Homecoming

The Path to Prosperity in a Post-Global World

By: Rana Foroohar

Narrated by: Rachel Fulginiti

A sweeping case that, in a world of trade disputes, higher tariffs, and broader geopolitical uncertainty, a new age of economic localization will put an end to the last half century of globalization—by one of the preeminent economic journalists writing today

“This invaluable book is as bold in its ambitions as it is readable.”—Ian Bremmer, New York Times bestselling author of The Power of Crisis

A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

At the dawn of the twenty-first century, Thomas Friedman, in The World Is Flat, declared globalization the new economic order. But the reign of globalization as we’ve known it is over, argues Financial Times columnist and CNN analyst Rana Foroohar, and the rise of local, regional, and homegrown business is now at hand.

With bare supermarket shelves and the shortage of PPE, the pandemic brought the fragility of global trade and supply chains into stark relief. The tragic war in Ukraine and the political and economic chaos that followed have further underlined the vulnerabilities of globalization. The world, it turns out, isn’t flat—in fact, it’s quite bumpy.

This fragmentation has been coming for decades, observes Foroohar. Our neoliberal economic philosophy of prioritizing efficiency over resilience and profits over local prosperity has produced massive inequality, persistent economic insecurity, and distrust in our institutions. This philosophy, which underpinned the last half century of globalization, has run its course. Place-based economics and a wave of technological innovations now make it possible to keep operations, investment, and wealth closer to home, wherever that may be.

With the pendulum of history swinging back, Homecoming explores both the challenges and the possibilities of this new era, and how it can usher in a more equitable and prosperous future.

Authors Politics ruins and an important book

There is a great amount of positive and negative socioeconomic analysis and positive light in this book but the author allows her personal partisan politics to ruin what would
Otherwise be a sober and rational treaties ont he future of manufacturing.

Thinly veiled cover/blame for recent administrations borders on laughably inaccurate at time.

Shame because there was a fantastic vision for our economy muddied by shallow presidential politics. She’s a smart woman she should know better than to be so focused on transient politics.

Insightful

This book is both insightful and provides hope for the future. Ms Foroohar provides a lot of supporting references.

Excellent, thought provoking

Makes you think about what it takes to produce and provide services to the end users who represent the health of regional and local communities.

Good read

For the most part a good read.

I especially enjoyed the value of place in human centered economic reform. Also the criticism of neo liberal economic theory and globalism has demonstrable failure. She made a good case. I am with her.

Lighthouse in the darkness

Overall a pretty optimistic view of where we could go as an economy. I see many of the bits of evidence that she states in this book and my own city.

It's wonderful to read even from across the aisle and politicians seem to agree that the neoliberalism needs to die. We all hope for return to stakeholder capitalism and an end to the absolute insanity that is shareholder capitalism.

My only complaint is that spends far too much air on telling us how bad certain Trump policies were or how poor of a leader he was. While that may play to the general audience I believe she is aiming for.
It silos the book something that she says that we should not do with information.

All that said I found the book a good read and it gives me a hope for the future.