Globalisation and the Decline
of the Nation State
www.educationforum.co.uk
What is Globalisation
• Globalisation describes the trend of national borders and
nation states becoming less important economically,
politically and culturally
• Economic globalisation is characterised by the growth of
massive transnational corporations (TNCs) beyond the
control of national governments
• TNCs with brands logos and ‘lifestyles’ shape a ‘global
culture’ which is breaking down national culture
• Te global age is characterised by global problems – pollution,
HIV which do not respect national boundaries
• Globalisation has resulted in politic protest and political
action becoming globalised e.g. the anti global capitalist
movement.
Economic globalisation has resulted in the
growth of very powerful transnational
corporations (TNCs
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TNCs are huge global companies which operate in a large number of
countries and are therefore beyond the direct control of individual
nation states.
TNCs like Nike, Nestle, Ford and GM are able to move production
and investment around the world to wherever economic conditions
are most favourable. For instance in the last thirty years much car
production has been moved from Western Europe where labour
costs are high and trade unions strong to South East Asia where
labour costs are relatively low and trade unions not so established.
Nation Sates individually do not have the power to control the
activities of TNCs and have thus lost a significant amount of power
over their own economies. Keniche Obmae in “The Borderless
World” (1996) goes as far to say that some TNCs are now more
powerful than many governments.
Political Globalisation has also reduced the
political power of the individual nation state
.
• In response to economic globalisation Nation States are
increasingly coming together to become members of
transnational organisations which have a political element to
them.
• For example the European Union (EU), the United Nations
(UN), and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
• Membership of such organisations though beneficial to
nation states in many ways can also result in a partial
transference of sovereignty from the nation state to the
organisation. For example in Britain EU law now has
precedence over UK law.
Cultural Globalisation has reduced the nation state’s
ability to sustain its own unique culture and has reduced
its power to control its own media.
• The explosion in internet and communications
technology and cable and satellite broadcasting
has resulted in the world’s consumers being
immersed in TNC sanctioned western values,
culture and lifestyle through advertising and
broadcasting.
• The large amount of TV channels now available
globally means that it is far more difficult for
nation states to control access to information or
manipulate the media within their own boundaries.
Hirst and Thompson suggest that the decline of the
nation state has been exaggerated
• In “Globalisation in Question” (1996) Hirst and Thompson
acknowledge that there has been some decline in the power
of the nation state due to globalisation but that the extent
of it has been overstated. They cite as evidence the
considerable power nation states continue to have over
foreign policy, the military, the national territory and
significantly the power their citizen’s sense of ‘national
identity’ gives them. Hirst and Thompson also claim that the
extent of economic globalisation has been exaggerated
pointing out that many companies labelled as TNCs still
operate largely within their ‘home regions’ rather than
genuinely globally.
David Held says that globalisation has serious
implications for democracy
• In “Democracy and the New Global Order” Held supports
the idea that the powers of nation states have declined
significantly and points out that this has issues for
democracy with voters voting for governments who do not
hold the real power over economic policy that they used to.
• Held calls for a new global approach to democracy and the
setting up of a world parliament which could hold powerful
TNCs to account and restore democratic control over
important decisions.
• Such a world parliament he argues would be able to tackle
the sort of global problems facing the world – the
environment, disease, food supply and distribution and
health
Questions
• Q1 List 4 features of globalisation.
• Q2 What are TNCs and explain how have
they grown in power?
• Q3 Give an example of how political
globalisation may reduce the power of
nation states.
• Q4 What is cultural globalisation?
• Q5 Give evidence to suggest that the
nation state is still powerful.