Chapter 1: The rise of the global system

1. Is the global influence of the West overstated or accurate?

2. How might the world look today had Europeans not emerged as the most important colonial powers?

3. Are the terms North and South helpful and useful in describing and understanding the global system, or are they misleading generalizations?

4. Is the American century over? Has the Chinese century begun?

5. Is glocalization a useful analytical tool?

6. Is globalization slowing down or speeding up?

Chapter 2: Population and resources

1. Should we be worried about global trends in population growth?

2. Is the demographic transition model a useful way of thinking about population trends in the South?

3. What are the likely political, economic, and social effects of urbanization?

4. What are the likely political, economic, and social effects of an ageing population?

5. What would it take to move us off our global dependence on fossil fuels?

6. To what extent should natural resources such as forests and fisheries be seen and managed as global rather than national resources, and how could this changed emphasis be achieved?

Chapter 3: States and governments

1. How does your status as a citizen of a state impact your life?

2. Are state borders as important as they once were in terms of defining the global system?

3. Is the idea of thinking globally and acting locally realistic, or is it just a handy slogan?

4. Is it fair to think of nations as imagined communities, or are they more politically and legally substantive than this suggests?

5. Why are some states stable and successful, while others are not?

6. Is the current decline in political rights and liberties more likely to be reversed or to become worse?

Chapter 4: Identity and culture

1. What are the most important factors in determining your identity, and how does each influence your view of the world?

2. Can patriotism and globalism coexist?

3. What would it take to be a citizen of the world?

4. Is there a global culture, and – if so – what are its features?

5. Is race still a useful analytical tool?

6. What is your response to the argument quoted in this chapter that no single force has had a greater impact on propelling globalization forward than religion?

Chapter 5: Science and technology

1. What part do the social, physical, and natural sciences play in helping us understand the global system?

2. What are the best responses to science denial?

3. How can we overcome the digital divide?

4. Are you excited, encouraged, concerned, or worried about the possibilities of artificial intelligence?

5. What are the features of the global village? Does it even exist?

6. What are the characteristics of a thoughtful tourist?

Chapter 6: Global Governance

1. In what ways does global governance fall short of global government?

2. What does the rise of China mean for the balance of international influence?

3. Is it time to remove veto powers from the Big Five UN members, or to redistribute powers to reflect the new realities of the world today?

4. How does the global influence of multinational enterprises differ from that of intergovernmental organizations?

5. Is there such a thing as a global civil society?

6. What does regional integration have to offer in terms of meeting global needs?

Chapter 7: War and Peace

1. Why do humans so often go to war with one another?

2. Does the Russian invasion of Ukraine mean that the era of large-scale multi-year conflicts may be back?

3. What do we need to do to better understand the conditions needed for peace?

4. Which, if any, of Kant’s conditions for perpetual peace have been met?

5. What needs to be done to improve the global security regime?

6. What is the most effective response to terrorism?

Chapter 8: The Global Economy

1. Is gross domestic product an adequate measure of economy productivity?

2. Given current trends, how is the global economy likely to change over the next few decades?

3. In the face of the pressures of globalization, how much true economic independence do states still have?

4. Is capitalism in trouble?

5. What are the optimum conditions for the creation of wealth and the equal distribution of opportunity?

6. How is poverty best defined, and what are the strengths and weaknesses of conventional measures?

Chapter 9: Trade

1. Protectionism or liberalism: which is best?

2. What does the rising power of China portend for the future of the global trading system?

3. Is the work of the WTO an indication of the advantages or of the disadvantages of globalization?

4. Considering all its pros and cons, is free trade good for us, or only for some of us?

5. Are the goals of fair trade achievable?

6. What can be done to help poorer countries benefit more from increased trade?

Chapter 10: Human Rights

1. Are human rights truly universal, or are they best seen as culturally relative?

2. Why did it take so long for the idea of human rights to emerge?

3. Why do some people persist in curbing the human rights of others?

4. Do we have a ‘right to be forgotten’ for past indiscretions?

5. Is the International Criminal Court a good idea?

6. Why are the human rights of men and women still not equally protected?

Chapter 11: Migration

1. What is a migrant?

2. Given the effects of globalization, economic change, and increased mobility, to what extent can migration realistically be limited?

3. What are the implications of the growing numbers of international university students?

4. Is the problem of refugees ever likely to be solved? If not, why not?

5. Why has progress on the development of a global migration regime been so modest?

6. On balance, is migration a good thing or a bad thing?

Chapter 12: Food and agriculture

1. Is there any doubt that access to nutritious food should be considered a basic human right?

2. What can or should be done to protect the interests of small farmers in the face of changes in agricultural science and technology?

3. Are the food insecurity problems of low- and middle-income countries self-created or a reflection of their place in the global system?

4. As a food consumer, what have you done (or what are you willing to do) to help address the problem of food waste?

5. Does it concern you to realize that most people rely on a narrow selection of foods for their nutrition?

6. Are you concerned about the genetic modification of food? If so, why? If not, why not?

Chapter 13: Health and Disease

1. Should we be pleased with the remarkable achievements of medical science in recent centuries, or concerned about the work that remains to be done?

2. Is universal health care for everyone in the world an achievable or desirable goal?

3. Is equal access to good health care a basic human right?

4. What kinds of reforms are needed to make the WHO an effective leader in the global health regime?

5. To what extent do Northern countries and their pharmaceutical industries have a moral or practical obligation to help Southern countries control the spread of infectious diseases?

6. How has the world changed since Covid-19?

Chapter 14: The Global Environment

1. Is the dominant economic paradigm still dominant?

2. How can the contrasting environmental views of the North and the South be resolved?

3. Would the transformation of UNEP into a World Environment Organization help improve the international response to environmental problems?

4. Who is most culpable for creating environmental problems: businesses or consumers?

5. What kind of argument is likely to be most telling in addressing the difficulties faced by biodiversity: ethical, ecological, or practical?

6. Given free rein, how would you go about addressing the problem of climate change?