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Globalization’s Impact on the Autonomy of the States.

Rafael García Montoya

ID: 0000219476

Date: 23/02/2021

Class: International Relationships Theory

Professor: Ulf Volker Thoene

First Term Short Essay

Universidad de la Sabana
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Globalization’s Impact on the Autonomy of the States.

Globalization, the intensification of worldwide social relations that in the last

decades has determined important changes, such as the integration of international
economy and the breakdown of international barriers. But, along those changes comes an
interdependence between actors, in other words, the parts involved will depend on one
another and decisions cannot be made without affecting themselves.
Now, based on the above and considering that the most important actors in international
relations (IR), are the States, this question arises: To what extent does Globalization
diminish the autonomy of the States?
To start, it is important to emphasize that every sovereign State is completely autonomous
in the decision of beginning and maintaining IR.
First, and from an economic view, globalization does affect the autonomy of the States,
because both, World Powers and Developing countries need of maintaining its continuous
financial growth. To accomplish that, they choose to explore the different international
markets, leading to agreements that allow the flow of money, goods, and services.
However, the State is limited by the other actors, as a condition to ensure the fulfillment of
the accords.
Conversely, and as Babic. M. (2019) says in his text “Why Globalization was Not the End
of State Power.”, states are increasingly seeking to occupy the control centers of those
international ties, by becoming themselves their owners and regulators. This could be done
by transnationalization, which means that a multinational company operating under a State,
begins being regulated strictly by it.
Another point that presents globalization as a diminisher of autonomy, are the economic
recessions, an example of this the 2008 Global Finance Crisis (GFC), that begun in U.S.A.,
but this State, being one of the main actors of globalization, end up affecting more than a
dozen countries.
However, just this as Mcgrew. A. mentions in the first chapter of The Globalization of
World Politics, “it was only extensive State intervention that prevented a global depression.
When the crisis hit, the bankers called their financial ministries or central banks, not the
IMF.” This means that it was the national governance who solved their problems, not a
globalized network of institutions.
To conclude, globalization does require that States yield some of their autonomy to be
included over international activities. Nevertheless, in the end are the States own
sovereignty that regulates and solve the conflicts that come along with worldwide
interdependence, like de GFC. Moreover, and even though the State power may seem
diminished by other international institutions, there are methods in which the governments
may retake control on their economies, such as transnationalization.
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NUMBER OF WORDS: 432

References:

- Baylis, J. (2020). Globalization of World Politics: An Introduction to International

Relations. Oxford University Press.

- Climate change and human rights. (n.d.). Retrieved February 25, 2021, from
https://www.globalpolicyjournal.com/blog/11/09/2019/why-globalization-was-not-
end-state-power

- Hall, M. (2020, October 15). What is the role of the nation-state in globalization?
Retrieved February 25, 2021, from
https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/022415/what-role-nationstate-
globalization.asp