The Power of Scale: A Global History Approach

Download or read book The Power of Scale: A Global History Approach written by John Bodley and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-06-01 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Throughout history, the natural human inclination to accumulate social power has led to growth and scale increases that benefit the few at the expense of the many. John Bodley looks at global history through the lens of power and scale theory, and draws on history, economics, anthropology, and sociology to demonstrate how individuals have been the agents of social change, not social classes. Filled with tables and data to support his argument, this book considers how increases in scale necessarily lead to an increasingly small elite gaining disproportionate power, making democratic control more difficult to achieve and maintain.