‘The Transnational Irish Novel’ explores a recent phenomenon in contemporary Irish fiction; the increasing prevalence of Irish novels that are set wholly, or substantially, outside of Ireland, which is referred to as ‘transnational fiction’. Central to the argument is the concept of focalisation. For instance, while a novel such as Colm Tóibín’s Brooklyn (2009) is set largely in the United States, the narrative is focalised by an Irish character, and thus more fully resembles a novel of migration. By contrast, Tóibín’s The Master (2004) does not involve Irish focalisation. Similarly, there are works by Colum McCann, Joseph O’Connor, and Sebastian Barry in which a specifically Irish focalisation diminishes; or, in Anne Enright’s The Green Road (2015), where it is dispersed. Ultimately, it is argued that this tendency towards the dispersal and even the dismissal of a distinctively Irish perspective is a feature of Irish fiction in a globalised world.

Marxism is one of the three mainstream approaches in International Relations, along with realism and liberalism. Unlike the other two, Marxism acts as a critical theory that focuses on the hierarchical structure of the international system, driven by capitalist development and expansion. Since the early twentieth century, Marxists have used the concept of imperialism to analyse this structure. The first major debate on imperialism was about the expansion of European capitalism into non-capitalist societies, which was a key issue until the 1970s. Since then, the focus has shifted to analysing imperialism in the era of neoliberal globalisation and understanding why the interstate system endures despite the capitalist drive for global unification. The international relations of the Middle East have been featured in these debates among Marxists. The chapter first explains the basic concepts of Marxism as developed by Karl Marx. It then covers classical and contemporary theories of imperialism along with recent developments in Marxist geopolitics, while situating the Middle East into these discussions. Critics often argue that Marxism tends to overlook regional dynamics and powers. To address this criticism, the chapter examines Iran as a sub-imperial, peripheral power, exploring its role in the Syrian war.

Chapter 8 explores how the atomic dimension of the Cold War reshaped global politics and international law. The Cuban Missile Crisis serves as a focal point, illustrating the juridical patterning of the Amero-Soviet Cold War and the integration of nuclear weapons into geopolitical strategies. The chapter traces the evolution of anti-nuclear movements, from initial peace initiatives to the emergence of non-proliferation policies. It examines how the threat of nuclear annihilation created a new global consciousness, transcending traditional notions of sovereignty and national interests. The development of satellite surveillance systems is highlighted as a key factor in producing new forms of ‘planetary’ knowledge, contributing to advancements in earth sciences and environmental awareness. The chapter also discusses the paradoxical split between ‘peaceful’ and ‘aggressive’ uses of nuclear technology, as exemplified by the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the International Atomic Energy Agency. Ultimately, the atomic dimension of the Cold War is shown to have globalised the conflict, creating a "global civil war" that eroded distinctions between combatants and civilians. This new reality challenged existing legal frameworks and fostered the emergence of new global subjects, knowledge systems, and technologies that would shape the post–Cold War world.

Radical economists were ready to join movements calling for social justice as organizers and advocates but they were also ready to step into the role of policy experts to advance those causes. At a time when think tanks were proliferating as a new way to conduct politics through knowledge making and policy design, radicals worked with leading Washington DC institutions on the Left. Radical economists joined the Institute for Policy Studies to advance its political economy programmes and to counter federal budget orthodoxy. Radicals joined the Cambridge Institute to advance its vision of grassroots urban socialism and community empowerment. Radicals’ relationships with trade unions aligned it with the research mission and themes of the Economic Policy Institute. And it was thanks to the initiative of a radical that the Institute for Women’s Policy Research was formed. Through decades of involvement in public policy, albeit always outside government, radicals have enriched understandings of the inequities of American capitalism and focused attention on those policies that can bring about repair and redress.

This chapter applies the capability approach (CA) to explore work capabilities across diverse occupations and countries. In a globalised world of work, the CA offers a human-centred framework for understanding how individual agency and structural conditions interact to shape people’s opportunities at work. The chapter begins by outlining the CA and its relevance to work and employment. It then examines key capabilities required in different occupations, focusing on how education, labour markets, workplace practices, and social policies support or constrain these capabilities. Cross-national and occupational comparisons highlight the variation in work capabilities across different contexts. In conclusion, the chapter offers recommendations for creating inclusive and enabling work environments that are relevant to policy and practice. By analysing work through the lens of the CA, this chapter contributes to a deeper understanding of how to expand human capabilities in the workplace and promote decent, empowering work across global contexts.

