GE 102 - THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD

 Globalization is not new, though. For thousands of years, people—and,

later, corporations—have been buying from and selling to each other in
INTRODUCTION OF GLOBALIZATION lands at great distances, such as through the famed Silk Road across Central
Asia that connected China and Europe during the Middle Ages. Likewise,
Topics
for centuries, people and corporations have invested in enterprises in other
a. Defining globalization and its importance countries. In fact, many of the features of the current wave of globalization
b. Advantages and disadvantages of globalization are similar to those prevailing before the outbreak of the First World War in
c. History of Globalization 1914.
d. Metaphors of globalization
e. Globalization Theories But policy and technological developments of the past few decades have
spurred increases in cross-border trade, investment, and migration so large that many
Learning Objectives observers believe the world has entered a qualitatively new phase in its economic
development. Since 1950, for example, the volume of world trade has increased by
At the end of the lesson, the student should be able to: 20 times, and from just 1997 to 1999 flows of foreign investment nearly doubled,
from $468 billion to $827 billion. Distinguishing this current wave of globalization
I. Explain the definition of globalization
from earlier ones, author Thomas Friedman has said that today globalization is
II. Briefly explain the history of globalization
“farther, faster, cheaper, and deeper.”
III. Identify the different advantages and disadvantages of
globalization This current wave of globalization has been driven by policies that have
IV. Discuss the metaphors of globalization opened economies domestically and internationally. In the years since the Second
V. Briefly explain globalization theories World War, and especially during the past two decades, many governments have
adopted free-market economic systems, vastly increasing their own productive
GLOBALIZATION: AN INTRODUCTION potential and creating myriad new opportunities for international trade and
investment. Governments also have negotiated dramatic reductions in barriers to
Globalization or globalisation is the process of interaction and integration commerce and have established international agreements to promote trade in goods,
among people, companies, and governments worldwide. As a complex and services, and investment. Taking advantage of new opportunities in foreign markets,
multifaceted phenomenon, globalization is considered by some as a form of capitalist corporations have built foreign factories and established production and marketing
expansion which entails the integration of local and national economies into a global, arrangements with foreign partners. A defining feature of globalization, therefore, is
unregulated market economy. Globalization has grown due to advances in an international industrial and financial business structure.
transportation and communication technology. With the increased global interactions
comes the growth of international trade, ideas, and culture. Globalization is primarily Technology has been the other principal driver of globalization. Advances
an economic process of interaction and integration that's associated with social and in information technology, in particular, have dramatically transformed economic
cultural aspects. However, conflicts and diplomacy are also large parts of the history life. Information technologies have given all sorts of individual economic actors—
of globalization, and modern globalization. consumers, investors, businesses—valuable new tools for identifying and pursuing
economic opportunities, including faster and more informed analyses of economic
 Globalization is a process of interaction and integration among the people, trends around the world, easy transfers of assets, and collaboration with far-flung
companies, and governments of different nations, a process driven by partners.
international trade and investment and aided by information technology.
This process has effects on the environment, on culture, on political Globalization is deeply controversial, however. Proponents of globalization
systems, on economic development and prosperity, and on human physical argue that it allows poor countries and their citizens to develop economically and
well-being in societies around the world. raise their standards of living, while opponents of globalization claim that the
creation of an unfettered international free market has benefited multinational

corporations in the Western world at the expense of local enterprises, local cultures,
and common people. Resistance to globalization has therefore taken shape both at a
popular and at a governmental level as people and governments try to manage the
flow of capital, labor, goods, and ideas that constitute the current wave of
globalization.
To find the right balance between benefits and costs associated with
globalization, citizens of all nations need to understand how globalization works and
the policy choices facing them and their societies.
IMPORTANCE OF GLOBALIZATION
1. Multinational companies operating in several countries,
2. Outsourcing of services and operations,
3. International free trade agreements,
4. Internet access
5. International migrations
HISTORY OF GLOBALIZATION
Globalization is not a new concept. Traders travelled vast distances in
ancient times to buy commodities that were rare and expensive for sale in their
homelands. The Industrial Revolution brought advances in transportation and
communication in the 19th century that eased trade across borders.
The think tank, Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE), states
globalization stalled after World War I and nations' movements toward protectionism
as they launched import taxes to more closely guard their industries in the aftermath
of the conflict. This trend continued through the Great Depression and World War II
until the U.S. took on an instrumental role in reviving international trade.
