Economic Anthropology - Assignment Example

Economic Anthropology Task: Economic Anthropology Q. Be it resolved that globalization does more harm than good for people of developing countries. Argue for or against this proposition using examples. Introduction Globalization is a process that mergers varying cultures, societies and local economies through trade, communication and transportation based on a worldwide network of ideas. Advancements in technology in the fields of transportation, communication and trade, enhance integration. Globalization impacts are evident through various trends. These trends include advancements in economic liberation and integration, trade regulation, assembling of macroeconomic policies, alteration of the part played and theory of state, propagation of mega agreements and most significantly worldwide networking of information systems. Globalization trends can influence human lives, positively or negatively. They may also influence conservation and use of environmental resources, fairness within developing countries, poverty eradication, justice in decision making among other factors. However, globalization has extensive negative impacts compared to positive impacts on people of developing countries. Impacts of Globalization on People of Developing Countries Globalization has influenced economies and cultures people of developing countries through environmental destruction and inaccessibility to scarce resources (Faundez & Tan, 2010, p. 103). It has had a wide range of implication on environment concerns such as deforestation, climate changes, pollution and biodiversity loss. Due to global implications of these factors, these environmental problems have become concerns on an international scale. The negative effects of globalization include extensive environmental destruction. According to Faundez and Tan, 2010, globalization is a major cause of global warming. The global warming is due to greenhouse gas emissions resulting from speedy industrialization in the developing world. Global warming has also been a cause of a high reliance on fossil fuels. Furthermore, emissions from factories and the transport sectors have also significantly contributed to global warming. High greenhouse gas emissions also affect the green plants and trees cover in developing countries. Impacts on green plants result in deforestation and destruction of green environment, a factor that has caused the climate change. Globalization has also formed key themes for scientific discussions concerning changes in the structures of earth’s ecology (Faundez & Tan, 2010, p. 169). Notably, there is a correlation between globalization and factors such as trade and environmental decay. Operations performed in trade and industries require energy from environmental resources (Faundez & Tan, 2010, p. 195). However, careless handling of these resources results in air pollution. People of developing countries experience the most effects of pollution. Globalization negatively affects education systems in developing countries. For instance, it has resulted to a change in the guidelines and goals of the system. Early conception that education promoted service to the public was subject to replacement with the concept that education is at the interest or service of the economy (Faundez & Tan, 2010, p. 215). Therefore, current education changed to a cause of economic progress rather than public service agenda in developing countries. International organizations are rapidly becoming concerned with the sector of education. As a result, the World Bank in collaboration with the World Trade Organization has recently suggested privatization of education sector (Faundez & Tan, 2010, p. 279). The aim of these policies is to develop an education content that is global and is inclined to the requirements of employment. The policies also target an education system that is effective and profitable. Globalization has negative impacts on human development and health. For instance, globalization effects such as importation of harmful products and genetically modified organisms have severe impacts on people of developing countries (Faundez & Tan, 2010, p. 283). The rising trend in free trade of drug, medicine and food has negatively affected human health among citizens in developing countries. Furthermore, with an effective communication at the cross-borders, the human health has deteriorated due to use of internet and the emails. These free movements through free trade across borders are causes of extensive spread of disease (Faundez & Tan, 2010, p. 299). Moreover, the harmonization of food coupled with the free migration of people has negative implications on the human development and health. Globalization has resulted to free trade among several nations. Free trade involves export and imports of goods among the countries (Faundez & Tan, 2010, p. 303). However, the economies of the countries range from unstable to very stable economies. Because of differences in economic stability, developing economies face challenges of market competition against the stable economies. This challenge can be due to lack of experience or economies of scale (Faundez & Tan, 2010, p. 403). Furthermore, goods imported from stable economies are often of better quality than the locally produced good. This import, therefore, may displace the formerly protected goods and firms thus resulting in unemployment for people in developing countries. Conclusion Globalization has both positive and negative effects on developing nations. However, its negative impacts outweigh the positive impacts. It is, therefore, justified that globalization fixes more harm than good to people in developing nations. Q. Is globalization causing the world’s cultures to merge into a single global