This IDS Bulletin explores various aspects of the globalisation processes “as they exist”, in specific country and institutional contexts, in order to contribute to a better understanding of these processes and identify specific policy interventions. Three principal areas are covered: production and trade, finance and foreign direct investment (FDI), and the institutions of global governance. The focus is on the flexibility and reality of the globalisation process; how the characteristics of different countries can lead to different outcomes from the same processes; and the significance of management. The full programme of research on globalisation and poverty is only a minute part of the global research effort on the topic in the past few years. The result is a set of findings that contribute to narrowing the gulf that exists between “globophobes” and “globophiles” by providing explanations of why globalisation outcomes vary so much and suggesting ways in which globalisation processes can be managed so as to enhance the livelihoods of poor people. This volume of the Bulletin brings together some of the results of research funded by the Department for International Development in a three-year programme of research on globalisation and poverty.