Global Issues: Politics, Economics, and Culture, 5th edition

For courses in Global Issues, Globalization, and Introduction to International Relations

Revel™ is Pearson’s newest way of delivering our respected content. Fully digital and highly engaging, Revel replaces the textbook and gives students everything they need for the course. Informed by extensive research on how people read, think, and learn, Revel is an interactive learning environment that enables students to read, practice, and study in one continuous experience — for less than the cost of a traditional textbook.

Explaining the political, economic, and cultural context of issues around the globe

Revel Global Issues is a current and topical look at the forces driving globalization — everything from democratization, human rights, and global finance to population, migration, and noncommunicable diseases. Richard Payne helps students survey global problems that transcend boundaries and are challenging the international system. For global issues or international relations courses, this is the only text of its kind to place complex issues into comprehensive context and thus explain the growing political, economic, and cultural interdependence visible in the headlines and in students’ lives. The Fifth Edition now offers new and updated topics of discussion, as well as many tables and case studies that will engage students and add visual appeal.

Learn more about Revel.

• Interactive maps, figures, and tables featuring innovative Social Explorer technology allow for inputting the latest data, toggling to illustrate movement over time, and clicking on hot spots with pop-ups of images and captions.
• End-of-chapter quizzing affords students opportunities to check their understanding before moving on.
• The Revel mobile app lets students read, practice, and study — anywhere, anytime, on any device. Content is available both online and offline, and the app syncs work across all registered devices automatically, giving students great flexibility to toggle between phone, tablet, and laptop as they move through their day. The app also lets students set assignment notifications to stay on top of all due dates.
• Revel’s writing functionality enables educators to introduce writing — among the best ways to foster and assess critical thinking — into the course without significantly impacting their grading burden. Self-paced Journaling Prompts throughout the narrative encourage students to express their thoughts without breaking stride in their reading. Assignable Shared Writing Activities direct students to share written responses with classmates, fostering peer discussion.
• Highlighting, note taking, and a glossary let students read and study however they like. Educators can add notes for students, too, including reminders or study tips.

Current topics of interest are presented in a global context

• NEW! Coverage of new and updated topics engages students in learning. Examples include:
  • Child labor
  • Sweatshops
  • Female genital mutilation
  • Cuba
  • Iran’s nuclear agreement
  • Lone wolf terrorism
  • ISIS
  • Cybersecurity
  • Nigeria’s election
  • Sexual assaults on campus and in the military
  • Noncommunicable diseases
  • Ebola

• UPDATED! In order to ensure that the text is as current as possible, updated tables and case studies have been included on the following topics:
  • Democratic transitions in the Middle East and North Africa
  • Global food safety
  • The war in Afghanistan
  • Government corruption in India
  • Food security and the global food crisis
  • The obesity epidemic
  • The impact of the global financial crisis on Ireland
  • The earthquake and tsunami in Japan

• Every chapter includes the latest scholarship, examples, and data:
  • Chapter 1, “Global Issues: Challenges of Globalization”: Transitions to democracy and the rise of emerging market countries; the impact of social networks on global affairs; the power of young people to effectuate change in the Middle East and elsewhere.  
  • Chapter 2, “The Struggle for Primacy in a Global Society”: The rise of China and the decline of the United States; domestic economic challenges to America’s global power.  
  • Chapter 3, “Human Rights”: The global response to the treatment of Libyan civilians; evolving perceptions of a common humanity due to communications and migration; the human rights of homosexuals.  
  • Chapter 4, “Promoting Democracy”: Global implications of recent democratic revolutions; the roles of generational change and the Internet in transitions to democracy.  
  • Chapter 5, “Global Terrorism”: Counter-terrorism laws, such as the Patriot Act; the killing of Osama Bin-Laden; domestic terrorism.
  • Chapter 6, “Weapons Proliferation”: Developments in nuclear weapons programs, including the New START treaty; the proliferation of small arms.  
  • Chapter 7, “The Global Financial Crisis”: Continuing fallout from the crisis, including a global power shift from the G-7 to the G-20.  
  • Chapter 8, “Global Trade”: Global companies and the promotion of equality; currency wars and global trade.  
  • Chapter 9, “Global Inequality and Poverty”: Poverty as a factor in popular uprisings; the global recession and foreign aid; growing inequality in the United States, Germany, and India; hunger and malnutrition.
  • Chapter 10, “Environmental Issues”: Indigenous peoples and the environment; new efforts to prevent deforestation; climate change and natural catastrophes.  
  • Chapter 11, “Population and Migration”: The Romanies in France; new refugees from countries with democratic revolutions; population growth in the developing world contributing to global power shifts; China’s reexamination of its one-child policy.  
  • Chapter 12, “Global Crime”: War, ethnic conflict, and crime; government corruption; piracy on the Somali coast and gangs in Central America.  
  • Chapter 13, “The Globalization of Disease”: Cholera in Haiti and Congo fever in India.  
  • Chapter 14, “Cultural Clashes and Conflict Resolution”: Increasing conflicts between states and nonstate actors; attempts to resolve ethnic conflict in Iraq and Sudan.  