Globalization has since sped up to an unprecedented pace, with public
policy changes and communications technology innovations cited as the two main
driving factors.
One of the critical steps in the path to globalization came with the North
American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), signed in 1993. One of NAFTA's many
effects was to give American auto manufacturers the incentive to relocate a portion
of their manufacturing to Mexico where they could save on the costs of labor. As of
February 2019, the NAFTA agreement was due to be terminated, and a new trade
agreement negotiated by the U.S., Mexico, and Canada was pending approval by the
U.S. Congress.
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Governments worldwide have integrated a free market economic system
through fiscal policies and trade agreements over the last 20 years. The core of most
trade agreements is the removal or reduction of tariffs.
“Economic Interdependence”. Free market economy or trade
liberalization is a common feature in the world today. Current happenings in
international trade and finance have been convoyed by the internationalization of
production of goods and services. Hence in most developing countries where
technology is low, they tend to rely on developed countries for durable and
sophisticated goods such as cars, cell phones, refrigerators, computers and other
important gadgets (Asare, 2011: 185).
In a like manner, activities of multinational corporations (MNCs) provide
revenues to the government through their investment in the economy. By so doing,
MNCs promote free trade by lobbying intergovernmental organizations like IMF,
World Bank and WTO to require countries to adopt policies that promote free
movement of goods.
Environmental concerns in the current international system have led to an
increase in world interdependence to address such problems. Environmental
problems such as climate change, global warming, and the spread of communicable
disease (Ebola, Bird flu, HIV/AIDS, Black dead, Smallpox, Tuberculosis etc.) brings
the world together address such concerns irrespective of the origin of the disease or
problem.
For example, the Kyoto Protocol of 1997 was instituted to address the
problem of carbon mono oxide emission into the atmosphere by highly industrialized
countries with the sole aim of reducing global warming.
Political Interdependence” in the international community is created
through political change, redistribution of power from states to interstate bodies and
the growth of global civil society. In fact, the coming together of countries under the
umbrella of intergovernmental organizations makes it possible for countries to seek
help from others. For instance, the World Bank, the United Nations, ECOWAS, the
African Union and the European Union, plays critical role in assisting member
countries in profound ways, being it domestic or international issues such as “…
democratic governance, freedom of the media, independent judiciary, conflict
resolution and peacekeeping and ‘peace building’.” (Asare, 2011: 178). The AU and
UN mission to Somalia and other states through the contribution of troupe by various
countries in the world depict how globalization has increased interdependence on the
political front.
Socio-cultural interdependence”. Spatial and temporal components, such
as international trade, global levels of political representation, global communication,

the increased speed of transactions, travel, political change, resource depletion, social
mobilization and impacts of increased cultural exchange has undoubtedly increased
the level of global interdependence. As noted by Paehlke (2009), “global cultural
integration is associated with American television, Hollywood, world music and
commercial advertising”. For example, most of the Ghanaian and Nigerian films are
carved around American movies. This is no different from South Africa where seven
out of ten popular television programs have U.S origin (Paehlke, 2009: 5). Barber
(1996: 62) in support of this argue that films now accrue greater export revenue for
the US economy far more than automobiles companies.
ADVANTAGES OF GLOBALIZATION
Proponents of globalization believe it allows developing countries to catch
up to industrialized nations through increased manufacturing, diversification,
economic expansion, and improvements in standards of living.
Outsourcing by companies brings jobs and technology to developing
countries. Trade initiatives increase cross-border trading by removing supply-side
and trade-related constraints.
Globalization has advanced social justice on an international scale, and
advocates report that it has focused attention on human rights worldwide.
1. Globalization broadens our minds. We feel that we belong to one world and
we are a part of one nation, namely, humankind.
2. Closer contact with foreign people makes us quite familiar with their
manners, habits, and customs. The cultures become richer as they come into
contact with each other.
3. Globalization helps us shake off narrowness. We get the chance of
comparing our country with other countries. In this way, we enrich our
manners, customs, and habits.
4. Globalization helps us fight illiteracy and promotes education. It gives us
clear knowledge of facts and things.
5. Globalization helps us shed or combat the burning social issues such as
child-labor, dowry, etc.
