The Great
Globalization Debate
PS 314
Spring 2006
General Points:
The concept is not new: but the term is (first
used in the 1970’s)
Debate intensified by two events: (a) collapse of
communism and (b) technological revolution
No one ideological "orthodoxy" (both positive and
negative views are shared across
conservatism, liberalism and socialism)
It is hard to find one generally shared definition
of globalization
However, uses of the term encompass things like
"interconnectedness" and "enmeshed
societies".
A major part of the debate (even among those
who believe that it is one of the principal
features of modern society; is it a useful
concept for understanding the world around
us?
Lines of the debate
Positive
Impacts of
Globalization
Skeptical
Globalist
Utility of
concept
Negative
Key areas of debate
1.
2.
3.
The definition of globalization (what
distinguishes modern globalization
from other eras?)
The role of nations (states) in
today’s world (are they becoming
less relevant?)
The dynamics of inequality
The Skeptics
The Camp:
Skeptics are often either Marxists or
"realists" (power theorists).
Definitional problems:
What is the "global" in globalization? It is
not spatial, cannot be taken literally. And
if not, then is it useful? What is the
difference between the "global" and the
international or the transnational?
The Skeptics and Nations
Sovereignty (political power):
Skeptics argue that the traditional concept
of sovereignty still explains and predicts
Culture:
National cultures persist (and, indeed, for
some they have actually become more,
not less, salient)
Economics:
National economies and markets are still the
fundamental building blocks of the global
marketplace
The Skeptics and Inequality
Why has inequality risen over the claimed period of
globalization?
One line of reasoning posits that inequalities in the
global marketplace are a result of traditional
capitalism, not globalization. This argument has
a long lineage in Marxist analysis, but has been
modified by non-Marxists in the form of
dependency theory.
Others would argue that these inequalities stem
from the traditional allocation of power in the
international state system. Again, this line of
thought has a pretty long lineage (we might trace
it back to Adam Smith, for example), but we
would associate it today with neo-realism (and
even more recently with neo-Conservatism).
Globalists
The Camp:
The camp is rather politically and
ideologically diverse
The Manifestation of Globalization:
Contemporary globalization is spatially and
historically distinct
In addition, it reflects real political,
economic, and cultural changes that have
given rise to new forms of organization
and new institutions
It is not just technological, but has a very
real social dimension
Globalists and Nations
Political Power:
Argue that sovereignty is not the central explanatory concept in the
new globalization era; the sovereignty of the state has been
challenged by a multitude of actors and institutions.
National Culture:
National Culture is breaking down, and being replaced by regional and
global ‘superidentities’
The traditional phenomenon of "economic sovereignty" is disappearing.
The Globalists and Inequality
The Pessimists:
Some see globalization as a prime creator
of new kinds of global inequality –
quantitative and qualitative - between
and across nations (the “race to the
bottom”)
The Optimists:
Optimists argue that globalization is
economically successful; some suggest
that it needs to be accompanied by
"political globalization" (world
government?) if we are to eradicate
inequalities (the “rising tide lifts all
boats”)