Understanding Globalization

Globalization Definition

• Expansion and intensification of social relations and consciousness across world time and space.
• Complex, interrelated processes where relationships and organizations increasingly spread across the world.
• Transplanetary process involving flows of people, objects, places, and information.

Understanding Globalization

• Shaped by the definer's perspective, acting as a unifying force but also creating inequalities.
• An ongoing reality that individuals participate in, whether they acknowledge it or not.
• Requires an interdisciplinary approach to understand its social, economic, political, and cultural processes.

Characteristics of Globalization

• Exhibited through various forms of connectivity.
• Expansion and stretching of social relations.
• Intensification of social exchanges and activities.
• Experienced subjectively.

Forms of Connectivity

• Economic connectivity exemplified by trade between ASEAN members like the Philippines and Vietnam.
• Social connectivity includes friendships or courtship transcending world space and time via social media.

Expansion of Social Relations

• Globalization helps relationships grow and cross borders.
• Migrante International is a global alliance of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families.

Intensification and Acceleration of Social Exchanges

• Evidenced by instant online messaging replacing slower, handwritten letters.

Subjectivity of Globalization

• Affects how individuals perceive and respond to global issues.

Pros of Globalization

• Innovation spurred by fresh ideas internationally.
• Exports can lead to higher-paying jobs.

Cons of Globalization

• Exploitation of underdeveloped countries.
• Widening of the wealth gap.
• Negative impacts on small industries and businesses.

Globalization Theories

• Homogeneity and Heterogeneity.

Dynamics of Local and Global Culture

• Cultural Differentialism
• Cultural Hybridization
• Cultural Convergence
• Cultural Imperialism

Homogeneity

• Increasing sameness globally through shared cultural inputs, economic factors, and political orientations.

Cultural Imperialism

• Influence of a given culture on others, potentially destroying parts of the recipient culture.
• Christianity, with over 2.2 billion followers, is an example of cultural imperialism.
• Americanization is the import of American products, images, technologies, and behaviors by non-Americans.

Cultural Convergence

• Nations becoming more similar over time through interaction, exchanges, and globalization, often voluntarily.
• Filipinos selling Korean-inspired corn dogs due to the popularity of Korean food trends.

Heterogeneity

• Creation of diverse cultural practices, economies, and political groups through the interaction of different societies.

Cultural Hybridization

• Combinations of cultures, integrating local and global aspects.
• Filipino Spaghetti and "Taglish" (Tagalog + English) are examples.

Cultural Differentialism

• Cultures remain fundamentally different and resist blending or changing, even when interacting, exemplified by Hangul (Korean writing system).

State Definition

• Politically organized community within a definite territory under an independent government, free from outside control.

Elements of a State

• People
• Territory
• Government
• Sovereignty

People

• Inhabitants of the state, essential for governance.
• Ideally, the population should be appropriately sized for effective governance and self-sufficiency.

Territory

• Area where the state's laws and authority apply, extending beyond physical land.
• Includes fluvial and maritime domains (rivers, lakes, coastal waters) and aerial domain (airspace).

Government

• Refers to the person/s with the function of political control/administration.
• The agency that carries out the will of the state.

Sovereignty

• Supreme power of the state to command and enforce obedience.
• Divided into internal sovereignty (authority over its own people and resources) and external sovereignty (independence from control by other countries).

Nation

• A community of people united by shared history, culture, language, religion, and/or homeland.
• May consist of different states (e.g., Arab Nation) or be composed of several nations (e.g., English Nation).

Global Interstate System

• A system of competing and allying states structured politically; states interact.

Institutions Governing International Relations

• The United Nations (UN) with 192 member states, facilitates global governance.
• Regional commissions work to create laws that promulgate certain rights for economic and social development.

World Trade Organization (WTO)

• Operates a global system of trade rules and acts as a forum for trade agreements.
• Settles trade disputes, supports developing countries, and funds assistance programs.

World Health Organization (WHO)

• Directs and coordinates international health, with the Philippines as an active member and home to a regional office.

World Systems Theory on Division of Labor

• Wallerstein's theory describes a multicultural division of labor essential for everyday life.

Core Countries

• High-income nations with significant global power, exploiting peripheral countries for cheap labor and raw materials.

Semi-Periphery

• Middle-income countries that improve their global position; can exploit peripheral countries.

Periphery

• Countries with mining, forestry, agriculture, less power, poor education, and low wages; export raw materials to the core.

Globalism

• Belief in free movement of people, goods, and information across borders, leading to greater global interconnectedness.

Internationalism

• Advocates cooperation among states while respecting national sovereignty.

Globalism (Economics)

• Trade with almost no restrictions, large businesses operate in many countries.

Internationalism (Economics)

• Countries limit trade to protect industries

Globalism (Culture)

• Blending of cultures sometimes leading to the disappearance of traditions.

Internationalism (Culture)

• Sharing cultural traditions while maintaining unique identities.

Rice Tariffication Law

• Republic Act (RA) 11203 amends the Agricultural Tariffication Act of 1996, replacing quantitative restrictions on rice imports with tariffs.
• Shifts to tariffs to address higher prices from limited supply and generate revenue for development projects.

Definition of Global Economy

• Increasing interdependence of world economies through cross-border trade, capital flow, and technologies.

Protectionism

• Government intervention in foreign trade, aiming to encourage domestic production.
• Often involves quotas and tariffs.

Trade Liberalization

• Reducing barriers to trade such as tariffs and quotas among countries.
• Designed to reduce the cost of goods, potentially benefiting stronger economies while disadvantaging weaker ones.

Tariffs

• Required fees on imports or exports.

Silk Road

• Ancient network spanning from China to the Middle East and Europe, used for trade extensively until its closure by the Ottoman Empire in 1453 BCE.

Mercantilism

• European economic system from the 16th to 18th centuries focused on exporting more than importing, accumulating wealth, mainly in gold and silver.

Economic Crisis into Social Crisis

• In capitalist societies, economic crises can lead to worker's revolution, where government authority is questioned, resulting in demonstrations, protests, and transformed into social crises.

Great Depression

• The world's worst and longest recession, lasting from 1920s - 1930s.

Market Integration

• Describes how prices of related goods and services sold in a specific area begin to follow similar patterns.

Horizontal Integration

• Companies in the same industry merge or acquire each other to reduce competition and grow bigger.

Vertical Integration

• A company controls multiple steps of production from raw materials to selling the final product

Conglomeration

• A company owns different businesses that are not related to each other.

Mergers

• Joining of two similar sized companies to make one joint entity

Aquisitions

• The purchase of another company

Internal Expansion

• A strategy businesses use to grow organically, focusing on enhancing existing operations, products, and markets.

Global North (Countries)

• Wealthier, industrialized countries that have more influence on economics and politics.
• Located in North America, Europe, and parts of East Asia.

Global South (Countries)

• Developing countries that are less wealthy and have less influence on economics and politics.
• Located in Africa, Latin America, and South Asia

Characteristics of the Global North

• High economics
• Advanced technology
• Stable politics

Characteristics of the Global South

• Reliant on agriculture for income
• Lack access to healthcare and education

Causes of the Global North-South Divide

• Colonialism and unequal trade relationships continue the exploitation the South by the North
• Legacy of exploitation

Gap Issues of the Global North-South Divide

• Oversimplification and stereotypes perpetuates global inequality