Contextualization of Development - Essay Example

Contextualization of development Globalization is one of the most difficult concepts to understand and discuss. Though it is explicit and evident in the entire world, it is a complex concept, in terms of the concept, definition, history, importance, effects and other aspects. The World globalization became a very common term in the 1980s’. The term tried to describe the increased movement of people, sharing of ideas as well as exchange of goods, services and money across different nations in the world. Globalization has been defined as the process of integration and interaction among the citizens, companies and government of different nations in the world. The globalization process has been driven by the international investment and trade. The process has been speeded up by the fast development of the information technology (Hennebry 134). The globalization process has been facilitated by the exchange of products, views, world views as well as cultural aspects. Globalization is a wide concept which includes the history of globalization, the phases of globalization, the necessity of globalization, its effects and the way forward. The effects of globalization have been a major dilemma and a source of heated arguments. Many people view globalization as an effective way of empowering societies economically through trade, information and knowledge sharing. On the other hand, globalization is meant to bring regional disparities in terms of development and economic stability. The world has associated globalization with the modernization process. Through globalization, the world has become “a small world”. As a matter of fact, some of the economists have argued that there is no need of thinking in terms of national economies; international trade is the way to go. This paper seeks to discuss the development of globalization in regard to the shift from globalization in the 20th century, which was led by the United States to the 21st century globalization (Horsfall 64). The paper will therefore discuss the history of globalization, its phases, impacts, effects as well as the components of globalization. The history of education Globalization dates back to hundreds of years. It has been there since the dawn of history. The history of globalization has been divided into three phases. The first phase is the phase of early voyages of exploration and colonization. This took place in the year 1492 to 1800. It is a phase that involved the globalization of countries. This phase was characterized the exchange of ideas and cultures. This was a phase driven by the need to get conquests, spread religion and exploration. Christopher Columbus, an Italian explorer was the point men who spearheaded this phase. The European voyages of exploration led to of Europe’s colonial empires formation. The explorations were very significant in a number of ways. Firstly, they gave information and knowledge to their mother countries about the regions they explored. This provoked their mother countries to establish colonial empires. Secondly, through exploration, the different countries were able to confiscate wealth which later became the property of the state. Thirdly, after exploration, there was the establishment of state sponsorship of trading monopolies. It was at this time where some companies like the East India Company were established by Queen Elizabeth. This phase was very important because today’s global economy has emerged from that phase. Some economies like India, Brazil and China are a product of that phase (Castles 313). The second phase was the Transnational Integration Age. This took place in the year1800 for 2000. This phase involved the globalization of companies, infrastructure, science, commerce and other human activities. This period was very crucial in the history of mankind. The collapse of this phase led to the outbreak of First World War. There was great international connectivity in the Western world. This was facilitated by the invention of steamships, telegraphs, trains and postal system. It was at this time when there was a great capital investment flowing around the world especially from England. Different European colonial empires were able to establish different international trade routes with the colonies they had in Africa (Castles 314). The third phase is The Modern Age of Globalization. This took place from 2000 to present time. It is the age globalization on individuals. This was the age of modern capitalism. This phase has seen individuals move from one nation to another because of some factors like employment, education, health and settlement among others. We are living in a country with no borders. Many countries have defined new social, commercial, and political policies and systems that encourage integration and movement. There has been arrangement in the political and economic spheres (Gill 166). This led to the emergence of global Non-Governmental Organizations, deregulating of the corporate sector, privatization of public enterprise and tax reduction among other measure. This phase has brought the emergence of the New World Order. It is important to note that in the 20th century, there was free flow of capital, human resource, goods and services. At this time, the world was moving towards globalization, but this was disrupted by the outbreak of the First World War. At this time there was a great depression. The Causes of