In previous chapters, the added value of the capability approach (CA) for work was demonstrated at the conceptual level, organisational levels, and several specific contexts. In this chapter, we aim to demonstrate its added value for new developments in work, some of which are already underway and others that are foreseeable. We argue that even for disruptive, unforeseeable changes, the CA provides a framework for action dealing with them. Through the lens of the capability model, workers, enabled by leaders and professionals, can create environments that empower employees to adapt to changes while achieving their full potential. It highlights the importance of fostering resilience, flexibility, and sustainability within organisations to meet the challenges and opportunities presented by global trends. Actionable strategies for leveraging digital tools, embracing cultural diversity, and implementing eco-friendly practices can be implemented to enhance employee capabilities. By integrating these elements, decision-makers should drive transformative change that supports both individual well-being and organisational success in a rapidly evolving work landscape.

The chapter explores the role of music in shaping Spanish popular culture, linked to the construction of a national identity, considering the tensions between modernisation and tradition. The text examines genres such as the cuplé and Spanish song (later called copla). The latter became tied to the cultural autarky of early Francoism with a strong influence of Andalusian elements as the dictatorship progressed, music played a role in articulating mild youth dissent (rock, beat, yeye) and open political dissent (nova cançó, singer-songwriters). During late Francoism and the democratic transition, various genres articulated countercultural (psychedelia, progressive rock), regional (Andalusian or ‘gypsy rock’), youth (punk, Basque radical rock), and class (urban rumba, urban rock, hard rock) identities. The chapter also analyses La Movida, discussing its contested transgressive and postmodern elements. Finally, it examines new discourses of authenticity in Spanish indie music and glocal sounds, the revival of singer-songwriters, and musical proposals responding to the negotiation between globalisation and difference (rap), as well as transcultural hybridisations of pop with various Latin music styles, urban music, and electronic sounds up to the present day.

By now, we have established firmly that the green transition will cause accelerated economic growth. By the performance-stability trade-off discussed in Chapter 3, this accelerated growth could occur at the expense of economic stability. This is because the green transition will cause untold upheaval. In this chapter, we lay out the pace and scale of this likely upheaval, looking at the great transformation that inevitably has to take place across industry, trade, investment and geopolitical power. Different countries will face different challenges, some gaining in international economic power, others losing. This will inevitably lead to a brand new map of international relations worldwide, of debtor–creditor relationships, of trade relationships and of international purchasing power. We discuss the challenges that developing countries face in financing a transition towards environmental and financial sustainability.

This chapter explores the relationship between international trade and sustainable development, with a particular focus on climate change. It traces the evolution of the multilateral trading system from its origins in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade to the present day, highlighting the shift from a focus on trade liberalisation to a broader commitment to sustainable development. The chapter examines how the World Trade Organization has grappled with integrating environmental concerns into its framework, including the development of ‘greening’ jurisprudence, institutions, and rules. It proposes a reform agenda to further align the trading system with global sustainability goals, emphasising the need for alignment with climate change commitments, harmonised sustainability standards, reformed subsidy approaches, governance and institutional reforms, and a focus on equity and justice.

This chapter extends the discussion of discrimination, as well as the exceptional provisions of Article XX of GATT, and incorporates analysis of the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade, the Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, and the General Agreement on Trade in Services to describe the scope of constraint on national governments’ regulatory autonomy.

This introduction to The Cambridge Companion to World Trade Law introduces the book’s purpose and structure. The volume is intended to be an authoritative and accessible guide to the field, appealing to both legal specialists and those with no specialist knowledge of trade law. It is written by experts and provides a compact discussion of the perspectives, enduring issues, and emergent challenges in the field. The introduction also discusses the current context of world trade, highlighting the divisions in the world following decades of growth and the challenges posed by globalisation. It sets the stage for the chapters that follow.

This chapter focuses on the history of English in Gibraltar, its current sociolinguistic landscape and position within theoretical models of analysis, and the attitudes of speakers towards the drastic changes taking place. In recent years English has become dominant among younger generations of speakers, indicating a steady shift in Gibraltar towards monolingualism, a process in which, we argue, globalisation plays an essential role. The chapter also reports on the ongoing and challenging compilation of the Gibraltar component of the International Corpus of English (ICE-GBR), and presents a quantitative analysis of morphosyntactic features which occur in the print publications included in ICE-GBR.

It is likely that you have experienced the impact of place on your education without even thinking about it. Maybe you’ve had a class on a boiling hot day, with bad lighting and no aircon. Maybe you’ve had to sit in traffic on the way to class, and thought ‘Wow, I wish I didn’t have to be at school by 8 am!’. Maybe you’ve accessed your education online, and felt the differences (good and bad), between in-person and online learning. Or perhaps you’ve sat under a lovely tree after class and chatted with your friends. Maybe you’ve experienced traditional ways of learning on Country, and connectedness to the environment around you. Whatever it may be, you get the drift – if you’ve had an education, it’s happened somewhere.