culture? Introduction Globalization enhances a merger of diverse world cultures into a single culture. Globalization supports growth of cross-cultural contacts and economies. It further anchors the advent of new categories of awareness and identities that represent cultural transmission. Interactions across diverse cultures enhance the world population to integrate acquired standard of living that are non-native. Acquisition of ideas, products, practices and expertise supported by globalization is equally vital in promoting cultural interactions. Enculturalization, acculturation, communication and technology and business ethics are four fundamental culture- related processes of globalization that may cause a merger of world cultures into a single culture. Enculturalization Globalization has accelerated the rate of enculturalization thereby contributing to the merging of world cultures into one unanimous global culture. Enculturalization is the means by which people from different parts of the world get to learn the necessary requirements of the foreign cultures that are non-native to them. It involves acquiring behaviors and values that are necessary or appropriate in the respective culture. Globalization has encouraged cross-cultural interaction and merging between people of different states. This is because of the increase in cross country trade and transfer for labor forces. The movement has seen to the maintenance of a close relationship between people who belong to different cultures. This has led to the creation of several opportunities for world population to exchange cultures, values and behaviors that are unrelated or non-native to them. Hence, globalization through enculturalization is a pathway of ensuring that the world attains a homogeneous culture. Acculturalization Acculturalization refers to the means by which psychological and cultural change results when people from different culture interact. The impact of acculturalization is a complex process and can be categorized into two levels among the cultures that are interacting. At the level of the group, it usually leads to change in terms of customs, the social institutions and cultures. The most prominently manifested changes are the changes that occur in eating habits, language and the modes of dressing. At the level of the individual acculturalization is evident through acquisition of behavior among people from diverse cultures. Globalization promotes interaction of people from different cultures through the establishment of global learning institutions. This ensures that that the basic aspects of life merged as other people choose to abandon their cultures in bid to adopt foreign cultures so as to avoid appearing odd. This has increasingly ensured flattening of the cultures into a single uniform culture for all. Advancement in communication and technology The contribution of the advancement in the level of technology and in the means of communication in merging the dynamic world cultures is extensive. Improvement in the transportation sector because of modern technology use is a cause of increased interaction between people from diverse parts of the world. Currently, people can conveniently move across the world. Hence, cultural exchange is a concept that is widespread across the world. Advancement in the communications sector is a cause of increased exchange of information. Introduction of satellite technology has enabled people in various corners of the world to reach out to other people through the television screens. Information about different cultures is easily accessible to people across the world through the media. Most media attract global audiences. Readers and viewers, therefore, tend to adopt different cultural practices observed and read from media sources. Social networks including Facebook and twitter greatly contribute to the exchange of cultural ideologies hence promoting cultural change and merging of cultures. Business ethics and trade The merging of different cultures in the world is a result of diversity of ethics applied in business across regions. These ethics are moral laws that are applicable in business in the course of operation of the business. Ethics vary from across world regions and can encompass aspects of viewpoints on how to conduct business. Globalization has steered the growth of global corporations and the transnational corporations like the Toyota Company who carry out their business activities in many countries. These multinational companies conduct their recruitment worldwide; their workforce constitutes a matrix of people with different cultures. The corporations have a universal code of ethics that controls all her operations in her international subsidiaries. Therefore, an international employee is under obligation to adapt to the stipulated code of ethics if he or she is to stay in the company. This necessitates change in the behavior of the international employee and encourages weaning out of the native culture by the respective employee. Hence through the rise of the multinational organizations, globalization has encouraged acquiring of a common culture in the world. Conclusion Globalization is enhances the inception of technology, communication and trade across the world, being a common village. Similarly, globalization contributes to the acquisition of a common global culture through diverse processes discussed. It is justified to conclude that is causing the world’s cultures to merge into a single global culture. References Faundez, J. & Tan, C. (2010). International Economic Law, Globalization and Developing Countries New York, NY: Edward Elgar Publishing. Papen, U. (2007). Literacy and globalization reading and writing in times of social and cultural change. London: Routledge. Read More