Network Power
The Social Dynamics of Globalization
Yale University Press, Spring 2008
Selected press
Roger Cohen in The New York Times and International Herald Tribune:
'As David Singh Grewal writes in his excellent new book, "Network Power," a core tension in the world is that: “Everything is being globalized except politics."'
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"The Obama Connection," 26 May 2008
"It's the Networks, Stupid," 25 May 2008
Christopher Caldwell in the Financial Times:
'At the heart of globalisation is a basic, and politically explosive, mystery; globalisation proceeds through the breaking down of boundaries, the unfolding of diversity and freedom of choice - so why is it experienced by so many people as a constriction, an oppression and a loss of freedom? In a brilliant and subtle book, a Harvard graduate student has solved this mystery - even if he has not solved the problem. David Singh Grewal believes the answer lies in something called "network power". Networks are the means by which globalisation proceeds. All networks have standards embedded in them. In theory we can choose among the standards and become more free. In practice, Mr Grewal shows, our choices tend to narrow over time, so that standards are imposed on us.'
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"Networks That Work Too Well," 24 May 2008
George Scialabba in the Boston Globe:
'Choices can be coerced: blatantly...or more subtly. One of the subtle ways is through what David Singh Grewal calls "network power." In his book of the same name, an ambitious and original new work of social theory, he explains that every large-scale social activity requires networks, groups of people whose interaction is coordinated by some standard or practice.'
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"The World is Flat, and Other Myths," 24 Aug 2008
Jerry Burris in the Honolulu Advertiser:
'And what's truly new is how these virtual communities take on a power that is often far greater than the sum of their parts. One explanation for this unexpected power can be found in a new book by Harvard doctoral student David Singh Grewal, "Network Power: The Social Dynamics of Globalization."'
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"Obama Won with Web Savvy," 4 June 2008
Interview with Devin Stewart in Policy Innovations:
'Harvard graduate student David Grewal has written one of the most important books on globalization in recent memory. His book Network Power: The Social Dynamics of Globalization will probably go down as one of the classics like Dani Rodrik's Has Globalization Gone Too Far?'
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"Networks Power Globalization," 4 June 2008
Advance praise for Network Power
Michael J. Sandel, author of Democracy's Discontent, The Case Against Perfection and Public Philosophy: "If globalization brings us closer together-to exchange goods and share ideas-why does it also make us feel less free? David Grewal gives us a fresh and illuminating take on globalization and the challenge it poses for democratic politics. Of the mountain of books on globalization, Network Power stands out as one of the most original and insightful, a splendid synthesis of economics, philosophy, and political science in the grand tradition of moral and political economy."
Stanley Hoffmann, Harvard University: "This is a major, learned and wide-ranging contribution to
our understanding of the processes of globalization. Grewal, whose
knowledge of sociological theory is thorough, studies globalization as
the development of a complex and often contentious civil society across
borders. He focuses on the diverse forms of network power and on the
conflicts among conceptions of cooperation (particularly in the world
economy). He also pays attention to the battle between this civil
society of multiple networks, and the political sphere of multiple
sovereignties that have not abdicated their traditional powers. An
indispensable work."
Michael Hardt, co-author of Empire and Multitude: "Grewal's analysis, presented in admirably clear, jargon-free prose, not only identifies the nature of power that characterizes the contemporary form of globalization but also proposes some of the means to counter that power and its structures of domination in the interest of a more free and democratic globalized world."
Jedediah Purdy, author of For Common Things and Being America: "A splendid book. Grewal's account of network power
is elegant and compelling, and his approach to debates on globalization
is bold."
Sanjay Reddy, Barnard College and School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University: "In Network Power, David Grewal offers a unifying lens with which to view a set of otherwise disparate and confusing phenomena, thus helping us to understand better the underlying dynamics of present day globalization."
About the book (Yale University Press release)
For all the attention globalization has received in recent years, little consensus has emerged concerning how best to understand it. For some, it is the happy product of free and rational choices; for others, it is the unfortunate outcome of impersonal forces beyond our control. It is in turn celebrated for the opportunities it affords and criticized for the inequalities in wealth and power it generates.
David Singh Grewal’s remarkable and ambitious book draws on several centuries of political and social thought to show how globalization is best understood in terms of a power inherent in social relations, which he calls network power. Using this framework, he demonstrates how our standards of social coordination both gain in value the more they are used and undermine the viability of alternative forms of cooperation. A wide range of examples are discussed, from the spread of English and the gold standard to the success of Microsoft and the operation of the World Trade Organization, to illustrate how global standards arise and falter. The idea of network power supplies a coherent set of terms and concepts—applicable to individuals, businesses, and countries alike—through which we can describe the processes of globalization as both free and forced. The result is a sophisticated and novel account of how globalization, and politics, work.
