The comparison of distinct societal processes expressing key universals in societal progress permits a fusion of local and wider logics. Two main stereotypes are examined to compare their workings and their outcomes: the Western free market democratic, and the Chinese party-state driven.

Echoing the famous "The Limits to Growth" report from 1972, this edited volume analyses the changes that the World System has undergone to the present, on the fiftieth anniversary of the original report. During the past fifty years, both the concept and understanding of these limits have...