THE

CONTEMPORARY
WORLD

Submitted by: Xenia Kaspar

BSN-1D
Submitted to: Mr. Camilo E. Pangan, Jr. Ma
B. News report critique: Students will find and read three newspaper op-eds
(local or international) discussing globalization. Before on-line discussion,
they will write 50- word summaries of each op-ed, identifying what the
underling definitions of globalization the op-ed writers use.

NEWSPAPER RESOURCES

1. OP-ED (NEW YORK TIMES)

Put Globalization to Work for

Democracies
Source: Dani Rodrik Sept. 18, 2019

The phenomenon of globalization is not new, as it has been affecting people and societies for
more than two centuries. The old globalization, represented by the colonialist expansion in
Europe and sea trade among nations, had important economic and social consequences, both
positive and negative, on the new territories, as well as on the European society itself. More
recently, however, in the decades at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, we are faced with
a new globalization, deep and fast, that covers now practically every aspect of human life. The
phenomenon of globalization is not new, as it has been affecting people and societies for more
than two centuries. The old globalization, represented by the colonialist expansion in Europe
and sea trade among nations, had important economic and social consequences, both positive
and negative, on the new territories, as well as on the European society itself. More recently,
however, in the decades at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, we are faced with a new
globalization, deep and fast, that covers now practically every aspect of human life.

2. OP-ED (PhilStar)

The Reality of Globalization

Source: Elfren S. Cruz (The Philippine Star) - November 4, 2019 - 4:00pm

These concept of “clusters’ means that countries cannot afford to have a policy of attracting only
single firms to invest; but, must look for ways to attract clusters of factories or financial firms or
service firms. Even within a country, globalization will make regional inequalities worse.

As the rich became richer, their wealth was supposed to start “trickling down” to the poor so that
ultimately everyone would benefit from the rich accumulating more wealth. This theory has
never worked. Income inequality has reached a level unprecedented in human history.

There was a time when the same “trickle down” theory was believed to be applicable to nations.
As certain nations became richer, they were expected to share their wealth with the poorer
countries of the world. This was the dream of many organizations like the United Nations.
Instead, the rich Western nations continued to further enrich themselves by economic
exploitation of the poor countries. The Third World countries were developed solely as sources
of raw materials and markets for the goods and services of the Western imperial powers. Japan
joined the Axis powers during the Second World War primarily because Imperial Japan needed
to secure reliable sources of raw materials and markets for its industrialization.
Today, China – the new economic giant – is following the same imperial pattern of the past
powers. Its Belt and Road initiatives are primarily aimed at securing reliable sources of raw
materials and markets for its economy. The primary objective is to continue the economic growth
of China.

China and Japan were once heavily protected economies until they were able to build an
industrial and financial base that could compete with the rest of the world. Now they are
suddenly champions of open markets and globalization.

The United States and the United Kingdom were once champions of globalization and open
markets. But now that they are losing their competitive edge, these two countries have elected
governments that are advocating protectionism.

Perceptions about globalization will remain mixed because its effects will continue to be mixed.
Globalization and technological change will enhance the economies of scale that will result in
more geographic concentration of wealth and talent. The Alibabas and Amazons will increase
their dominance in the service industries which will further decimate locally based businesses.

There are those who will insist that the exponential growth of technological change makes
globalization inevitable. Perhaps that is true, but the process of change will be a costly and
chaotic period. This is what history teaches us. The Industrial Revolution gave birth to the class
wars and Marxist revolutions of the 20th century. The economic and social changes resulted in
the rise of populist leaders and dictators that led to two World Wars and a Cold War.

I once read two contrasting articles on the same topic. The title of one was “Globalization at Warp
Speed”; and the other one was “The End of Globalization.” The future reality will probably be
somewhere in the middle of these two titles. Hopefully, the period of change will not be as violent
as similar periods in history.
 3. OP-ED (Convolutional Neural Network)

Coronavirus Pandemic: Latest on

Globalization
Source: By Kristen Rogers, CNN

Source: CNN - Updated 0006 GMT (0806 HKT) August 26, 2020

Our brains have established methods for recognizing people as close friends or acquaintances,
and "the closest ties are built on a substantial investment of time and trust — both of which may
be challenged by the current pandemic," said Andrea Courtney, a postdoctoral research fellow
in psychology at Stanford University in California, who wasn't involved in a newly released review
on social bonds.
How humans develop and maintain relationships with friends and family is similar to the
behaviors of societies in our evolutionary history and those of other primates, according to
the review published Tuesday in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical
and Physical Sciences.