6. Globalization has helped the global community to fight against poverty.
Large non-profit and charitable organizations have launched massive
campaigns to fight hunger and poverty. They have successfully done huge
fund-raising in this regard.
The benefits of science and technology have reached every corner of the
world. People around the world are connected through mobile phones and
internet technology.
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7. Globalization has enhanced our knowledge of the world. A merchant can
gather valuable information about different commodities in different
countries.
First-hand knowledge of people and things is of great importance in
international business.
Due to globalization, a political leader can gather much useful knowledge of
the people, forms of government around the world.
8. Globalization contribute in improving international relations and
friendliness among different nations.
We can communicate with people all over the world. The human life
becomes global. We have a global outlook on life.
Students can study anywhere in the world.
DISADVANTAGES OF GLOBALIZATION
One clear result of globalization is that an economic downturn in one
country can create a domino effect through its trade partners. For example, the 2008
financial crisis had a severe impact on Portugal, Ireland, Greece, and Spain. All these
countries were members of the European Union, which had to step in to bail out
debt-laden nations, which were thereafter known by the acronym PIGS.
Globalization detractors argue that it has created a concentration of wealth
and power in the hands of a small corporate elite which can gobble up smaller
competitors around the globe.
Globalization has become a polarizing issue in the U.S. with the
disappearance of entire industries to new locations abroad. It's seen as a major factor
in the economic squeeze on the middle class.
For better and worse, globalization has also increased homogenization.
Starbucks, Nike, and Gap Inc. dominate commercial space in many nations. The
sheer size and reach of the U.S. have made the cultural exchange among nations
largely a one-sided affair.
1. In a way, globalization has contributed towards increasing the gap between
the rich and the poor. Rich and wealthy people are able to exercise more
control over the national resources through the application of science and
technology.
2. The environment has suffered greatly due of globalization. On one hand, the
increase in traffic between countries has polluted the tourist destinations.
On the other hand, the poisonous gases released into the air by large
industries have caused environmental pollution.

3. Globalized business have exploited the natural resources of the earth
beyond the tolerable limit. Some places on earth, which was once rich in
minerals and forests can no longer claim their richness.
4. Globalization tends to make the world a more homogeneous place. As a
result, many communities failed to preserve their old tradition, custom, and
culture. Being attracted by the culture of developed nations, many people in
under-developed nations have shed their traditional dress, food, and rituals.
DISADVANTAGES OF GLOBALIZATION
1. Local businesses, hand-loom industry, Cottage and small-scale industry
suffered a lot due to globalization. The highly specialized and efficient
multi-national companies take advantages of large-scale production and put
products at throwaway prices. The local industries could not compete with
their global counterpart.
2. The global economy is now inter-connected. The economic downfall of one
major economic nation adversely affects the entire global community.
3. Globalization has caused specialization of labor. On one hand, there is an
increase in demand for skilled labors. However, it has caused enough
disadvantages for the unskilled labor group.
4. There are few employment opportunity for unskilled labors in a global
environment.
5. The more technologically advanced countries are able to sell their products
to less-developed countries. Hence, the less developed countries become
dependent upon the superior nations.
6. The adverse effect of globalization is not restricted to financial and
economical imbalance. Last century has witness spread of diseases from
one country to another country. Diseases spread to local places when a
diseased person from a foreign country comes in contact with local
inhabitants.
7. Globalization is responsible for the emergence of large number of multi-
national companies. Very often, it is found that they do not provide good
working condition to the workers. Further, forests have been cut for setting
up large industries. The industrial discharges have widely contributed
towards environmental degradation.
8. Globalization can pressure us to act in a certain way
EXERCISES/DRILLS
GE 102 - THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD
Directions: Read the statement and write True if the statement is correct and
FALSE it the statement is it not.
1. Globalization has contributed towards increasing the gap between the rich
and the poor.
2. Globalization contributes in improving international relations and
friendliness among different nations.
3. Globalization helps us fight illiteracy and promotes education.
4. Globalization is primarily an economic process of interaction and
integration that's associated with social and cultural aspects.
5. Globalization has helped the global community to fight against poverty.
6. International trade and finance have been convoyed by the
internationalization of production of goods and services
7. Globalization is primarily an economic process of interaction and
integration that's associated with social and cultural aspects.
8. Globalization is responsible for the emergence of large number of multi-
national companies.
