Module 6

Topic 4: Global Citizenship

The Contemporary World (Coworld)

Global Citizenship

Citizenship is associated with

rights and obligations, for
instance, the right to vote and
the obligation to pay taxes.
Traditionally this is associated
locally but can the idea of
citizenship be transferred to the
global level?
Caecilia Johanna van Peski (2012),
defined global citizenship “as a
moral and ethical disposition that
can guide the understanding of
individuals or groups of local and
global contexts, and remind them of
their relative responsibilities within
various communities”.
Global citizens are the glue which binds local communities
together in an increasingly globalized world. According to Van
Peski (2012) “global citizens might be a new type of people
that can travel within the various boundaries and somehow
still make sense of the world”. Global citizenship does not
automatically entail a single attitude and a particular value
with globalization. We must remember that globalization is not
a single phenomenon; rather, there are many globalizations.
While some need to be multiple futures for multiple
globalizations. These globalizations created enemies
because according to one broad view, globalization failed to
deliver its promises. The so-called bottom billion lacks
infrastructures and has been disenfranchised. The
opponents of globalization blame either Westernization or
global capitalism.
There are three approaches to
global economic resistance.
Trade protectionism involves the
systematic government
intervention in foreign trade
through tariffs and non-tariffs
barriers in order to encourage
domestic producers and deter their
foreign competitors (McAleese,
2007).
Fair trade is a different approach to economic globalization, which
emerged as a counter to neoliberal “free trade” principles. Fair
trade aims at a more moral and equitable global economic system
in which, for instance, price is not set by the market; instead, it is
negotiated transparently by both producers and consumers. While
it is popular among consumers in the North, it has met only limited
acceptance among producers. Its ability to supply a mass market
and its applicability to manufacture products are also doubted.
The third form of resistance to economic globalization
relates to helping the bottom billion. Increasing aid is only
one of the many measures that are required. International
norms and standards can be adapted to the needs of the
bottom billion. The reduction of trade barriers would also
reduce the economic marginalization of these people and
their nations.
The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What
Can Be Done About It is a 2007 book by Paul Collier, Professor of
Economics at Oxford University, exploring the reasons why
impoverished countries fail to progress despite international aid and
support. In the book Collier argues that there are many countries
whose residents have experienced little, if any, income growth over
the 1980s and 1990s. On his reckoning, there are just under 60 such
economies, home to almost 1 billion people.
When it comes to dealing with political globalization, increased
accountability (Germain, 2004) and transparency are the key
issues. All political organizations, at different levels, should be
more accountable for their actions because they now
surrounded by an “ocean of opacity” (Holzner & Holzner, 2006).
Increased transparency has been aided by various mechanisms
such as transnational justice systems, international tribunals,
civil society, and particularly the Transparency International.
Like globalization, resistance to globalization is multiple,
complex, contradictory, and ambiguous. This movement
also has the potential to emerge as the new public sphere,
which may uphold progressive values such as autonomy,
democracy, peace, ecological sustainability, and social
justice. These forces of resistance are themselves are
products of globalization and can be seen as globalization
from below (Smith, 2008).
According to della Porta, et. al. (2006), the impetus for such
a movement comes from the individuals, groups, and
organizations which are oppressed by globalization from
above (neoliberal economic systems or aggressively
expanding nations and corporations). They seek a more
democratic process of globalization. However, globalization
from below involves less visible, more right-wing elements,
such as the American First Party and the Taliban.
The World Social Forum (WSF) is centered on addressing
the lack of democracy in economic and political affairs
(Fisher & Ponniah, 2003). However, the diversity of
elements involved in WSF hinders the development of
concrete political proposals. A significant influence on WSF
has been that of cyberactivism, which is based on the
“cultural logic of networking” (Juris, 2005) and “virtual
movements”, such as Global Huaren.