Saskia Sassen
1947
Dutch-American sociologist who identified the cities where the world economy is directed, and the price they pay inside.
Sassen coined «global city» on noticing that the more production disperses across the planet, the more its direction concentrates in a few places. New York, London and Tokyo stand out not for manufacturing but for housing the finance, the legal and accounting services and the decisions that order everything else.
Her second contribution is what happens inside those cities. The same economy that fills the office towers needs them cleaned, guarded and fed by precarious labour. Hence her idea of «expulsions»: people who are not outside the system, but have been thrown out of it.
On Saskia Sassen in this archive
- Urban geopolitics
Cities as Globalization's Key Nodes
Cities are crucial for globalization as they coordinate dispersed economic activities. Learn why cities remain…
Saskia Sassen 3 min read - Urban geopolitics
Global Cities: Role in World Economy
Sassen explores how global cities like New York and London shape the world economy through financial and…
Saskia Sassen 2 min read - Urban geopolitics
Saskia Sassen: what makes a global city global
New York, London and Tokyo concentrate capital, information and decisions. Saskia Sassen explains what links them…
Saskia Sassen 2 min read - Urban geopolitics
Saskia Sassen: Voice of Global Cities
Saskia Sassen, a sociologist born in the Netherlands and based in the United States
Saskia Sassen 3 min read - Urban economy
Touristification's Impact on Cities and Residents
Touristification is a growing phenomenon in many cities around the world, where urban areas—especially those with…
Saskia Sassen 2 min read - Urban geopolitics
Socio-Spatial Segregation: A Call for Equity!
Socio-spatial segregation refers to the way socioeconomic inequalities in cities translate into physical and social…
Saskia Sassen 2 min read - Public space
Urban Governance: Toward Effective Citizen Participation
Urban governance policy has undergone significant transformations in recent decades, driven by globalization,…
Saskia Sassen 2 min read - Urban geopolitics
Global Cities: The Hidden Power in the World Economy According to Saskia Sassen
Cities in a World Economy (1991) by Saskia Sassen is a fundamental work for understanding globalization and the…
Saskia Sassen 2 min read
