LESSON 1 Understanding Globalization
Defining Globalization
What is Globalization?
In the advent of technologies, we see the growth on
transports and communications. This means, people
and countries can exchange information and goods
in an easy way, this process is called
“globalization”.
Globalization represents the global integration of
international trade, investment, information
technology and cultures. Government policies
designed to open economies domestically and
internationally to boost development in poorer
countries and raise standards of living for their
people are what drive globalization.
1.Accountability
2.Terrorism
3.Shrinking World
4.Technology
5.Free Trade
6.Monopoly
7.Capitalism
8.Communication
9.Recognition
10.Exploitation
In our world history, they introduced around
centuries the idea of concept of globalization;
traders explore to buy rare commodities such as
salt, spices and gold, which they would then sell in
their home countries. The 19th century Industrial
Revolution brought advances in communication and
transportation that have removed borders and
increased cross-border trade. The Silk Road, when
trade spread rapidly between China and Europe via
an overland route.
According to the World Health Organization
(WHO), globalization can be defined as “the
increased interconnectedness and interdependence
of peoples and countries. It is generally understood
to include two inter-related elements: the opening
of international borders to increasingly fast flows of
goods, services, finance, people and ideas; and the
changes in institutions and policies at national and
international levels that facilitate or promote such
flows.”
Moreover, Thomas Friedman defined globalization
as “the inexorable integration of markets,
transportation systems, and communication systems
to a degree never witnessed before - in a way that is
enabling corporations, countries, and individuals to
reach around the world farther, faster, deeper, and
cheaper than ever before.
For the Committee for Development Policy (a
subsidiary body of the United Nations
Organization), globalization from an economic
point of view can be defined as:
“(…) the increasing interdependence of world
economies as a result of the growing scale of cross-
border trade of commodities and services, the flow
of international capital and the wide and rapid
spread of technologies. It reflects the continuing
expansion and mutual integration of market
frontiers (…) and the rapid growing significance of
information in all types of productive activities and
marketization are the two major driving forces for
economic globalization.”
In simple economic concept, the flow of products
and services with few barriers in the integration of
market, investment and trade between nations. At
some point, culture is also assimilated and trade as
they exchange ideas and traditions. The spread of
Korean pop culture across the world will advance
the exchange of ideas, art, language and music like
other millennials experiencing nowadays are some
of the best example.
Manfred Steger gave the best academic explanation
of globalization when he described it as "the
expansion and intensification of social relations and
consciousness across world-time and world-space."¹
Expansion refers to “both the creation of new social
networks and multiplication of existing connections
that cut across traditional political, economic,
cultural, and geographic boundaries.”² These
different connections happen at different levels. For
example, social media and other new technologies
have made it easier for people to connect with each
other around the world, while international non-
governmental organizations (NGOs) are networks
that bring together social workers and activists from
all over the world.³
Intensification refers to the expansion, stretching,
and acceleration of these networks.4 Not only are
global connections multiplying, but they are also
becoming more closely-knit and expanding their
reach. For example, there has always been a strong
financial market connecting London and New York.
With the advent of electronic trading, however, the
volume of that trade increases exponentially, since
traders can now trade more at higher speeds. The
connection is thus accelerating. Apart from this
acceleration, however, as the world becomes more
financially integrated, the intensified trading
network between London and New York may
expand and stretch to cover more and more cities.
After China committed itself to the global economy
in the 1980‟s, for example, Shanghai steadily
returned to its old role as a major trading post.5
The final attribute of this definition relates to the
way people perceive time and space. Steger notes
that “globalization processes do not occur merely at
an objective, material level but they also involve the
subjective plane of human consciousness.6 In other
works, people begin to feel that the world has
become a smaller place and distance has collapsed
from thousands of miles to just a mouse-click away.
People can now email a friend in another country
and get a reply right away, making the distance
between them seem less important. Because of
cable TV and the internet, people have a better
understanding of what is going on in other parts of
the world.
Manfred further differentiated globalization,
globality and globalism. While globalization is a
process, globality signifies a future social condition
characterized by thick economic, political and
cultural interconnections and global flows that
make currently existing political borders and
economic barriers irrelevant. On the other hand,
globalism means globalization as an ideology
reflecting shared ideas, norms, values accepted as
truth. He adds that there are three kinds of
globalism namely:
Market globalism advocates promise a consumerist,
neoliberal, free-market world. This ideology is held
by many powerful individuals, who claim it
transmits democracy and benefits everyone.
However, it also reinforces inequality, and can be
politically motivated.
Justice globalism envisages a global civil society
with fairer relationships and environmental
safeguards. They disagree with market globalists
who view neoliberalism as the only way.
Religious globalism strives for a global religious
community with superiority over secular structures.
Globalization from the Ground Up
Large, interconnected processes can be perplexing.
Indeed, globalization is dispersed and transitory,
making it difficult to judge or comment on. Some
researchers avoid discussing globalization in its
entirety. Instead, they want to discuss "multiple
globalizations."
Arjun Appadurai an anthropologist believed that
different kinds of globalization occur on multiple
and intersecting dimensions of integration that he
calls “scapes.”
An “enthnoscape”, for example, refers to the global
movement of people, while a
“mediascape” is about the flow of culture.
A “technoscape” refers to the circulation of
mechanical goods and software;
a “finanscape” denotes the global circulation of
money; and
an “ideoscape” is the realm where political ideas
move around.
Although they intersect, these various scapes have
differing logics. They are thus distinct windows
into the broader phenomenon of globalization.
Appuradai‟s argument is simple: there are multiple
globalizations. Depending on what is being
globalized, a different dynamic (or dynamics) may
emerge. So while it is important to ask “What is
globalization?” it is likewise important to ask
“What is/are being globalized?” Depending on what
is being globalized, the vista and conclusions
change.
The term globalization has been defined in many
ways and in various aspects, but one thing that
makes them all similar in concept is the idea of
being connected with one another closer and faster
than ever before.
How Do We Make Globalization More Just?
The ability of countries to rise above narrow self-
interest has brought unprecedented economic
wealth and plenty of applicable scientific progress.
However, for different reasons, not everyone has
been benefiting the same from globalization and
technological change: wealth is unfairly distributed
and economic growth came at huge environmental
costs. How can countries rise above narrow self-
interest and act together or designing fairer societies
and a healthier planet? How do we make
globalization more just?
According to Christine Lagarde, former President
of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), “debates
about trade and access to foreign goods are as old
as society itself ” and history tells us that closing
borders or protectionism policies are not the way to
go, as many countries doing it have failed.
Lagarde defends we should pursue globalization
policies that extend the benefits of openness and
integration while alleviating their side effects. How
to make globalization more just is a very complex
question that involves redesigning economic
systems. But how? That‟s the question.
Globalization is deeply connected with economic
systems and markets, which, on their turn, impact
and are impacted by social issues, cultural factors
that are hard to overcome, regional specificity,
timings of action and collaborative networks. All of
this requires, on one hand, global consensus and
cooperation, and on the other, country-specific
solutions, apart from a good definition of the
adjective “just”.