9. The environment has suffered greatly due of globalization.
10. Globalization has enhanced our knowledge of the world
Part II. Discuss Briefly.
LEARNING ACTIVITY
Why we to need to study globalization?
How Globalized is your Home?
Directions:
Go to your room and do an inventory of everything you have in your
possession. You will find out that the most essential among the “things” in your
room are footwear, clothes, computers (if any), cell phones, television (if possible),
and maybe a radio. If you are a students, you may also notice books, newspapers,
magazines, not to mention school supplies and equipment.
Organize your inventory into two types: first, “things” that are made in the
Philippines and second, those that are of foreign brands. List the countries of origin
of your foreign-brand items.
Do the same thing for the kitchen and the living room. These should
include appliances.
Made in Philippines Foreign Brand

Compare your list with those of foreign countries to determine which
countries make the most household and personal needs you and your family have.
Make similar list for Philippine-made stuff. In the process, discuss why certain
products are made in the Philippines while other are produced abroad.
ADDITIONAL READINGS
 Waters, Malcolm (1995) Globalization (New York: Routledge)
 Lechner Frank J. and John Boli(2000) The Globalization Reader (Malden,
MA : Blackwell)
 Held,David (2000) A Globalizing World?: Culture, Economics, Politics
(ed.) (New York: Routledge in association with the Open University
REFERENCES:
Al-Rhodan, N. R. F (2006) Difinitions of Globalization: A Comprehensive
overview and a proposed definition. Geneva Centre for security Policy.
Schoite, J. A. (2005). Globalization: a Critical introduction. New York: Palgrave
Macmillan
METAPHORS OF GLOBALIZATION
Solids and Liquid
Solid Prior to the current epoch of globalization (and to most observers
there was a previous global epoch), it could be argued that one of the things that
characterized people, things, information, places, and much else was their greater
solidity.
That is, all of them tended to be hard or to harden (metaphorically,
figuratively, not literally, of course) over time and therefore, among other things, to
remain largely in place (and having limited mobility). As a result, people either did
not go anywhere or they did not venture very far from where they were born and
raised; their social relationships were restricted to those who were nearby. Much the
same could be said of most objects (tools, food, and so on) which tended to be used
where they were produced.
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The solidity of most material manifestations of information – stone tablets,
newspapers, magazines, books, and so on – also made them at least somewhat
difficult to move very far.
Furthermore, since people didn’t move very far, neither did information.
Places were not only quite solid and immoveable, but they tended to confront solid
natural (mountains, rivers, oceans) and humanly constructed (walls, gates) barriers
that made it difficult for people and things to exit or to enter.
Above all, solidity describes a world in which barriers exist and are erected
to prevent the free movement of all sorts of things. It was the nation-state that was
most likely to create these “solid” barriers (for example, walls [e.g. the Great Wall of
China; the wall between Israel and the West Bank], border gates and guards), and the
state itself grew increasingly solid as it resisted change. The best example of this
solidity was the erection (beginning in 1961), and maintenance, of the Berlin Wall in
order to keep East Berliners in and Western influences out.
The Wall, to say nothing of East Germany and the Soviet Union, are long
gone and with them many of the most extreme forms of solidity brought into
existence by the Cold War.
Nonetheless, solid structures remain – e.g., the nation-state and its border
and customs controls – and there are ever-present calls for the creation of new, and
new types, of solid structures. Thus, in many parts of Europe there are demands for
more barriers to legal and illegal immigration
Thus, solidity is far from dead in the contemporary world. It is very often
the case that demands for new forms of solidity are the result of increased fluidity.
However, a strong case can, and will, be made that it is fluidity that is more
characteristic of today’s world, especially in terms of globalization.
Of course, people were never so solid that they were totally immobile or
stuck completely in a given place, and this was especially true of the elite members
of any society.
Elites were (and are) better able to move about and that ability increased
with advances in transportation technology. Commodities, especially those created
for elites, also could almost always be moved and they, too, grew more moveable as
technologies advanced.
Information could always travel more easily than goods or people (it could
be spread by word of mouth over great distances even if the originator of the
information could not move very far; it moved even faster as more advanced
communication technologies emerged [telegraph, telephone, the Internet]).

And as other technologies developed (ships, automobiles, airplanes),
people, especially those with the resources, were better able to leave places and get
to others.
