Globalisation

Contemporary world politics-9

Understanding Political

globalisation Economic
Cultural
Manifestations and these must
be adequately distributed
Identify the following...
 Causes of globalisation
If globalisation is about the cows of idea, capital, commodities, and people it
is perhaps logical to ask if there is anything novel about this phenomenon
Globalisation in terms of these four flows has taken place through much of
human history.
However, those who argue that these is something distinct about
contemporary globalisation point out that it is the scale of these flows that
account for the uniqueness of globalisation in the contemporary era.
While globalisation is not caused by any single factor, technology remains a
critical element.
There is no doubt that the invention of telegraph, the telephone, and the
microchip in more recent times has revolutionised and communication
between different parts of the world.
Political consequences
In place of the welfare state,it is the market that becomes the prime
determinant of economic and social priorities
Economic consequences
A much broader way of
understanding of economic
globalisation requires us to look at
the distribution of economic gains,
i.e., who gets the most from
globalisation and who gets less,
indeed who loses from it.
What is often called economic
globalisation usually involves
greater economic flows among
different countries of the world.
Some of this by voluntary and
some forced by international
institutions and powerful countries.
But globalisation has not led to the
same degree of increase in the
same degree of increase in he
movement of people across the
globe. American brands
Developed countries have carefully
guarded their borders with visa
policies to ensure that citizens of
other countries cannot takeaway the
jobs of their own citizens.
While globalisation has led t similar
economic policies adopted by
government in different parts of the
world, this has generated vastly
different outcomes in different parts
of the world.
Those who are concerned about
social justice are worried about the
extent of state withdrawal caused
by processes of economic
globalisation
They point out that it is likely to
benefit only a small section of the
population while improvising those
who were dependent on the
government for jobs and welfare The immigration policy
They have emphasised the need to
ensure institutional safeguards or
creating ‘social safety nets’ to
minimise the negative effects of
globalisation on those who are
economically weak.
They have called for a halt to
forced economic globalisation, for
its results would lead to economic
ruin for the weaker countries,
especially for the poor within these
countries.
Some economists have described
economic globalisation as re-
colonisation of the world.
More moderate supporters of
globalisation say that globalisation
provides a challenge that can be
responded to intelligently without Social safety nets
accepting it uncritically.
Cultural consequences
The cultural effect of globalisation
leads to the fear that this process
poses a threat to cultures in the
world.
It does so, because globalisation
leads to the rise of uniform culture
or what is called cultural
homogenisation.
What we have in the name of a
global culture is the imposition of
western culture on the rest of the
world.

Homogenisation
Those who make this argument
often draw attention to the MC
Donaldisation of the word, with
culture seeking to buy into the
dominant American dream.
At the same time, it would be a
mistake to assume that cultural
consequences of globalisation are
only negative.

Mc donaldisation
The burger is no substitute for a
masala dosa and therefore does
not pose real challenge.

Substitution
Blue jeans on the other hand, can
go well with a homespun Khadi
kurta.
Interestingly, this clothing
combination has been exported
back to the country that gave us
blue jeans so that it is possible to
see young Americans wearing a
kurta and jeans!
It leads to each culture becoming
more different and distinctive.
This phenomenon is called cultural
heterogenisation.

Khadi kurta
India and globalisation
Flows pertaining to the movement
of capital, commodities, ideas and
people go back several centuries
in Indian history.
During the colonial period, a
consequence of Britain’s imperial
ambitions, India became an
exporter of primary goods and raw
materials and a consumer of
finished goods.

Boycott
After independence, because of
this experience with the British,
we decided to make tings
ourselves rather than relying on
others.
We also decided not to allow
others to export to us s that our
own producers could learn to
make things.
This ‘protectionism’ generated its
own problems.

Protectionism
In 1991, responding to a financial
crisis and to the desire for higher
rates of economic growth, India
embarked on a programme of
economic reforms that has sought
increasingly to de-regulate various
sector including trade and foreign
investment.

LPG reforms
Resistance to
globalisation
Those on the left argue that
contemporary globalisation
represents a particular phase of
global capitalism that makes the
rich richer and fewer and the poor
poorer.
Weakening of the state leads to a
reduction in the capacity of the
interest of its poor.
Critics of globalisation from the
political right express anxiety over
the political, economic and cultural
effects.
In political terms, they also fear
fear the weakening of the state.
Economically, they want a return to
self-reliance and protectionism, at
least in certain ares of the
economy. Rich are richer and poor are
poorer
Culturally, they are worried that
traditional culture will be harmed and
people will lose their age-old values
and ways.
It is important to note here that anti-
globalisation movements too
participate in global networks, allying
with those who feel like them in other
countries.
Many anti-globalisation movements
are not opposed are to the idea of
globalisation per se as much as they
are opposed to a specific programme
of globalisation, which they see as a
form of imperialism.
The world social forum is another
global platform, which brings together
a wide coalition composed of human
rights activists, environmentalists,
labour, youth and women activists
opposed to neo-liberal globalisation. World social forum
India and resistance to
globalisation
Resistance to globalisation in India
has come from different quarters.
There have been left wing protests
to economic liberalisations voiced
through political parties as well as
through forums like the Indian Social
Forum.
Trade unions of industrial workforce
as well as those representing farmer
interests have organised protests
against the entry of multinationals.
This has taken the form of objecting
particularly to various cultural
influences-ranging from the
availability of foreign TV channels
provided by cable networks,
celebration of Valentine’s Day and
westernisation of the dress tastes of
girl student in school and colleges.
Cultural influences