GLOBALISATION - 1st Lesson

Globalisation refers to increasing global connectivity, integration and interdependence in the economic, social, technological, cultural, political, and ecological spheres. Globalization is an umbrella term and is perhaps best understood as a unitary process inclusive of many sub-processes (such as enhanced economic interdependence, increased cultural influence, rapid advances of information technology, and novel governance and geopolitical challenges) that are increasingly binding people and the biosphere more tightly into one global system.

There are several definitions and all usually mention the increasing connectivity of economies and ways of life across the world. The Encyclopedia Britannica says that globalization is the "process by which the experience of everyday life ... is becoming standardized around the world." While some scholars and observers of globalization stress convergence of patterns of production and consumption and a resulting homogenization of culture, others stress that globalization has the potential to take many diverse forms.

In economics, globalization is the convergence of prices, products, wages, rates of interest and profits towards developed country norms. Globalization of the economy depends on the role of human migration, international trade, movement of capital, and integration of financial markets. The International Monetary Fund notes the growing economic interdependence of countries worldwide through increasing volume and variety of cross-border transactions, free international capital flows, and more rapid and widespread diffusion of technology. Theodore Levitt is usually credited with globalization's first use in an economic context.

Trends

Globalization has various aspects which affect the world in several different ways such as:

Industrial (alias trans nationalization) - emergence of worldwide production markets and broader access to a range of goods for consumers and companies

Financial - emergence of worldwide financial markets and better access to external financing for corporate, national and sub national borrowers

Economic - realization of a global common market, based on the freedom of exchange of goods and capital.

Political - Political globalization is the creation of a world government which regulates the relationships among nations and guarantees the rights arising from social and economic globalization

Informational - increase in information flows between geographically remote locations

Cultural - growth of cross-cultural contacts; advent of new categories of consciousness and identities such as Globalism - which embodies cultural diffusion, the desire to consume and enjoy foreign products and ideas, adopt new technology and practices, and participate in a "world culture".

Ecological- the advent of global environmental challenges that can not be solved without international cooperation, such as climate change, cross-boundary water and air pollution, over-fishing of the ocean, and the spread of invasive species.
Social - the achievement of free circulation by people of all nations

Greater international cultural exchange

Spreading of multiculturalism, and better individual access to cultural diversity (e.g. through the export of Hollywood and Bollywood movies). However, the imported culture can easily supplant the local culture, causing reduction in diversity through hybridization or even assimilation. The most prominent form of this is Westernization, but Sanitization of cultures has taken place over most of Asia for many centuries.

Greater international travel and tourism

Greater immigration, including illegal immigration

Spread of local consumer products (e.g. food) to other countries (often adapted to their culture)

World-wide fads and pop culture such as Pokémon, Sudoku, Numa Numa, Origami, Idol series, YouTube, Facebook, and MySpace.

World-wide sporting events such as FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games

Formation or development of a set of universal values

Technical/legal

Development of a global telecommunications infrastructure and greater transborder data flow, using such technologies as the Internet, communication satellites, submarine fiber optic cable, and wireless telephones

Increase in the number of standards applied globally; e.g. copyright laws, patents and world trade agreements.

The push by many advocates for an international criminal court and international justice movements.

Since World War II, barriers to international trade have been considerably lowered through international agreements - General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). Particular initiatives carried out as a result of GATT and the World Trade Organisation (WTO), for which GATT is the foundation, has included:

Promotion of free trade

Reduction or elimination of tariffs; construction of free trade zones with small or no tariffs

Reduced transportation costs, especially from development of containerization for ocean shipping.

Reduction or elimination of capital controls

Reduction, elimination, or harmonization of subsidies for local businesses

Intellectual property restrictions

Harmonization of intellectual property laws across the majority of nations, with more restrictions.

Supranational recognition of intellectual property restrictions (e.g. patents granted by China would be recognized in the United States)

Globalization can also be defined as the internationalization of everything related to different countries. (Source: Wikipedia)