LIQUID AND GASSES
However, at an increasing rate over the last few centuries, and especially in
the last several decades, that which once seemed so solid has tended to “melt” and
become increasingly liquid. Instead of thinking of people, objects, information, and
places as being like solid blocks of ice, they need to be seen as tending, in recent
years, to melt and as becoming increasingly liquid.
Solid material realities (people, cargo, newspapers) continue to exist, but
because of a wide range of technological developments (in transportation,
communication, the Internet, and so on) they can move across the globe far more
readily. Everywhere we turn, more things, including ourselves, are becoming
increasingly liquefied. Furthermore, as the process continues, those liquids, as is the
case in the natural world (e.g. ice to water to water vapor), tend to turn into gases of
various types. More metaphorically, much of the information now available virtually
instantly around the world wafts through the air in the form of signals beamed off
satellites. Such signals become news bulletins on our television screens or messages
from our global positioning systems (GPS) letting us know the best route to our
destination.
It should be noted, once again, that all of the terms used above – solids,
liquids, gases – are metaphors – little of the global world is literally a solid, a
liquid, or a gas.
GE 102 - THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD
They are metaphors designed to communicate a sense of fundamental
changes taking place as the process of globalization proceeds.
Karl Marx opened the door to this kind of analysis (and to the use of such
metaphors) when he famously argued that because of the nature of capitalism as an
economic system “everything solid melts into air”. That is,
many of the solid, material realities that preceded capitalism
(e.g. the structures of feudalism) were “melted” by it and were
transformed into liquids
To continue the imagery farther than Marx took it, they
were ultimately transformed into gases that diffused in the
atmosphere. However, while Marx was describing a largely
destructive process, the point here is that the new liquids and
gases that are being created are inherent parts of the new world
and are radically transforming it. In the process, they are having
both constructive and destructive effects. Thus, the perspective
on globalization presented here, is that it involves, above all
else, increasing liquidity (and gaseousness).
Liquidity: Increasing ease of movement of people, things, information, and places in
the global age.
Gaseousness: Hyper-mobility of people, things, information, and places in the global
age.
Liquid phenomena not only move easily, but once they are on the move
they are difficult to stop. This is exemplified in many areas such as foreign trade,
investment, and global financial transactions, the globality of transactions and
interactions on the Internet, and the difficulty in halting the global flow of drugs,
pornography, the activities of organized crime, and illegal immigrants.
FLOWS
Closely related to the idea of liquidity, and integral to it, is another key
concept in thinking about globalization, the idea of flows; after all liquids flow
easily, far more easily than solids.
Flows: movement of people, things, information, and places due, in part, to the
increasing porosity of global barriers
Interconnected flows:
The fact is that global flows do not occur in isolation from one another;
many different flows interconnect at various points and times. Take the example of

the global fish industry. That industry is now dominated by the flows of huge
industrial ships and the massive amount of frozen fish that they produce and which is
distributed throughout the world. In addition, these huge industrial ships are putting
many small fishers out of business and some are using their boats for other kind of
flows (e.g. transporting illegal immigrants from Africa to Europe).
Conflicting flows:
Tran’s planetary processes not only can complement one another, but often
also conflict with one another (and with much else). In fact, it is usually these
conflicting flows that attract the greatest attention
Reverse flows:
In some cases, processes flowing in one direction act back on their source
(and much else). This is what Ulrich Beck has called the boomerang effect. In
Beck’s work the boomerang effect takes the form of, for example, pollution that is
‘‘exported’’ to other parts of the world but then returns to affect the point of origin.
STRUCTURE AND PROCESS
One of the oldest pairs of ideas in the social sciences is structure and
process. It is important to note that these structures and processes can take various
forms of -e.g. economic, political, religious, cultural, and so on.
There was long a tendency among sociologists to focus on structure rather
than process. However, a focus on static structures began to lose favor in mid-
twentieth century social theory. One response was the development of theories that
focused on process instead of structure. When thinking about globalization, it is
important that we privilege process over structure (just as we have privileged flows
over barriers).
