Peter Wilkin. The Political Economy of Global Communication: An Introduction. London: Pluto Press, 2001. vi + 163 pages. Paperback. ,14.99.

The author of this book has enriched international political economy by introducing a new aspect, namely, the impact of the steadily advancing global communications industry on economies and societies and, more specifically, on human security. The latter is a broad-based concept developed by the UNDP to reflect, through certain key indicators, human well-being. This consists of a very strong element of social justice in which human beings can satisfy their needs by organising the appropriate political, economic, and cultural institutions within a framework that provides the maximum level of participation and autonomy. For the latter to be achieved, it is essential that people have the means to decide what they wish to do in life and then can translate these wishes into actuality. As the author quotes Streeten, human security is “a broad approach to improving human well-being that would cover all aspects of human life, for all people, in both high-income and developing countries, both now and in the future” (p. 5).