Globalization and
Interdependence
Interdependence
• The interrelatedness of national societies,
which are in varying degrees sensitive and
vulnerable to each other’s policies
• Refers to a condition or state of affairs
characterized by reciprocal effects among
countries or actors in different countries
• It can increase or it can decline
Globalization
• Globalization is the increasing
interconnectedness of all parts of the world
in all areas, most notably communication,
commerce, culture, and politics
• Unlike interdependence which can increase
or decrease, the implication of globalization
is that it is increasing
• Thomas Friedman argues that
contemporary globalization goes “farther,
faster, deeper, and cheaper”
• Others explain contemporary globalization
as having “thickened”
Globalization: The Pro Argument
• The global economy delivers markets that
operate with maximum efficiency
• Globalization is the only way to bring
prosperity to the developing world
• Globalization is inevitable and should be
embraced
Globalization: The Con Argument
• The global economy is an untamed
juggernaut that rewards the few and
impoverishes the many
• Globalization is neither inevitable or desirable
• It diminishes the sovereignty of local and
national governments and transfers the power
to shape economic and political destinies to
transnational corporations and global
institutions
• It is responsible for the destruction of the
environment, the widening gap between rich
and poor societies, and the worldwide
homogenization of local, diverse, and
indigenous cultures
Different Perspectives
of Globalization
Technology
• “… Advances in technology just increase
our ability to do things, which may be
either for the better or for the worse. All of
our current problems are unintended
negative consequences of our existing
technology.”
– Jared Diamond, Collapse, 505
Conflict
• “The great divisions among humankind
and the dominating source of conflict will
be cultural…. The fault lines between
civilizations will be the battle lines of the
future.”
– Samuel Huntington, Clash, 1
West vs the Rest
• “The central axis of world politics is likely
to be… the conflict between ‘the West and
the Rest’ and the responses of nonWestern civilizations to Western power
and values.”
– Samuel Huntington, Clash, 11
Western Dominance
• “…. The West has driven the globalization
agenda, ensuring that it garners a
disproportionate share of the benefits, at
the expense of the developing world.”
– Joseph Stiglitz, Discontents, 7
Eurocentric Explanation
• “In a world of relativistic values and moral equality, the
very idea of a West-centered (Eurocentric) global history
is denounced as arrogant and oppressive. It is intended,
we are told, ‘to justify Western dominance over the East
by pointing out European superiority.’ What we should
have instead is a multicultural, globalist, egalitarian
history that tells something (preferably something good)
about everybody. The European contribution– no more
or less the invention of and definition of modernity–
should be seen as accidental or to use the modish word,
contingent.”
– David Landes, Wealth, 513-514
McDonaldization
• “…. America’s enormous cultural vitality
and technological creativity, combined with
hegemonic status in world politics, make
her a net exporter of culture, giving her
therefore no sense of threat from that
direction either: it is her culture that
spreads. But this spread of American
culture threatens others to whom it goes.”
– Jagdish Bagwati, Defense, 120
Greed
• “Globalization has little to do with people
or progress and everything to do with
money.”
– Ignacio Ramonet, Debate, 118
Haves and Have-nots
• “A growing divide between the haves and
the have-nots has left increasing numbers
in the Third World in dire poverty, living on
less than a dollar a day.”
– Joseph Stiglitz, Discontents, 5
Different Realities
• “People in the West may regard lowpaying jobs at Nike as exploitation, but for
many people in the developing world,
working in a factory is a far better option
than staying down on the farm and
growing rice.”
– Joseph Stiglitz, Discontents, 4
The World is Flat
• “The world is flat… the global competitive
playing field was being leveled. The world
was being flattened.”
– Thomas Friedman, Flat, 7-8
Opportunity
• “Globalization has reduced the sense of
isolation felt in much of the developing
world and has given many people in the
developing countries access to knowledge
well beyond the reach of even the
wealthiest in any country a century ago.”
Joseph Stigltiz, Discontents, 4
Debate: Is globalization good or bad?
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Global inequality
Free trade
Communications technology
Power
Culture
Why is there global inequality,
and is it getting worse?
• Pro: Globalization opens up new
opportunities for developing countries, and
only those countries who have not
embraced world trade have suffered.
• Con: Globalization has made the rich,
richer and the poor, poorer.
What are the costs and the benefits
of free trade?
• Pro: Free trade reduces prices for
consumers and creates jobs in developing
countries.
• Con: Free trade has primarily meant that
global corporations now are able to exploit
foreign markets in terms of cheaper labor,
low worker protections, and looser
environmental regulations. In the US, this
has cost workers their jobs as production
moves overseas.
What is the role of the internet
and communications technology in
globalization?
• Pro: The internet ensures everyone has
access to information.
• Con: The predominance of English on
the internet threatens other languages
and cultures, and transnational
corporations have made the internet a
tool for disseminating their marketing
information to the global economy.
Is globalization shifting power from nation
states to undemocratic organizations?
• Pro: Nation states will always be the center of the
international system because they control territory
and military power. International governmental
organizations are made up of individual nation
states so the nation state is in fact represented.
• Con: Under globalization, international
organizations such as the World Trade
Organization and NGOs have increased in power
at the expense of nation states. Some global
corporations have greater assets than the GDPs of
some nations. These powerful organizations are
not democratically elected and make decisions
behind closed doors.
How does globalization affect
culture? Is it ‘Americanization’?
• Pro: There is no way a world of over 7 billion
people can become a monoculture. In fact, some
forces of globalization such as the internet can be
used to project traditional cultures in a way
previously impossible.
• Con: America dominates the world economy to
such an extent that mass distribution of its products
have negatively impacted global cultural diversity.