Globalization is, above all else, a process, or better a very large number of
interrelated processes. Thinking about globalization in terms of processes (the fluids,
gases, flows, etc.) gives it the kind of dynamism that we all know it has and that
offers profound insights into it and the ways in which it works. Yet, we must not
ignore the role of structures (e.g. nation-states, multi-national corporations) in
globalization
1. First, it is often structures that generate globalization processes.
2. Second, structures often emerge out of the process of globalization.
3. Third, as the process of globalization proceeds, structures are often created
or emerge to expedite globalization.
4. And finally there are those structures that are created to slow, divert, or
even stop the process of globalization
GE 102 - THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD
On the one hand, then, globalization is perhaps best defined by a variety of
social processes, some of them new and some of them in existence for quite some
time, albeit changed and perhaps accelerated in the contemporary era of
globalization. These social processes (which can take a wide variety of forms –
economic, political, cultural, religious, etc.) will occupy center stage throughout the
following dissussion of globalization. However, it is also possible to identify and
focus on important new structures that are an integral part of globalization.
ON THE INCREASING UBIQUITY OF GLOBAL FLOWS AND
PROCESSES AND STRUCTURES
Globalization (especially global flows and structures) is increasingly
ubiquitous. Indeed, our everyday lives have been profoundly affected by this
process. Global flows and structures have become an inescapable part of our
everyday experience.
They are not just flows and structures that are “out there” affecting the
world as a whole. It is not just the largest social structures and processes that are
affected, but also the most personal and intimate parts of our everyday lives, even
our consciousness.
Furthermore, these flows and structures are not seen by most as being
imposed on them against their wills, but rather they are seen as legitimate by most
and are even sought out by them. As a result, they are more welcomed than they
are seen and treated as unwelcome impositions.
Global flows and structures are increasingly taken-for-granted aspects of
the social world. That is, they no longer seem to most to be exotic phenomena or
even open to question, doubt, or debate. This is quite remarkable since the ideas of
global flows and structures, as well as globalization in general, have only been in
general usage since about 1990.
Global flows and structures no longer affect mainly societal elites; they
have descended to the lowest reaches of society. That is not to say that the latter have
benefited equally, or even at all, from the global flows and structures; they may even
have been adversely affected by them, but they have been affected by them.
However, we must not forget the more macro-level aspects of the ubiquity of
globalization. There is, for example, the globalization of social entities, or social
structures, especially cultural and organizational forms including the state and the
multinational corporation. Then there is the globalization of civil society, and of
those social institutions (e.g. Intergovernmental Organizations [IGOs] and
International Non-Governmental Organizations [INGOs]) that occupy a position
between the state and the market and people in society.

Finally, there is the globalization of the transcendental, including the
planet (in terms of climate, hydrosphere, species migration, and diseases without
borders), cosmologies (theories of everything), and religion (e.g. ecumenism,
including the World Council of Churches).
ADDITIONAL READINGS
Compare: "Definition of METAPHOR". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 29
March 2016. [...] a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one
kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy
between them [... .]
REFERENCES
Bauman, Z. (2000). Liquid Modernity, Cambridge:Polity
Ritzer, G. (2015). The Essentials. MA: Wiley-Blackwell
PROCESS QUESTIONS
Direction: Read each questions carefully and discuss briefly.
1. What are advantages and disadvantages of using;
a) Broad and inclusive definitions and
b) Narrow and exclusive definitions of globalization?
2. What do you think is the importance of defining globalization?
3. Do you agree with the idea that the contemporary world is characterized by
highly liquidity? Why or why not?
LEARNING ACTIVITY
The World Made Closer
Direction:
In this activity, you are to see the actual application of globalization on the
different aspects of daily life such as politics, music, sports, film, celebrity, and
disaster.
1. Answer the following questions:
a) Enumerate at least three of the most recent songs you have
listened. Where did they originate? Identify the nationality of the
writer and/or artist for each music.
b) What gadget or device do you usually use to listen to music?
GE 102 - THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD
c) Where were these gadget or device made? Where is the company
based?
d) How did you access these music? Did you purchased them online
or listen to them through YouTube, Sportify, and other music
channels?
2. Using a visual representation create your generalizations and discuss: What
is globalization? How would you define globalization?
3. What metaphors are you going to use in order to improve your own
definition of globalization? Enumerate at least three and explain one of
them.
GLOBALIZATION THEORIES
Homogeneity refers to the increasing sameness in the world as cultural
inputs, economic factors, and political orientations of societies expand to create
common practice, same economies, and similar forms of government. Homogeneity
in culture is often linked to cultural imperialism. This means, a given culture
influences other cultures. In terms of the economy, there is recognition of the spread
of neoliberalism, capitalism, and the market economy in the world (Antonio, 2007).
