Globalization: Definition, History and Impacts

GLOBALIZATION: WHAT EXACTLY IS GLOBALIZATION? THIS QUESTION IS PROBABLY AN EASY ONE TO ANSWER BUT MANY SCHOLARS GAVE AND TRIED TO FORMULATE ITS DEFINITION. THIS RESULTED IN DIFFERENT SOMETIMES CONTRADICTING VIEWS ABOUT THE CONCEPT. IT CANNOT BE CONTAINED WITHIN A SPECIFIC TIME FRAME, ALL PEO...

GLOBALIZATION: WHAT EXACTLY IS GLOBALIZATION? THIS QUESTION IS PROBABLY AN EASY ONE TO ANSWER BUT MANY SCHOLARS GAVE AND TRIED TO FORMULATE ITS DEFINITION. THIS RESULTED IN DIFFERENT SOMETIMES CONTRADICTING VIEWS ABOUT THE CONCEPT. IT CANNOT BE CONTAINED WITHIN A SPECIFIC TIME FRAME, ALL PEOPLE AND ALL SITUATIONS. IN FACT, THERE ARE 114 DEFINITIONS OF GLOBALIZATION BASED ON THE GENEVA CENTER FOR SECURITY POLICY (2006). OVERALL, GLOBALIZATION IS A CONCEPT THAT IS NOT EASY TO DEFINE BECAUSE IN REALITY, GLOBALIZATION HAS A SHIFTING NATURE. IT IS COMPLEX, MULTI-FACETED, AND CAN BE INFLUENCED BY THE PEOPLE DEFINING IT.  GLOBALIZATION: GLOBALIZATION IS ALSO DEFINED DIFFERENTLY DEPENDING ON SOMEONE ELSE’S EXPERTISE, EXPERIENCE AND PERSPECTIVE. FOR A POLITICAL SCIENTIST – GLOBALIZATION SERVES AS A CHALLENGE TO NATION-STATES. FOR AN ECONOMIST – GLOBALIZATION MEANS INCREASE OF FREE TRADE, SPEED OF TRADE GLOBAL ECONOMIC ORGANIZATION AND REGIONAL TRADE BLOCKS. FOR CULTURE AND COMMUNICATIONS EXPERTS- GLOBALIZATION REFERS TO THE CONCEPT OF A GLOBAL VILLAGE. THROUGH GLOBALIZATION, THE WORLD BECOMES BORDERLESS WORLD.  GLOBALIZATION: STEGER (2014) BELIEVES THAT: FIRST, GLOBALIZATION IS ABOUT THE LIBERALIZATION AND GLOBAL INTEGRATION OF MARKETS SECOND, GLOBALIZATION IS INEVITABLE AND IRREVERSIBLE THIRD, NOBODY IS IN CHARGE OF GLOBALIZATION FOURTH, GLOBALIZATION BENEFITS EVERYONE FIFTH, GLOBALIZATION FURTHERS THE SPREAD OF DEMOCRACY IN THE WORLD  ASPECTS OF GLOBALIZATION  Industrial Globalization- development of worldwide production markets and broader access to a range of foreign products for consumers and companies involving particularly movement of material and goods between and within national boundaries.  Financial Globalization - development of worldwide financial markets and better access to external financing for borrowers.  Economic Globalization - establishment of a global common market, based on the freedom of exchange of goods and capital.  ASPECTS OF GLOBALIZATION  Political globalization - creation of international organizations to regulate the relationships among governments and to guarantee the rights arising from social and economic globalization.  Informational globalization – increase in information flows between geographically remote locations.  Cultural globalization - sharing of ideas, attitudes and values across national borders. This sharing generally leads to an interconnectedness and interaction between peoples of diverse cultures and ways of life. Mass media and communication technologies are the primary instruments for cultural globalization.  FIVE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES ON THE ORIGINS AND HISTORY OF GLOBALIZATION 1. Hardwired -One can trace the beginning of globalization from our ancestors in Africa who walked out from the said continent in the late Ice Age. This long journey finally led them to all known continents today, roughly after 50,000 years. 2. Cycles-For some, globalization is a long-term cyclical process and thus, finding its origin will be a daunting task. There is the notion that this point of globalization will soon disappear and reappear.  FIVE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES ON THE ORIGINS AND HISTORY OF GLOBALIZATION 3. Epoch-According to Therborn (2000) there are six great epochs of globalization which are also called waves. The following are the sequential occurrence of the epochs: 1. Globalization of Religion (4th to 7th century) 2. European Colonial Conquests (late 15th century) 3. Intra-European Wars (late 18th to early 19th century) 4. Heyday of European Imperialism (mid 19th century) 5. Post-World War II period 6. Post-Cold War period  FIVE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES ON THE ORIGINS AND HISTORY OF GLOBALIZATION. 4. Events Specific events are also considered as part of the 4th view in explaining the origin of globalization.  Gibbon (1998) argued that Roman conquests centuries before Christ were its origin  Economist Magazine (Jan. 2006) considered the rampage of the armies of Genghis Khan into Eastern Europe in the 13th century.  Rosenthal (2007) gave premium to voyages of discovery like discovery of Christopher Columbus of America 1492, Vasco De Gama in Cape of Good Hope in 1498 and Ferdinand Magellan’s completed circumnavigation of the globe in 1522.  Recent years with reference to specific technological advances in transportation and communication like 1st transatlantic telephone cable (1956), 1st transatlantic television broadcasts (1962), the founding of internet in 1988 and the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in New York (2001).  FIVE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES ON THE ORIGINS AND HISTORY OF GLOBALIZATION 5. Broader, More Recent Changes These broad changes happened in the last half of the 20th century. Scholars today point to the three notable changes as the origin of globalization that we know today such as: 1. The emergence of the United States as the global power (post-World War II) 2. The emergence of Multinational Corporations (MNCs) 3. The demise of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War  GLOBALIZATION: POSITIVE / ADVANTAGES NEGATIVE / DISADVANTAGES  POSITIVE / ADVANTAGES  PEACEFUL RELATIONS  COMMUNICATION  CULTURAL INTERCHANGE  TRANSPORTATION  EMPLOYMENT  GDP INCREASE  EDUCATION  FREE TRADE  PRODUCT QUALITY  TRAVEL AND TOURISM  CHEAPER PRICE  EXTERNAL BORROWING  NEGATIVE / DISADVANTAGES  HEALTH ISSUES  CUT-THROAT COMPETITION  LOSS OF CULTURE  UNEVEN WEALTH DISTRIBUTION  ENVIRONMENT DEGRADATION  DISPARITY  CONFLICTS THE QUESTION IS… ARE READY? YOU