Machida, Satoshi (2011). Globalization and Citizens’ Support for Global Capitalism
Multi-level Analyses from the World-systems Perspective, Journal of Developing
Societies 27 (2): 119–151.
(mostly excerpts from the article)
1. What are Machida’s focus and argument?
The focus: how globalization differently affects citizens’ perceptions of global
capitalism in the core, semi-periphery, and periphery. – uses Pew Global Attitudes
Project, 2002,
Argument: While globalization positively affects citizens’ evaluations of global
capitalism in the core, globalization undermines citizens’ support for global capitalism in
the periphery. What is the relationship between globalization and citizens’ perceptions of
global capitalism?
2. What are the arguments of various writers he refers to, on globalization and its
impact?
Deepening levels of economic globalization have eroded the importance of national
borders
Economic globalization driven by “neoliberalism” has dramatic- ally affected citizens’
livelihood around the world, establishing a system of “global capitalism”
On the negative impacts of global capitalism. Gill (2002) argues that neoliberal
globalization reinforces the structure of inequality in the global economy
While some states greatly benefit from global capitalism, other states seriously suffer
from its destructive consequences.
Globalization affects citizens around the world differently, depending on states’
positions in the “world-economy”
Although economic globalization can potentially promote economic growth, neoliberal
economic policies may lead to chaotic outcomes in developing countries
Globalization tends to promote inequality in various fields including “power,”
“wealth,” and “knowledge.”
3. What is Machida’s theoretical hypothesis?
He theorizes the relationship between globalization and citizens’ perceptions of global
capitalism by relying on the proposition of world-systems theory - global capitalism
strongly emphasises neoliberalism.
4. What are the expressions of the market dynamics that advance global capitalism?
Liberalization of capital has drastically transformed the nature of global economic
activities - multinational corporations (MNCs) are able to engage in their operation
without being constrained by national borders – They (MNCs) have established the
“Transnational Capitalist Class,” which powerfully drive the processes of global
capitalism.
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5. Why and how is WST useful for Machida’s study?
World-systems theory is quite useful for examining the issue of inequality in
globalization processes that have integrated the core-semiperiphery-periphery.
a. States in the periphery are forced to serve the interests of core states because they
have to do “labor intensive” productions - core states are more economically
advanced and therefore do “capital intensive” productions, which make it
possible for core states to reap a greater benefit in the world-economy
b. WST indicates that dependency on foreign capital leads to negative econ.
Development - has an adverse effect on food consumption in poor states. Using
the division of labour, the developed countries export environmental pollution to
developing countries.
6. In this study, what is meant by economic globalization?
Economic globalization refers to increasing levels of international trade and foreign
investment, as well as higher levels of deregulation in each state.
7. What are the disastrous consequences of economic globalization?
a. Deteriorates the standard of living in developing countries
b. Mobile capital in global capitalism accelerates the process of the “race to the
bottom.”
 In a situation in which capital moves freely around the globe, governments
in the Third World face harsh competitions to attract foreign investment
in order to survive in the global economy
 developing countries have no choice but to adopt poorer labor regulations,
workers in those countries are forced to work long hours under harsh
working conditions
c. Environmental damage to the developing countries
d. Inequality and widening gap between the rich and the poor
8. What does socio-technical globalization mean?
It is a measure of how each state is exposed to mainly two types of influence:
“personal contact” and “information flows.”
9. What is meant buy the cultural dimension of globalization?
It explains the movement of values, advanced technologies, and democratic ideas across
national borders.
10. What does Machida examine in relation to socio-tech and cultural dimension of
globalization?
He studies how the diffusion of information, knowledge, and standards around the
world affect citizens’ perceptions of global capitalism.
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e.g. MNCs utilize the media to establish the “culture-ideology of consumerism”
in each state.
Globalization can fuel the tendency toward “cultural imperialism”
“homogenizing” cultures around the world
news coverage tends to be considerably skewed toward core states
the superiority of Western cultures in the context of global capitalism, because
Western industrialized states dictate an overwhelming share of economic
influence in global capitalism
11. What is political globalization?
It relates to the degrees of integration and participation of each state in international
institutions and their activities.
12. What are the essential elements of data that the study used?
Pew Global Attitudes Project, 2002, that covers a large number of states around the
world . Pew survey questions that directly tap citizens’ perceptions of global capitalism
13. What is the dependent variable in Machida’s study? What questions were examined
in the data?
The Dependent Variable: Citizens’ Perceptions of Global Capitalism
Issues examined:
Re. good or bad for your country
 growing trade and business ties between (survey country) and other countries
 world becoming more connected through greater economic trade and faster
communication
Re. good or bad for you and your family
 growing trade and business ties between our country and other countries
 what kind of influence the group is having on the way things are going in
(survey country). Is the influence of large companies from other countries
14. What are the findings of Machida’s study?
Findings & analysis
a. Males tend to have more positive perceptions of global capitalism. … women
are more likely to develop negative perceptions of global capitalism since they
often face harsh conditions in the global economy
b. Age … younger respondents show more positive perceptions of global
capitalism. Those who are younger seem to be more open to the influence of
global capitalism.
c. Education indicates a significant impact on the dependent variable in the core
(Table 2), semi-periphery (Table 3), and periphery (Table 4). Judging from the
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d.
e.
f.
g.
positive sign of the coefficient, education renders individuals more receptive to
the ideas of global capitalism . Also, education provides individuals with the
necessary skills to fare well in the global economy
Individuals’ perceptions of the world, their evaluations of their current national
economies, and their predictions of their future economies. the more optimistic
citizens are, the more supportive they tend to be of global capitalism. These
results confirm a close connection between global capitalism and citizens’ daily
lives.
Since the impact of these variables- democracy or GDP- is indeterminate, neither
democracy nor GDP per capita seems to be a crucial determinant of citizens’
perceptions of global capitalism.
Re. the analyses of core states, economic globalization and socio-technical
globalization indicate a significant impact on the dependent variable (Citizens’
Perceptions of Global Capitalism). … the results suggest deepening levels of
integration tend to boost citizens’ positive perceptions of global capitalism. While
globalization variables show a positive result in core states, in the analyses of
semi-periphery states the results in the tables are not significant on the impact of
globalization
Economic globalization and cultural globalization show a negative impact on the
dependent variable, suggesting that deepening levels of integration tend to
undermine citizens’ support
15. Are the results of the study consistent with or divergent from the arguments of the
WST?
The findings from the statistical analyses are generally consistent with the proposition of
world-systems theory.
 In core states, increasing levels of globalization tend to boost citizens’ support for
global capitalism. Since powerful states can greatly benefit in the global
economy, more integration into the global economy tends to foster citizens’
positive attitudes toward global capitalism.
 Global integration of people in the periphery states affects citizens in the opposite
manner. The integration into the world-economy results in their negative
perceptions of global capitalism… citizens in the periphery are more likely to
withdraw their support for global capitalism as they accumulate their actual
experiences with global capitalism.
 As world-systems theory predicts, these findings may reflect the dim situation that
periphery states face. In this way, the unequal structure of the world-economy
establishes critical contexts in which citizens experience the substantive impact
of globalization. World-systems theory provides an important framework through
which we can effectively examine the relationship between globalization and
citizens.
 While some people gain tremendously in the world-economy, a large number of
people remain impoverished without a sufficient social safety net.
 Consistent with the implications from world-systems theory, deepening levels
of globalization entail significant elements of inequality in various fields. A
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series of anti-globalization movements around the world embody the
frustrations among citizens against neo-liberal globalization
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