Global economy crises are also product of homogeneity in economic globalization.
Stiglitz (2002), for instance, blamed the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for its
‘one size fits all” approach which treats every country in the world as the same. In
the end, rich countries become advantageous in the world economy at the expense of
the poor countries; which leads to increased inequality among nations. The political
realm also suffers homogenization if one takes into account the emerging similar
models of governance in the world. Barber (1995) said that “McWorld” is existing, it
means only one political orientation is growing in today’s societies.
The global flow of media is often characterized as media imperialism, TV,
music, books, and movies are perceived as imposed on developing countries by the
West (Cowen, 2002). Media imperialism undermines the existence of alternative
global media originating from developing countries, such as the Al Jazeera (Bielsa,
2008) a Bollywood (Larkin, 2003), as well as the influence of the local and regional
media. The internet can be seen as an arena for alternative media. Cultural
imperialism denies the agency of viewers, but people around the world often
interpret the same medium in significantly different ways. Global media are
dominated by a small number of large corporations. As McChesney (1995) put it,
this is being “extended from old media to new media, such as Microsoft, Facebook,
twitter, Google, and apple’s iTunes.
Ritzer (2008) claimed that, in general, the contemporary world is
undergoing the process of McDonaldization. It is the process by which Western

societies are dominated by the principles of fast food restaurants. McDonalization
involves the global spread of rational system, such as efficiency, calculability,
predictability and control. Ritzer (2008) pointed out this process is “extended to
other businesses, sectors and geographic areas”.
On the other hand, heterogeneity pertains to the creation of various cultural
practices, new economies and political groups because of the interaction of elements
from different societies in the world. Heterogeneity refers to the difference because
of their lasting differences or of the hybrids or combination of cultures that can be
produced through the different Trans planetary processes. Contrary to the culture
imperialism, heterogeneity in culture is associated with cultural hybridization. A
more specific concept is “glocalization” coined by Roland Robertson in 1992. To
him, as global forces interact with local factors or a specific geographic area, the
“glocal” is being produced. Economic issues are not exempted from heterogeneity.
The commodification of cultures and “gloca” market are examples of differentiation
happening in many economies around the world. The same goes with political
institutions. Barter (1995) also provided the alternate of “McWorld”- the “Jihad.”. As
Ritzer (2008) mentioned, it to the political groups that are engaged in an
“intensification of nationalism and that leads to greater political heterogeneity
throughout the world.
GLOBALIZATION AND REGIONALIZATION
Along with globalization many regional blocs are coming up in various part
of the world such as EU, NAFTA, OPEC, ASEAN, etc. The spread of regional
arrangement will present both opportunities and threats to a liberal trade and
investment order. If they entrench market-oriented institutions within their member,
these arrangements would become building blocks for a more integrated global
economy.
On the other hand, extra-regional trade and investment flows could well be
sensitive not only to any new trade barriers these arrangements may erect, but also to
their rules of origin and right of establishment. If formulated in protectionist manner,
these measures would divert trade and investment and damage outsiders (Lawrence,
1997; Gestrin and Rugman, 1994).
Developing countries which join major regional arrangements will become
more attractive features for foreign investors, but their participation will typically
require:
i. Providing reciprocal access for developed country goods, services
and investment;
GE 102 - THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD
ii. Moving more closely towards developed country regulatory
standards; and
iii. Reducing structurally distorting industrial and related polices
(Lawrence, 1997).
iv. However, “developing countries excluded from such arrangements
could face investment and trade diversion, particularly if regions
move in a protectionist direction” (Katseli, 1992). According to
Thomson, “regional integration within a general liberalization of
trade can play a strong role in stimulating investment into and,
more important, within each region. By creating large, more open
markets, regional integration may also have additional advantage
of restraining any monopolistic tendencies on the part of investing
firms. This competitive pressure, in turn, enhances the potential
spill-overs from FDI. Enhanced spill-over effects should be one of
the most important aims of any policy, and policy and certainly
more significant than simply attracting footloose firms” (Thomson,
1997).
