The periphery and the internationalization of the world economy

It is an accepted fact that the process of internationalization of the world economy has expanded considerably in the last few decades. The author begins by examining the historical background of this process, and after emphasizing that it is not limited to the economic sphere —since it is also seen in the international dissemination of ideas, institutions and ways of life— he goes on to analyse in particular the economic internationalization recorded since the Second World War. After thus defining his subject, he reviews various expressions of internationalization in trade, capital movements, investments, the activities of transnational enterprises, and so on, with special attention to the way in which this process has influenced the periphery.