
There’s a widespread tendency today to think that the challenges of our time are unprecedented. As often as not, such a view is incomplete, a result of not knowing history.
One often recognizes this in discussions of globalization.
The rapid pace of international trade and transactions and relationships is without precedent in the recent past. Yet, much of it would be familiar to people at the dawn of the 20th century.
Economists Michael D. Bordo, Barry Eichengreen, and Douglas A. Irwin examine such issues in their thoughtful 1999 essay, “Is Globalization Today Really Different Than Globalization a Hundred Years Ago?” Recognizing the similarities in scope, they conclude that the intensity of globalization is markedly greater in our time.
In turn, the related tasks of leadership–indeed the operative understanding of leadership–are transformed. The practical implications are profound. This can be seen in considering the real-world differences in international trade.
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