globalization Many of the people have had issues of trying to explain the cause of globalization. Some have attributed it to the conquest, but the major cause of globalization is the development of technology. The state of transport and communication has greatly improved. On the other hand, the cost of the same has drastically gone down. Some of the inventions and innovations in transport and communication for example telephone, telegraph, containerization, trains, computers, internet, global mediaaswell as modified vehicles became the driving force of globalization. In addition, there was a need for exploitation of resources. Some of these resources include the capital resource, human resources, natural resources and man-made resources. Thirdly, the global trade cycle has been a significant cause of globalization. The countries have become interconnected and interdependent in global trade. Most of the countries have encouraged free trade. Lastly, the governments’ policies have been a major cause of globalization. Some of these factors include the trade policies like the tarrifs, immigration policies, and capital controls among others (Hennebry 99). The Impacts and Effects of Globalization Globalization has direct impacts on the political and economic forces. Firstly, globalization has led to new social movements. These movements have affected the political and social ideologies, the resource mobilization, political process and opportunities, grievances, utopias and options. Some of these movements are global or regional. Examples of social movements include the NAFTA, which has been dealing with regional trade, Secondly; globalization has affected trade and commerce structures. According to statistics by the WTO, the volume of world trade increased from $296 billion in 1950 to $8 trillion in 2005. This accounted for a twenty seven fold increase in the world trade. Globalization has made the number of transnational corporations and the Multinational Corporations to exponentially increase. It can be noted that most developed countries have foreign direct investment (FDI) which is very high. Some of the major causes of increase in trade are the free flow of capital, human resource and technology. The international trade has been a blessing trader, nations as well the consumers. Some of the benefits of international trade include the availability of a variety of products in the market, source of revenue to the Governments, regular flow of goods and capital, increased job creations, reduced prices and increased buying power. On the other hand, globalization has devastating effects in trade. For example, it has caused overdependence of less developed countries on the more developed countries. It has also caused exploitation of some countries (Hennebry 166). Secondly, globalization has affected the global technology. The information, communication and transportation technology are some of the areas that have been adversely affected. The technology is said to be the main reason for the escalation of globalization in the past years. There have been a lot of inventions and innovations. To start with, there has been development in information technology. The internet has brought a major change on the relaying of information. Technology has also affected the global media networks; including the television, radio and media companies which have their branches in different parts of the world. The information can be passed to the whole world in seconds. There have been dramatic developments in communication, especially in telecommunication technology. Some of these developments include the use of mobile phones, voice mails, text messages and GPS satellite among other examples of revolutionized technology. Communication across the borders has been easier, faster, cheaper and more efficient.In addition, the transport technology has been affected by globalization. This has affected the comfort, speed, affordability as well as transport means that are more environmentally friendly. The transport system has continued to evolve, thanks to the never-ceasing innovations. This has affected the water, land as well as the air system. Globalization has necessitated the need for faster, more cost efficient and safer methods of transportation. Technology has also led to better methods of production. This has been necessitated by the increased demand for goods and services to expanded market. The nations that have been able to embrace and use technology effectively in production have a competitive advantage over the others. This explains the rise of nations like China from less developed countries to one of the most developed countries in the world (Filion 88). Globalization has also had negative effect too. One of the negative effects of globalization is inequality between the industrialized and the less industrialized nations. This disparity has been caused by exploitation of the less industrialized nations by the industrialized ones. This has led to overdependence of the industrialized nations by the less industrialized ones. Those countries that have greater economic integration with the rest of the world normally have higher levels of regional disparities (Krogman and Caine 83). Capitalization has been facilitated by globalization. Capitalism has encouraged competitive advantage which acts as a perverse incentive for greed and economic disparity. Secondly, globalization has encouraged led to the exploitation