technology is making borders completely irrelevant. I have been surprised with the fact that this is taken as a given by businesses and even some politicians. That was until I read this book by Pankaj Ghemawat and to my consternation realized that the flat world ideas that circulate are grossly overstated and misleading.
And it is relevant that this academic is not only highly regarded and qualified to address that subject but is keenly aware of the benefits that would issue from increased globalization. It is just that he is alert to the fact that having plucked the lowest hanging fruits, everyone seems to be taking the superficial level of integration as real. As the indicators that he adopts show, the world is far less globalized than even leaders of firms that operate on a global scale are aware of. In this interview with Leslie D'Monte, he observes that "there is social pressure to believe that the world is flat", and that has prevented dispassionate examination of the subject.
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