The document discusses the rise of globalization and changing strategies for development since the Cold War. A global production system has emerged where nations specialize in serving as export platforms in a "world factory" or "world farm" model. This has led to the formation of a global labor force characterized by casualization and low wages, predominantly employing women in developing countries. The ideal of national development has shifted to one where nations serve the world economy through their role in regional and global supply chains.
Description of an electronics worker: “Her job was to wind copper on to a spindle by hand. It was very small and there couldn’t be any overlap, so she would get these terrible headaches. After a year some of the companies gave a bonus, but most of the girls didn’t last that long and those that did had to get glasses to help their failing eyes. It’s so bad that there is constant turnover” (p. 95).
Depeasantization was accelerated by urban bias, agrarian class polarization, green revolution, cheap food imports.
Example of countries that serve as strategic nodes for trade and investment: Mexico and Malaysia become important investment sites because of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)