Urbanization and globalization represent civilizational progress and they are highly intertwined
with the decrease in the cost of moving people, goods, money, information, reducing
transportation costs more broadly. They also allowed for the development of the ‘knowledge
creation society’ of today, which is centered around global metropolises. However, this reduction
of transportation costs also has facilitated the international spread of viruses, bringing infectious
diseases to all of humankind. The current crisis has manifested this inconvenient truth.

We examine the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic until mid-May from a spatial economics
perspective. First, we show that the initial outbreak centered around the megalopolis (i.e. a
compound of metropolises) in the eastern US and the megalopolis centered in the EU. Next, we
examine the causes of such a concentration of COVID-19 infections in the two megalopolises.
Finally, we discuss the possible impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the future direction of
globalization.

SUMMARY AND REACTION OF THE 3 NEWS OP-EDS WITH THE DEFINITION OF

GLOBALIZATION

Globalization effectively proceeds to build the growing interdependence of the

world’s economies, cultures, and populations, brought about by cross-border trade
in goods and services, technology, and flows of investment, people, information
and signifies the democracy to work for the global economy within a larger, more
integrated market enables production at more efficient scale and increased global
output. Wherein, it pushes more fundamental economic and social goals to asked
subject domestic economies to the whims of global financial markets; sign
investment treaties that created special rights for foreign companies; reduce
corporate and top income taxes to attract footloose corporations , deepened the
economic and cultural divisions like the Corona Virus Pandemic, wherein, We build
the word, unification to other societies of the world to help attain our human race
goal, which is to instill the word “Globalization” as we all save human lives with the
advantage of the global economy in the different perspectives of globalization.
C. Answer the following questions briefly:

1. What is globalization in one word for you? Why?

One word that I would raise for the word Globalization is the word,

“Unification”; for it promotes and uphold the word, interconnectedness within the

scope of the different societies in our world globally in terms of the people,

finances, technology, culture and the like, with the building blocks of our hearts as

individual or as groups to place this word , specifically this time where all the

societies, countries are calling for the unification within to fight against, the Corona

Virus Pandemic we have facing right now, and I truly know for sure, that we can

build the word, I have mentioned, “Unification” in the word, “Globalization.”

2. Do you feel being part of globalization? How?

I stand by saying Yes, I optimistically feel part of the globalization. In our own

scope of the individual human level wherein I apply the standard quality of life

throughout the world globally to interconnect through the bond of being in the

diverse economic, civic, political, religious, ideological, class, racial, gender and

ethic identities each represents. As well, To be a citizen of my own country the

Philippines, with the speedup or movements of what I impart on, where globally it

moves and exchanges what I have and what the other countries hold that promotes

and increases the interactions between the globe while upholding it in my hands,

to move and go beyond in the different perspectives of globalization.

3. How did we benefit from globalization?

We do benefit from globalization with different areas indulge in it like

economically, culturally, financially and the different perspectives that

globalization instills in us. Wherein, we reciprocally developed the economies all

over the world and increases the part of the cultural extent, between the financial

exchanges between companies, producing and sending off the goods, increases

the economic exchanges, transportation that would give us a prior knowledge

about the world globally within the scopes that benefits us to be more aware

globally like current issues, value, economics and the like where it promotes our

country for the betterment and unification globally.

 4. How should we participate in globalization to make it more beneficial to
us?

We do participate in globalization to make it more beneficial to us by being a

mind opener with the technology advancements, knowing the current issues;

values and the knowledge to have an application to it, in terms of building the

interconnectedness to other countries’ economically, in terms of finances,

marketing, people, products and goods being exported and imported, With the

profession I am fighting for like being a nurse or any profession we have, would

morally bring us closer to the state with the other members of the said scope if we

do have the awareness of being a global citizen not just in our country but to be a

globalized citizen in the different countries in our world globally.

References
Reality of Globalization. https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2017/11/04/1755762/reality-
globalization. Retrieved date: August 24, 2020.

The Reality of Globalization. https://voxeu.org/article/globalisation-and-covid-19-pandemic.

Retrieved date: August 24, 2020.

Coronavirus Pandemic: Latest on Globalization.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertginsburg/2020/08/19/the-two-party-system-and-issue-
globalization-the-absence-of-reason/#11f6a0b416a5. Retrieved date: August 24, 2020.