• A theoretical framework facilitates students’ understanding of specific issues in Chapter 1 (Global Issues: The Challenge of Globalization) and Chapter 2 (The Struggle for Primacy in a Global Society.)
• The political, economic, and cultural dimensions of each issue are explored, placing them in the broader context of globalization and individual human experience.

Accessible features engage and assist learners

• A conversational writing style and real-world examples make the discussion of global issues accessible to students and easier to relate to their lives.
• Numerous maps, photographs, and tables enliven the text and put issues into deeper context.
• A glossary in the margins reinforces students’ understanding of concepts.
• Case Study features in each chapter look in-depth at specific global issues and ask students to consider potential local, national, and international responses.  
• Photos in every chapter tell a more visual story of global issues.  
• A four-color map insert puts basic geographical knowledge within students’ immediate reach.
• A four-color design enlivens the text.

• Revel’s assignment calendar allows educators to indicate precisely which readings must be completed on which dates. This clear, detailed schedule helps students stay on task by eliminating any ambiguity as to which material will be covered during each class. When they understand exactly what is expected of them, students are better motivated to keep up.
• Revel’s performance dashboard empowers educators to monitor class assignment completion as well as individual student achievement. Actionable information, such as points earned on quizzes and tests and time on task, helps educators intersect with their students in meaningful ways. For example, the trending column reveals whether students' grades are improving or declining, helping educators to identify students who might need help to stay on track.
• Revel’s Blackboard Learn™ integration provides institutions, instructors, and students easy access to their Revel courses. With single sign-on, students can be ready to access Revel’s interactive blend of authors' narrative, media, and assessment on their first day. Flexible, on-demand grade synchronization capabilities allow educators to control exactly which Revel grades should be transferred to the Blackboard Gradebook.

• Interactive maps, figures, and tables featuring innovative Social Explorer technology allow for inputting the latest data, toggling to illustrate movement over time, and clicking on hot spots with pop-ups of images and captions.
• End-of-chapter quizzing affords students opportunities to check their understanding before moving on.
• The Revel mobile app lets students read, practice, and study — anywhere, anytime, on any device. Content is available both online and offline, and the app syncs work across all registered devices automatically, giving students great flexibility to toggle between phone, tablet, and laptop as they move through their day. The app also lets students set assignment notifications to stay on top of all due dates.
• Revel’s writing functionality enables educators to introduce writing — among the best ways to foster and assess critical thinking — into the course without significantly impacting their grading burden. Self-paced Journaling Prompts throughout the narrative encourage students to express their thoughts without breaking stride in their reading. Assignable Shared Writing Activities direct students to share written responses with classmates, fostering peer discussion.
• Highlighting, note taking, and a glossary let students read and study however they like. Educators can add notes for students, too, including reminders or study tips.

• Coverage of new and updated topics engages students in learning. Examples include:
  • Child labor
  • Sweatshops
  • Female genital mutilation
  • Cuba
  • Iran’s nuclear agreement
  • Lone wolf terrorism
  • ISIS
  • Cybersecurity
  • Nigeria’s election
  • Sexual assaults on campus and in the military
  • Noncommunicable diseases
  • Ebola

• UPDATED! In order to ensure that the text is as current as possible, updated tables and case studies have been included on the following topics:
  • Democratic transitions in the Middle East and North Africa
  • Global food safety
  • The war in Afghanistan
  • Government corruption in India
  • Food security and the global food crisis
  • The obesity epidemic
  • The impact of the global financial crisis on Ireland
  • The earthquake and tsunami in Japan

• Revel’s assignment calendar allows educators to indicate precisely which readings must be completed on which dates. This clear, detailed schedule helps students stay on task by eliminating any ambiguity as to which material will be covered during each class. When they understand exactly what is expected of them, students are better motivated to keep up.
• Revel’s performance dashboard empowers educators to monitor class assignment completion as well as individual student achievement. Actionable information, such as points earned on quizzes and tests and time on task, helps educators intersect with their students in meaningful ways. For example, the trending column reveals whether students' grades are improving or declining, helping educators to identify students who might need help to stay on track.
• Revel’s Blackboard Learn™ integration provides institutions, instructors, and students easy access to their Revel courses. With single sign-on, students can be ready to access Revel’s interactive blend of authors' narrative, media, and assessment on their first day. Flexible, on-demand grade synchronization capabilities allow educators to control exactly which Revel grades should be transferred to the Blackboard Gradebook.