The Impact of Globalisation on the Changing Role - Essay Example

Globalization has many implications upon various nations. Although there are many nations who are open and ready to jump into the globalization bandwagon, there are still some nations that are reluctant to adapt into the trend because of fear of being subjugated to the control and intervention of foreign entities. Unfortunately, much as some states would like to keep their doors closed to the changing trends of economic developments, these nations cannot really keep themselves isolated from the outside world for so long.

This essay will examine how globalization affected the French nation and how the French state was forced to change its role to cope with the changing global economic environment. Through the course of the discussion in this essay, we will try to look deeper into the underlying reasons why the French State to some extent shies away from the idea of globalization. To understand the underlying reason for the reluctance of the French state to enter into the global arena, we will delve deeper into the character of the traditional French state and how the ideals of this traditional French state contradict the framework of globalization.

While other nations like the United States and the United Kingdom lean toward the principles of Laissez-faire1 and allowed the market forces to dictate the flow of the economy during the post-war era, France favors government intervention and control over the economy. In other words, the French state holds the reigns and lead while the people and the economy follows. This situation was aptly described by Vivien Schmidt (1996 pp. 46-47) when he said that the French form of capitalism as ‘statist.

The term ‘statism’ is used to describe the "concentration of economic controls and planning in the hands of a highly centralized government often extending to government ownership of industry" (Meriam Webster Dictionary).