Development vs Poverty and Hunger as a Result of Globalization - Coursework Example

Poverty, Development and Hunger Introduction Globalization, propelled by international trade, foreign investments and technological advancement, defines the process of integration and interaction among countries, organizations and individuals around the world (Dean & Ritzer 1). Although globalization is a term that gained wide use in the 1980s, its concept may be traced back to many decades ago, basing on the trading empires that existed between Portugal, Spain, Holland and Britain (MSN 1). It impacts on the well being of humans, the environment, political systems and economic growth and success of societies around the globe.

However, different societies have been impacted in different ways and magnitudes by the results of globalization (MSN 1). This paper will highlight the contributions and impacts of globalization with regards to development, poverty and hunger. In presenting the first argument, it is true that for the modern world, globalization has been credited with economic growth. This has been achieved by the way it has liberalized trade in a manner capable of benefiting both developed and developing countries (Wells, Shuey, & Kiely 31).

Through it, there have been innovations in services and goods because of the competitive and open nature of the global market. Countries select their trading partners basing on which one has an advantage of production, which results in consumers getting cheaper services and goods (Dean & Ritzer 9). This development has enabled some countries from the third world to grow into first world status. However, even with the above positive aspects, globalization has been a widely controversial issue (Hamilton 16).

This forms the basis of the second argument. Although it has allowed countries to economically develop and improve standards of lives, challengers of globalization made up of anti poverty campaigners, environmentalists and trade unionists claim free markets have only been reaping gains for Western multinational corporations. By joining a worldwide economy, the less developed countries expose themselves to external economic factors over which they command little or no control. Their diluted national sovereignty renders management of macroeconomics a challenging task, with a decline in their abilities to increase corporation taxation (Friedman 351).

Furthermore, while developed countries gain, developing ones suffer when the demand for labor in the first word increases. This leads to diminishing labor forces locally and, ultimately, poverty. Therefore, globalization strengthens positions of developed economies capable of taking advantage of free markets, but increases poverty levels of struggling economies (Lechner 3). The third argument poses that globalization has increased hunger in some third world countries. Because of the nature of its design, globalization requires continual growth in order to survive (Krugman 79).

This calls for more exploitation, and destruction, of natural resources such as forests, clean water, ocean fish stocks, arable land and coral reefs (BBC 1). Most of this resources are directly associated with sustenance of human life. With time, there is no land to cultivate and citizens plunge into hunger. This point may have an overlap with the creation of poverty, whereby citizens may not be able to afford food (Sjursen 73). Conclusion In conclusion, globalization has unmasked itself as a double edged sword.

Although it has undoubtedly empowered some nations economically, it has equally failed to address and solve the grievances of the poor ones (Steger 9). It has seen a smaller percentage of the world’s population benefit while the larger one remains poor or gets worse. This is true to the classical realism theory of international relations where all countries seek to increase their power. The strong and developed countries will always be in a better position to amass power. In fact, the exponential growth necessary for globalization is its own worst adversary (BBC 1).

Works Cited British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). “Brazil Amazon Deforestation Soars”. , 2008. Web. Dean, Paul & Ritzer, George. Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Globalization. , 2012. Web. Friedman, Lawrence M. “Erewhon: The Coming Global Legal Order.” Stanford Journal of International Law 37:347-64, 2001. Print. Hamilton, Sara. Globalization. Minnesota: ABDO, 2009. Print. Krugman, Paul. “Running Out of Planet to Exploit”. The New York Times, April 21, 2008. Print. Lechner, Frank.

Globalization: The Making of World Society. Oxford: Wiley & Sons, 2009. Print. Microsoft Network (MSN). "Portuguese Empire". Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia , 2009. Web. Sjursen, Katrin. Globalization: The Human Consequences. New York: Columbia University Press, 2000. Print. Steger, Manfred. Globalization: A Brief Insight. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print. Wells, Garry, Shuey, Robert & Kiely, Ray. Globalization. New York: Novinka Books, 2001. Print.