As stated already, globalization, regionalization and nationalization should
accommodate each other with equilibrium forces along with economic and social
development rather than excluding one for the other with the objectives of social
transformation and development in context of globalization.
PROCESS QUESTIONS
Direction. Read each questions carefully and discuss briefly.
1. Are societies in the world becoming more similar (homogenous) or more
different (heterogeneous)?
2. What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of
homogenizations of culture? How about heterogenization?
ADDITIONAL READINGS
 Explanation of the technology along with theories on how the
homogenization mechanism actually works.
REFERENCES
Robertson, R. (1992).Globalization: Social Theory and global culture. London:
Sage.
 GE 102 - THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD
Seers, D. (1981), Dependency Theory: A critical reassessment. London, Printer. a) A term used to describe the removal of borders for the international
expansion of markets
Palma, G. (1978). Dependency: A formal theory of underdevelopment or a
b) Globalisation is a term given to the global warming and changes in
methodology. For the analysis of concrete situations underdevelopment? World
the atmosphere
Development, 6.
c) Globalisation is how we can live on the earth
Appadurai, A., 1996, Modernity At Large: Cultural Dimensions of Globalization 9. What are the different components of Globalization? _______________
Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press a) Market, equipment, life, peace
b) Rules, market, equipment, participants
LEARNING ACTIVITY
c) Order, melancholy, rules, participants
What Do Writer Think About Globalization d) Life, order, rules, pedestrians
10. The development of _______________ has played a major role in
Direction. Read carefully and discuss briefly
Globalization
In this activity, look for and read three newspaper opinion editorials (Op- 11. TNCs have grown to dominate world markets. __________________
eds) discussing globalization. You may use local or international op-eds. write a 50- a) True
word summary for ep-ed. Identify whether they subscribe to a particular definition. b) False
Also identify whether they are broad and inclusive or narrow and exclusive. 12. What/ who is the impact of globalization? ________________________
TEST YOURSLEF a) Councils, government, individuals, homeless
b) The poor, the homeless, individuals, merchants
Questions and Answer c) Government, parliament, celebrity, the wealthy
Direction: d) National, global, individuals, local
13. Ninety- nine percent of _________________ bags are counterfeit.
A. Read each questions carefully and discuss briefly. 14. Globalization has resulted in ___________________.
B. Encircle the letter of the best answer, write your answer in the 15. Globalization favors the poor and desperate people.
space provided. a) True
b) False.
1. Based on the different definitions of globalization, Where do you think 16. _____________ is the process of increase in connections between different
globalization begin? Is globalization makes our lives better? How do you parts of the world.
define globalization? a) World Bank
2. Explain how globalization has changed over the last few decades and what b) Globalization
has fuelled this change? c) Glocalization
3. Outline some of the benefits to increased globalization. 17. Increased communications between societies around the world has named
4. Explain what it is called when countries specialize in producing certain this world as ______________________.
products? a) Global village
5. Identify what is credited with improving cross-border trade efficiency? b) Village
6. Explain how the Internet has made it easier to do business across borders c) Worldwide web
7. Describe the growth factor associated with large companies doing business 18. The creation of Modern globalized world is due to_____________.
in multiple countries. a) Fast communication via mobile and internet
8. The process of globalization: What is Globalization? b) Movement of goods, people and information around the globe by
air, land and sea
 GE 102 - THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD
c) Large companies operating in different countries
d) sharing of information
19. MNC’S stand for _______________
a) Multi narcotics cooperation
b) Many nations council
c) Multinational companies
20. ____________ allows people to travel, get information and communicate
with each other over long distances easily
a) Modern technology
b) World wide fund
c) Modern techniques
21. Due to globalization the world has grown ___________
a) Bigger
b) Better
c) Smaller
22. Globalization has positive effects on a country_____________________.
a) Improving standards of education and health
b) Getting variety of quality manufactured items
c) Local manufacturers
d) Find more markets for its goods in overseas
23. Globalization has negative effects on a country.______________________
a) Less employment in developed countries
b) Increased air, land and water pollution in developing countries
c) MNC’S gain power in a country and influence decisions
d) Profits made by a MNC’s are given to the country where factory is
located
24. Modern methods of ____________ and ____________ have brought us all
closer.
a) Transport, communication
b) Teaching, cooking
c) Boats, phones
25. _____________ is a study which helps to understand the modern world
a) History
b) Geography
c) Astronomy