of some countries, especially the less industrialized countries. The global economy has been dominated by transnational corporations whose main aim is to maximize profits. These corporations have been overexploiting the markets in the developing countries without regarding the development of individuals and countries they trade in. As a matter of fact, shrinking of the world due to globalization has made it hard for multinational corporations and foreign governments to operate together (Paterson and MacNeil 235). Thirdly, globalization has led to terrorism. Terrorism has been a major issue in the world today. Globalization has led to struggle for power and superiority. The world had a perspective of the” lord and slave scenario.” The “lords” are considered to be those nations that have already benefited and are already established, therefore, they have been seeking more power and influence in the international bodies. Some of these nations include the US, Canada, and France among other G8s.On the other hand, the “slaves” are considered to be those nations that are less developed. They are exploited and manipulated by the “lord”. Therefore the industrialized countries have a greater competitive advantage over the LDCs. Terrorism has been seen as a tool used by the weak nations against the stronger ones (Steinmetz 340). Therefore, globalization has been a motivation to the different causes of the sources of terrorism. Most of the LDCs are frustrated by their lack of success in the international markets; they therefore result to vengeance in terms of terrorism. Lastly, globalization has brought negative effects on the environment. Environmental problems have been accelerated by globalization. Globalization has affected the exploitation of natural resources, pollution and biodiversity. Globalization has led to overexploitation and overutilization of natural resources. This includes deforestation, overuse of the water bodies and other natural resources. With the increase of industries and transport systems pollution has exponentially increased (Luccisano and Romagnoli 723). Globalization in Canada and Canadian society Globalization and its impacts have been very evident in Canada. Some of the large companies in Canada have become global. This means that such companies have been able to access new markets as well as new challenges. The ratification of the Free Trade Agreement with Canada and the United States in 1988 has seen dramatic change in the business environment in Canada. In addition, Canada has been able export and import human resources. As a matter of fact, Canada is known to be one of the encouraging expatriation through programs like green cards and visas. Canada has been able to enjoy a number of benefits as a result of globalization. Firstly, Canada has enjoyed economic integration. This has brought one of the longest expansions in the country (Urkidi 571). In addition, globalization has led to increase of real income and thus improving the individuals’ buying power. Thirdly, the employment levels have greatly increased due to globalization. Conclusion Globalization is inevitable and its impacts cannot be overlooked. All sectors of human beings and nations are affected by globalization. Just as seen in the above discussion, globalization affects the social, economic and political spheres. There is a thin line of difference between globalization and modernization, therefore any human being, society and nation must embrace globalization. Works Cited Castles, Stephen. “Migration, Crisis, and the Global Labour Market.” Globalizations 8. 3 (2011): 311-324. Filion, Pierre. “The Urban Policy-making and Development Dimension of Fordism and Post- fordism: A Toronto Case Study.” Space & Polity 5.2 (2001): 85-111. Gill, Stephen. Power and Resistance in the New World Order. Basingstoke [England: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008. Print. Hennebry, Jenna. Globalization and the Mexican-Canadian Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program: Power, Racialization & Transnationalism in Temporary Migration. Ottawa: Library and Archives Canada = Bibliothèqueet Archives Canada, 2008. Print Hogenboom, Barbara. “ Depoliticized and Repoliticized Minerals in Latin America.” Journal of Developing societies 28.2 (2012): 133-158. Horsfall, Daniel. “Research Article: From Competition State to Competition States?”Policy Studies 31. 1 (2010): 57-76. Krogman, Naomi and Caine, Ken J. “Power or Just Plain Power-Full? A power Analysis of Impact and Benefit Agreements in Canada’s North.” Organization & Environment 23.1 (2010): 76-98. Lloyd, Sarah E. and Harrison Jill Lindsey. “ Illegality at Work: Deportability and the Productive New Era of Immigration Enforcement.” Antipode. 44.2 (2012): 365-385. Luccisano, Lucy and Romagnoli Amy. “Comparing Public Social Provision and Citizenship in the United States, Canada, and Mexico: Are There Implications for a North American Space?” Politics & Policy 35. 4 (2007): 716: 751. Paterson, Matthew and MacNeil Robert. “ Neoliberal Climate Policy: From Market Fetishism to the Developmental State.” Environmental Politics. 21.2 (2012): 230-247. Steinmetz, George. “The State of Emergency and the Revival of American Imperialism: Toward an Authoritarian Post-Fordis.” Public Culture 15. 2 (2003): 323-345. Urkidi, Leire. “ The Defence of Community in the Anti-mining Movement of Guatemala.” Journal of Agrarian Change 11.4 (2011): 556-580. Read More