Globalization as the Process of Interaction and Integration Among the People - Research Paper Example

The process of globalization is progressively reshaping relationships all over the world. It has led to an increasingly integrated world where phones, internet and improvements in infrastructure have brought people closer. Globalization is described as the process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and governments of different nations, a process driven by specific policies on international trade and investment and aided by information technology. According to Robertson, “Globalization as a concept refers both to the compression of the world and intensification of consciousness of the world as a whole...both concrete global interdependence and consciousness of the global whole in the twentieth century” (8). Gidden’s has also included the dialectical dimensions of the process by describing globalization, “as the intensification of worldwide social relations which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles away and vice versa. This is a dialectical process because such local happenings may move in an obverse direction from the very distanced relations that shape them. Local transformation is as much a part of globalization as the lateral extension of social connections across time and space” (64). The process of globalization, therefore, has widely influenced the environment, culture, economic growth and policies, political systems, and societies globally. New economic developments internationally have played an important role in fading the spatial barriers between nations. The formation of an international industrial and financial system is contributing towards a free flow of information, products, people and investments across the globe. Intensive trade activity has catalyzed global competition elevating living standards of the participating masses. Due to the availability of better products at a cheaper price, globalization has also led to lower inflation rates. Productivity expansion and technological developments have contributed towards the formation of an increasingly improvisational industrial sector. Steady market growth has triggered the demand as well as utilization of commodities. The internet facility has influenced world trade enormously by connecting more and more people. Foreign direct investment and resource inflows are far higher than ever. Globalization has also led to a more integrated, independent and stable global economy. Additionally, employment growth rates are increasing in developing countries. For instance, in the past few years, India has been able to achieve a continuous economic growth rate of over 8% per year. Globalization has a number of positive effects in the fields of education and technology too. Free market policies will help developing countries to improve literacy rates through stabilizing their economies. The corporate sector has got the opportunity to lower production costs through outsourcing. Globalization has also influenced the cultural identities of individuals. It has helped to reduce ethnic conflicts among people of different origins. Wealth generated from free trade can also be used for achieving environmental sustainability. However, the pace of development is so rapid that even the most trained experts are unable to regulate, monitor and control its impacts properly. Both the pros and cons of globalization cannot be neglected as the combined impacts of globalization are quite uneven globally. The line of living standard between rich and poor is accelerating at alarming rates. Organizations like World Bank and IMF, for instance, provide huge loans and funding for projects primarily aimed at obliging the neo-liberal politics of globalization. The formation of an unrestricted international free market has benefited multinational companies and corporations in influencing the political decisions. These corporations are continuously deriving huge benefits at the expense of local enterprises, cultures, and people, mostly in the western world. Privatization of national holdings has led to job insecurity and lower standards of living. Employees are being recruited on contract basis reducing job incentives. A lot of people are even working at less than minimum wages due to far greater job competition that has affected their normal living standard adversely. Additionally, employees are living in a constant fear of losing their jobs to competition. Developed countries worldwide have strong standards for pollution control. Firms take advantage of the countries with poor environmental regulations and are continuously setting up industries degrading the environment for financial gains. The popular fast food chains such as McDonalds and KFC are attracting more people to consume junk food giving rise to various health concerns. As Attali stated, “We live in a world that is simultaneously shrinking and expanding, growing closer and farther apart....National borders are increasingly irrelevant. And yet globalism is by no means triumphant. Tribalism of all kinds flourishes. Irredentism abounds (117). Businesses in developed countries are outsourcing jobs to cheaper developing world consequently leaving their own people with less job opportunities. For instance, the cost of manufacturing goods and wages are low in China and India. Many local talents like programmers, writers, scientists, accountants and teachers have lost their jobs as a result of outsourcing to these countries. One of the major adverse effects of globalization is child labor exploitation. Child workers are recruited at comparatively negligible cost and are provided with inhumane conditions. A number of multinational corporations are also ignoring their health and safety concerns for producing cheap goods. Globalization has also provided terrorists with large weapons access and cultured their ability to inflict damage. The use of internet for communication and information is a huge benefit for such terrorist activities. Apart from promoting the hegemony of corporations, risking jobs and communities, exploiting cheap labor, raising environmental concerns and undermining social stability, globalization is also diminishing the value of citizenship rapidly. Analysts argue that neo-liberal ideology of globalization is actively asserting the assumption that “humans and the planet will be better off if the global market is left unfettered by ethical, moral, social, or environmental considerations” (Ritchie). Transnational citizens are becoming victims to political vagueness and they are not considered actively functional members of particular society. The foundation of citizenship in a nation-state lies on unified cultural aspects rather than transnational and multiple experiences. The ideas of transnational citizenships will probably result in promotion of inequalities among people on a global scale. Growing migratory practices will reframe nationalism creating a state of confusion and provoke discrimination against transnational citizens. Huge alien citizenship will also increase burden on capacity and resources of nation-states enormously. Though globalization is considered to be a widely profitable tool internationally, its negative impacts also cannot be ignored. Sustainable solutions to these issues and impacts are to be addressed yet. Globalization surely creates opportunities only if it can hold a long term balance between citizens of different origins. The true value of citizenship will probably prevail if neo-liberal ideology of globalization treats all people as citizens rather than customers. A fair balance between pros and cons associated with the process of globalization will probably help citizens of all nations to draw mutual benefits. References Attali, Jacques. Millenium: Winners and Losers in the Coming World Order. New York: Times Books, 1991. Bhagwati, Jagdish. In Defense of Globalization. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. Giddens, Anthony. “The Consequences of Modernity”. Cambridge: Polity Press, 1990. Huntington, Samuel P. (1993). “The Clash of Civilizations?”. Foreign Affairs 72.3 (1993): 22-49. Lerche III, Charles O. “The Conflicts of Globalization”. International Journal of Peace Studies 3.1 (1998). Ritchie, Mark. “Globalization vs. Globalism: Giving Internationalism a Bad Name”. International Forum on Globalization, Conference. (1996). Robertson, Roland. “Globalization: Social Theory and Global Culture”. London: Sage, 1992. Read More