The Rize of Globalization - Essay Example

? Globalization Globalization Definition Globalization, also referred to as globalisation, refers to the elimination of barriers to trade, communication and cultural exchange. The conjecture behind globalization is that universal openness will encourage the intrinsic wealth of all countries (Cohen & Kennedy, 2007, p.64). Globalization has increased considerably in the last two decades as technological developments make it easier for individuals to travel, communicate, and transact business globally. Improvements in telecommunications infrastructure and the rise of the internet are the two main recent driving forces. Generally, economies have increased chances but also increased competition as they become more connected to other economies. Hence, powerful pro-globalization and anti-globalization lobbies have emerged as globalization becomes a more and more feature of world economics. It is argued by the pro-globalization lobby that globalization brings about much increased chances nearly everybody, and high competition is of great significance because it makes agents of production more efficient. The World Trade Organization and the World Economic Forum are the most popular pro-globalization (Cohen & Kennedy, 2007, p.76). The World Trade Organization is a pan-governmental body that was formed to prepare a set of rules to govern international trade and capital flow via the member consensus procedure, and to oversee their member countries so as to make sure that all rules are being observed and followed. On the other hand, the World Economic Forum, a nongovernmental foundation, does not have decision making authority though it enjoys a great deal of importance due to the fact that it has effective as a strong networking forum for quite a number of world’s business, government and non-profit leaders. According to Cohen & Kennedy (2007, p.143) It is argued on the other hand by anti-globalization group that groups of individuals who are disadvantaged in terms of resources are currently incapable of working within the increased competitive pressure that will result from permitting their economies to be highly linked to the rest of the world. Environmental groups such as Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace; international aid organizations such as Oxfam; developing countries government organizations like the G-77; trade union and business organizations whose competitiveness is endangered by globalization like U.S. textile and European farm lobby, in addition to the Australian and U.S. trade union movements Aare some examples of important anti-globalization organizations. How globalization is transforming contemporary societies Since its beginning, globalization has been of great significance to all people and countries across the world. It has played a remarkably significance role in facilitating economic development, culture diversity among others (Cohen & Kennedy, 2007, 189). Just like ancient times, globalization is transforming contemporary societies significantly in that the farthest reaches of world are becoming accessible, in manners that nearly all of us were not able to imagine even 20 years ago. Accelerating improvements in information and communication technologies are changing the means through which connect, interact with each other, and access information. New venues and opportunities have been opened for some up people by these increasingly accessible, new relationship can be counterfeited, and work and learning can take place from any place that has an internet connection. These same changes have been associated with loss for others; the loss of traditions, or works, or important relationships (Bilton et al., 2002, p.258). However, few realize the degree, intensity, and long-term implications of these changes regardless of the form taken by these changes. Essential widespread beliefs and naturalized relationships are being questioned, negotiated, and dissolved at times. These transformations are not only restricted to West or developed countries. Instead, extreme change is becoming a worldwide experience rapidly. Societies, communities, families, and people in all regions of the world are not immune to the highly accelerated, deep-rooted, strong changes that we are observing despite the fact that they are living under a multitude of conditions. Nonetheless, these transformations are not supplied equally among between or within societies. Instead, some areas are witnessing extremely faster societal change, while in other regions, certain groups or areas are affected alone. Bilton et al. (2002, p.263) note that there is some agreement that globalization involves a new type of bridging geographic and cultural distances, and that these advancements are the results of continually evolving transportation, communication and information technologies even though it is a hotly contested phenomenon. There has been an increased consciousness on the section of economists and political scientists on the effect of globalization since mid-1990 onward. The movement of capital, the evolving role of growth and development of international corporations and worldwide organizations has been of particular interest. There has been extremely little attention focused on the social side of globalization despite the fact that people and families are affected by these phenomena. In spite of general awareness that the implications of the very categories in a global context that are a section of globalization have been adjusted- communities, the nation-state, gender, economies, ethnicity, social-class, gender and families- this omission has taken place (Bilton et al., 2002, p.288). Hence, it is noteworthy that we don’t have more wide dialogue and essential analyses that inspect the transformative nature of these procedures from more societal and local levels. Specifically, the implications and impacts of globalization on households is a striking omission. Currently, the analyses of globalization go on to focus almost entirely on the political and economic areas. As a matter of fact, globalization describes mainly basic changes in world economy- the developing mobility of global capital and labor, and changes in production brought on via economic reform, accompanied by improvements in communications and information technologies. These changes are understood to have united economies and have resulted to the recognition that we are becoming an increasingly interdependent world economy. Normal approaches to globalization don’t look into the impact of this phenomenon on cultures, societies, families and individuals. Globalization is viewed as an independent force, removed from social interactions (Bilton et al., 2002, p.300). Nevertheless, it is pointed out by critics of this approach that globalization itself is a construction of a certain version of world space and interaction, and that combining people, households, families, and societies, with comprehension of national and transnational politics and economies, provides us a better imminent into the dynamics and impacts of the phenomenon. That is, globalization is not merely a political, social or economic force. Instead, globalization is socially developed, a dynamic trend that is itself continually revolution, in part via human activity. This perspective permits us to comprehend globalization as a comprehensive, and not merely as a predictable material procedure. Giddens & Griffiths (2006, p.390) assert that globalization debates have remained definitely separate from conversations on households and family change. This is noteworthy, given that people and households are directly and indirectly impacted by globalizing procedures throughout the world. Some kinds of bonded close human relationships characterize all societies even though family arrangements differ, depending on place and time. People and their relationships, essentially, are caught up in the procedure as we highly become integrated into new multifaceted systems. A person’s ideational and material world are changed, reinforced or even lost. Globalization is associated by new transnational ideas about productivity, gender, work, nationalism, identity, familial relationships, women’s and children’s rights. In some cases, people are strengthened to transform their lives, and in other cases, they are forced into situations that are detrimental and destructive. Social transformations are not evident anywhere, compared to fast changes that typify modern Western families. New kinds of publicly accepted relationships and living arrangements have become highly widespread over the last several decades. For instance, nearly all industrialized countries have seen a faster increase in cohabitation, single-parent households, same-sex partnerships, divorce rates and new kinds of extended families that include kin and nonkin (Giddens & Griffiths, 2006, p.396). Concomitantly, an increasing number of women are now in the paid labor force, impacting issues as varied as child bearing, relationship formation, elder care, and the attractiveness of marriage. The consequence of some of these trends is also that fertility rates are reducing to below population substitute levels, especially in Japan and Europe. Nevertheless, these social changes are not restricted just to the West as supposed by many people. As a matter of fact, numerous societies in other parts of the world are also seeing important societal changes. In regions as diverse as Korea, Brazil, China and Jordan, divorce is on the rise. In the meantime, the number of female-headed families is growing faster as women highly choose, or are forced to raise children on their own because of personal choice, the results of wars, economic conditions, HIV/AIDS, and other disasters (Giddens & Griffiths, 2006, p.403). Women are working around the world outside the home in increasingly high numbers, while men in numerous places are loosing their once taken-for-granted role as the main or sole breadwinner in the family. All of these transformations are closely linked to globalizing procedures that are reforming work and family life, while introducing very new and fundamental concepts regarding social life. The vitality or human results that are intrinsic feature of globalization are not captured by approaches to globalization, which focus completely on economic and political dimensions. On the other hand, normal perspectives and analyses of households have not integrated globalization into their discourse. This has resulted to a partial comprehension of these deep influences on personal and family life. What we obtain is a situation where our both imminent into globalization, and households, are deprived and deficient via this omission. New avenues of comprehending interpersonal relationships, family economies, gender concerns, societal transformations and relations between groups are opened up by connecting globalization with the family dimension (Giddens & Griffiths, 2006, p.419). It results to greater imminent into the dynamics of disparities, of power relations, and of significance of scale and locale. Associating families and globalization, nevertheless, is not similar to studying international households (Fulcher & Scott, 2007, p.640). In its place, the complex and dynamic relationships between the nation-state, economics, transnational institutions, the flow of information, and new conceptualization of self family, space, identity, and space are highlighted by incorporating family and globalization. Inspecting these connections needs a holistic analysis that shows how procedures at one level or in one society or group, can have at times, unanticipated and inadvertent results on other aspects of the human experience. Fervent disagreement is evoked by globalization on almost every level of analysis. Conventional as well as academic approaches to globalization don’t concur to its meaning, on its procedures, impacts, or even on its historical foundation. The fact that these debates and discussions are presented as a sweeping generalizations and in sound bites is the only intrinsic problem with quite a number of these debates and discussions. Globalization is illustrated as perilous, as beneficial, or as too intricate to be helpful as an analytical tool. Quite a number of these arguments are not in regard to empirical evidence, and usually selectively use certain data or phenomena as evidence (Fulcher & Scott, 2007, p.687). For instance, main conversations on globalization that focuses on its economic nature are mainly extricated from local circumstance, from socio-cultural moments and from cultural contexts. Comparison and generalization are is invited and stimulated by positing common influences and pressures throughout countries. Certain assumptions regarding globalization are themselves the result of the procedure. Dissimilar discourses where participants are using similar language, although with very diverse meaning are revealed y an examination of the arguments around the supposedly homogenizing impacts of globalization, or its influence on supposedly undermining household relationships. These problems are worsened further by detractors who dispute that globalization is an overused term with little meaning or usefulness and, hence, should be discarded (Fulcher & Scott, 2007, p.736). In general, globalization is of great significance in contemporary societies. When looking at its impacts, it is apparent that globalization is transforming contemporary societies. This is because globalization has had positive impact in nearly everything ranging from, economies, cultures, information flow, governance, criminal investigation, among others. Through globalization, world has become a global village with contemporary societies being able to interact and communicate at any period of time from any location across the world unlike in ancient times where communication and interaction was hindered by numerous barriers. Even though globalization has had few negative impacts on contemporary societies such as increased business competitions, loss of cultural practices and traditional values, it has had many positive impacts with job creation and employment being the major ones. However, with the increased debates about definition of globalization and its impacts on the contemporary societies, the future of globalization lies in the hands of modern societies which should choose on whether they should encourage it or not. Bibliography Fulcher J and Scott J, (2007), Sociology, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 634-814. Giddens A and Griffiths S, (2006), Sociology, Polity, Cambridge, 388-433. Bilton T, Bonnett K and Jones P, (2002), Introductory Sociology, Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 256-314. Cohen K and Kennedy P, (2007), Global Sociology, New York University Press, New York University, 9-211. Read More