Offshoring

The concealment of income, wealth and profits in tax havens hasbrought the topic of offshoring into public debate, but as JohnUrry shows in this important new book offshoring is a much morepervasive feature of contemporary societies. These often secretiveactivities offshore also involve relations of work, finance,pleasure, waste, energy and security. Powerful and pervasiveoffshore worlds have been generated, posing huge challenges bothfor governments and for citizens. This book documents the various patterns of offshoring D ofthe economy, sociability, politics and the environment. In eachcase, offshoring generates new patterns of power, reduces theresponsibilities of the powerful 'offshore class', and limits theconditions for democratic governance. Offshore, out of sight, overthe horizon are some of the troubling processes and metaphors bywhich much life has been rendered opaque and dependent upon secretsand lies. By analysing these patterns and processes, Urry shedsfresh light on the hidden worlds of offshoring and exposes the darkside of globalization. The book concludes by considering whether offshoring can bereversed D whether it is possible to bring about thesystematic 'reshoring' of relations that would be goodfor democracy and for developing low-carbon futures. Urry portraysthe coming century as being poised between even more extremeoffshoring and various endeavours to bring back 'home' that whichhas currently escaped 'over the horizon'.