There is plenty of literature and guidance available on international business and the practical skills and theoretical knowledge needed for working across nations. But few texts sufficiently interrogate the different roots of national economic models and their development, which are crucial to understanding contemporary business environments and the realities of working within them. This new text is wholly devoted to exploring the most powerful political economies across the globe, from East to West, to help give you this vital grounding for future practice or research. The author accessibly tracks the historical and socio-political contexts of each country on a chapter by chapter basis to the present day. The book provides a comprehensive yet concise introduction to each of the economies' key features, including macro overviews as well as organizational and workplace-level analysis. Each chapter includes learning objectives, plenty of examples, and annotated further reading to help you rigorously navigate your way through the wealth of material available for each country. This text is essential reading for students and researchers in the areas of international business and cross-cultural management, as well as politics and history.