Do the structures of the world economy invariably work against the interest of the Third World? What is the impact of industrialisation? How does it affect people and their livelihoods, gender relations, the environment, movements for social justice and democracy? This book offers answers to these questions. A comprehensive introductory guide for students, teachers, volunteers and NGO workers in development, it examines the substantive issues surrounding development, industrialisation and globalisation and places them within a historic context. It outlines the historical development of the world economy and assesses the current prospects for developing countries. This book contains in-depth analyses of how particular industries operate at local and global levels, drawing from case studies on textiles, tourism and copper. There are also case studies of specific countries, including South Korea, Cyprus, Mexico, China and Spain.