‘Economy’ examines the relationship between economies and the organization of political authority, arguing that the two are mutually dependent. After considering three shifting conditions—changes in the global economy, revolutions in technology, and shifts in the global distribution of economic resources from the West to the East—it examines key developments in the organization of political authority, and how these have affected global economic relations. It concludes with a brief discussion of three major economic challenges facing the global organization of political authority: the rise of new economies and actors, inequality and social dislocation, and the accelerating global environmental crisis.