POLI 441

POLITICAL ECONOMY OF AFRICA’S

DEVELOPMENT SINCE INDEPENDENCE
SESSION 10 : GLOBALIZATION AND AFRICA’S
DEVELOPMENT II
Lecturer: Dr. Seidu Alidu
Contact Information: smalidu@ug.edu.gh /seidualidu@gmail.com
 

College of Education
School of Continuing and Distance Education
2014/2015 – 2016/2017
 Session Overview
Sequel to the discussion done in session 9,
session 10 will look at practical examples of
the theoretical discussions explored in the
previous session.

It will practically explore the relevance of the

conceptualization, typologies and nature of
the concept on Africa. It will draw up a balance
sheet, literally, of the achievements and
challenges of the concept of globalization to
Africa’s policy formulation and development.
02/08/23 Slide 2
Lecturer: Dr. Seidu Alidu
 Session Outline

The key topics to be covered in this session are:

•Topic 1: GLOBALIZING AND A GLOBALIZED ECONOMY

•Topic 2: MERITS OF GLOBALIZATION

•Topic 3: DEMERITS OF GLOBALIZATION

•Topic 4: DEVELOPMENTAL IMPLICATION

Lecturer Dr. Seidu Alidu 02/08/23 Slide 3

 Reading materials
• Wolf, M. (2004) Why Globalization Works, New Haven: Yale University Press (Chp.
2, What Liberal Globalization Means, pp. 13 – 22; Chp.7, Globalization in the Long
Run, pp. 96 – 105)
 
• Stiglitz, J. E. (2002) Globalization and its Discontents, New York: W.W. Norton and
Company (Chp. 9, The Way Ahead, pp. 214 – 252)
 
• Wade, R. (2005) “Globalization, Poverty and Inequality” in Ravenhill, J. (ed) Global
Political Economy, Oxford: Oxford University Press

• Boafo-Arthur, K. (2003) “Tackling Africa’s Developmental Dilemmas: Is Globalization

the Answer?” Journal of Third World Studies, Vol. XX, No. 1, Spring, pp. 27 – 54

Lecturer: Dr. Seidu Alidu 02/08/23 Slide 4

 Learning objectives
At the end of the session, students should be able to:

• Understand the concept of globalization

• Recall the types of globalization and their manifestations
• Appreciate the theoretical assumptions of underlying the
concept
• Become familiar with the drivers of globalization and
their forms
• Appreciate the role and contribution of globalization to
Africa’s development

Lecturer: Dr. Seidu Alidu 02/08/23 Slide 5

 Topic one
GLOBALIZING AND GLOBALIZED ECONOMY

Lecturer: Dr. Seidu Alidu 02/08/23 Slide 6

 GLOBALIZING AND A GLOBALIZED ECONOMY

Academics, among them Gilpin (2001), Hirst and

Thompson (1999), Garrett (2000) Scholte
(2000) and Giddens (1990), distinguish
between:
– globalizing world economy and
– a globalized world economy

in relation to globalization as a process or an

outcome.
Lecturer: Dr. Seidu Alidu 02/08/23 Slide 7
 GLOBALIZING AND A GLOBALIZED ECONOMY

The distinction between “becoming” and

“being” reflects globalization as a historical
process and globalism as the resulting
condition at any particular historical moment.

Globalization as an evolving concept has

economic, political, social, cultural, religious
and security implications to Africa’s
development
Lecturer: Dr. Seidu Alidu 02/08/23 Slide 8
 Topic Two

MERITS OF GLOBALIZATION

Lecturer: Dr. Seidu Alidu 02/08/23 Slide 9

 MERITS OF GLOBALIZATION
• Guarantees multilateralism of decision making
at the global level through political unions and
institutions
• Promotes democracy by removing illiberal and
undemocratic regimes
• Regulating market, business and international
trade at the global level
• Increasing interconnectedness at all levels of
human endeavour
Lecturer: Dr. Seidu Alidu 02/08/23 Slide 10
 MERITS OF GLOBALIZATION
• Increasing cultural and religious acceptability
through global travel and tolerance

• Instilling global norms, ethics and citizenship

• Fighting global wars, fundamentalisms and

increasing global cooperation

Lecturer: Dr. Seidu Alidu 02/08/23 Slide 11

 Topic Three

DEMERITS OF GLOBALIZATION

Lecturer: Dr. Seidu Alidu 02/08/23 Slide 12

 DEMERITS OF GLOBALIZATION
• Destroys the ability of states to regulate their national
economies, raise taxes and spend money on public
goods and social welfare
• Undermines democracy by imposing the rule of
unaccountable bureaucrats, markets and predatory
private corporations
• Caused mass destitution and increased inequality
within and between states
• Destroys the livelihood of peasant farmers
• Deprives the poor of affordable medicine
Lecturer: Dr. Seidu Alidu 02/08/23 Slide 13
 DEMERITS OF GLOBALIZATION

• Lowering real wages and labour standards and

increasing economic insecurity worldwide
• It enshrines greed and motive-force of human
behavior
• Destroys the environment, eliminating species
and harming animal welfare
• Destroys the variety of human culture

Lecturer: Dr. Seidu Alidu 02/08/23 Slide 14

 Topic Four

DEVELOPMENTAL IMPLICATION

Lecturer Dr. Seidu Alidu 02/08/23 Slide 15

DEVELOPMENTAL IMPLICATION

– The role of colonialism in political balkanization

and economic stagnation of the continent
– Neo-colonialism and Africa’s development
– The role of giant multi-national co-operations in
Africa’s globalization process
– Is globalization a new mechanization for the
continued exploitation of Africa?

Lecturer: Dr. Seidu Alidu 02/08/23 Slide 16

 References
• Wolf, M. (2004) Why Globalization Works, New Haven: Yale University Press (Chp.
2, What Liberal Globalization Means, pp. 13 – 22; Chp.7, Globalization in the Long
Run, pp. 96 – 105)
 
• Stiglitz, J. E. (2002) Globalization and its Discontents, New York: W.W. Norton and
Company (Chp. 9, The Way Ahead, pp. 214 – 252)
 
• Wade, R. (2005) “Globalization, Poverty and Inequality” in Ravenhill, J. (ed) Global
Political Economy, Oxford: Oxford University Press

• Boafo-Arthur, K. (2003) “Tackling Africa’s Developmental Dilemmas: Is Globalization

the Answer?” Journal of Third World Studies, Vol. XX, No. 1, Spring, pp. 27 – 54

Lecturer: Dr. Seidu Alidu 02/08/23 Slide 17