Offshoring (PDF)

The concealment of income, wealth and profits in tax havens has
brought the topic of offshoring into public debate, but as John
Urry shows in this important new book offshoring is a much more
pervasive feature of contemporary societies. These often secretive
activities offshore also involve relations of work, finance,
pleasure, waste, energy and security. Powerful and pervasive
offshore worlds have been generated, posing huge challenges both
for governments and for citizens.

This book documents the various patterns of offshoring D of
the economy, sociability, politics and the environment. In each
case, offshoring generates new patterns of power, reduces the
responsibilities of the powerful 'offshore class', and limits the
conditions for democratic governance. Offshore, out of sight, over
the horizon are some of the troubling processes and metaphors by
which much life has been rendered opaque and dependent upon secrets
and lies. By analysing these patterns and processes, Urry sheds
fresh light on the hidden worlds of offshoring and exposes the dark
side of globalization.

The book concludes by considering whether offshoring can be
reversed D whether it is possible to bring about the
systematic 'reshoring' of relations that would be good
for democracy and for developing low-carbon futures. Urry portrays
the coming century as being poised between even more extreme
offshoring and various endeavours to bring back 'home' that which
has currently escaped 'over the horizon'.