Is Globalisation Really A Global Phenomenon

Seminar paper from the year 2002 in the subject Business economics - Economic Policy, grade: A, Architectural Association School of Architecture, language: English, abstract: What does globalization mean? Is it really a global phenomenon? What are the consequences of it in the developed and developing countries? By studying the book of Saskia Sassen “Cities in a World Economy” and the book of Manuel Castells “The Rise of the Network Society” I try to find answers to my questions.

We live today in an interconnected world in which ordinary people can became instant online celebrities to fans thousands of miles away, in which religious leaders can influence millions globally, in which humans are altering the climate and environment, and in which complex social forces intersect across continents. This is globalization. In the fifth edition of his bestselling Very Short Introduction Manfred B. Steger considers the major dimensions of globalization: economic, political, cultural, ideological, and ecological. He looks at its causes and effects, and engages with the hotly contested question of whether globalization is, ultimately, a good or a bad thing. From climate change to the Ebola virus, Donald Trump to Twitter, trade wars to China's growing global profile, Steger explores today's unprecedented levels of planetary integration as well as the recent challenges posed by resurgent national populism. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

'Globalization' has become one of the defining buzzwords of our time - a term that describes a variety of accelerating economic, political, cultural, ideological, and environmental processes that are rapidly altering our experience of the world. It is by its nature a dynamic topic - and this Very Short Introduction has been fully updated for a third edition, to include recent developments in global politics, the global economy, and environmental issues. Presenting globalization in accessible language as a multifaceted process encompassing global, regional, and local aspects of social life, Manfred B. Steger looks at its causes and effects, examines whether it is a new phenomenon, and explores the question of whether, ultimately, globalization is a good or a bad thing. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Over the past two decades, the percentage of the world’s population living on less than a dollar a day has been cut in half. How much of that improvement is because of—or in spite of—globalization? While anti-globalization activists mount loud critiques and the media report breathlessly on globalization’s perils and promises, economists have largely remained silent, in part because of an entrenched institutional divide between those who study poverty and those who study trade and finance. Globalization and Poverty bridges that gap, bringing together experts on both international trade and poverty to provide a detailed view of the effects of globalization on the poor in developing nations, answering such questions as: Do lower import tariffs improve the lives of the poor? Has increased financial integration led to more or less poverty? How have the poor fared during various currency crises? Does food aid hurt or help the poor? Poverty, the contributors show here, has been used as a popular and convenient catchphrase by parties on both sides of the globalization debate to further their respective arguments. Globalization and Poverty provides the more nuanced understanding necessary to move that debate beyond the slogans.

Today’s most urgent problems are fundamentally global. They require nothing less than concerted, planetwide action if we are to secure a long-term future. But humanity’s story has always been on a global scale. In this book, Jeffrey D. Sachs, renowned economist and expert on sustainable development, turns to world history to shed light on how we can meet the challenges and opportunities of the twenty-first century. Sachs takes readers through a series of seven distinct waves of technological and institutional change, starting with the original settling of the planet by early modern humans through long-distance migration and ending with reflections on today’s globalization. Along the way, he considers how the interplay of geography, technology, and institutions influenced the Neolithic revolution; the role of the horse in the emergence of empires; the spread of large land-based empires in the classical age; the rise of global empires after the opening of sea routes from Europe to Asia and the Americas; and the industrial age. The dynamics of these past waves, Sachs demonstrates, offer fresh perspective on the ongoing processes taking place in our own time—a globalization based on digital technologies. Sachs emphasizes the need for new methods of international governance and cooperation to prevent conflicts and to achieve economic, social, and environmental objectives aligned with sustainable development. The Ages of Globalization is a vital book for all readers aiming to make sense of our rapidly changing world.

"Globalization" -- an economic phenomenon that has dominated the late 20th and early 21st centuries -- is poorly understood. Politicians and the media often portray it in its worst light: outsourcing, offshoring, job loss, intellectual property piracy, diminished U.S. influence. But globalization has positive impacts as well: poverty reduction, U.S. export growth, harmonization of standards and practices, greater peace and security. Unlike many books that lionize or demonize globalization, this one seeks to set the record straight. Globalization is neither an unvarnished virtue nor an unmitigated vice. Rather, it is a subtle process that has both virtues (economic growth) and vices (dislocation). It has already lifted millions of persons out of grinding poverty and reduced the spread of disease. But, it also has spurred the migration of workers and increased competition for resources. Unfortunately, globalization''s vices are all too immediate and evident, whereas its virtues are often muted and long-term. This recent financial crisis is a prime example of global disjunction. The financial services industry is clearly global. Yet its regulation is national or regional. But if the response to this crisis produces better coordination and greater economic stability and growth, all participants are likely to be better off. This book is also comprehensive, not examining one aspect of globalization (for example, jobs or climate change) in isolation, but treating the topic as a whole. Further, it makes suggestions to improve the process. The whole world is in flux. To a degree, change is inevitable. If globalization has its flaws -- and it does -- it has enormous potential as well. How do we preserve the best of these and avoid the worst. "This is a book recommended to the thoughtful reader, curious for knowledge and a chance to think deeply about possible the most important, if often misunderstood and sometimes distorted and abused, phenomenon in the world today." -- Don Wallace, Jr., Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center and Chairman of the International Law Institute"This is an important study, presented in a clear, often conversational style. Professor Fischer has succeeded in bringing us up to date on so many aspects of globalization, and his itemization of those aspects is valuable in dispelling over-optimistic expectations while at the same time underlining the need to move ahead. He deals with globalization in a scholarly and clear-minded work which deserves to be widely read and widely consulted." -- Professor Sir David Williams, QC, Fellow of Emmanuel College, Emeritus Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge "What''s Wrong with "Globalization"!? has much to recommend it, and succeeds on several levels. The subject of globalization raises a remarkable number of issues and considerations. They range from social issues such as labor and health standards, to international institutions such as the World Bank, and must be considered in the context of the tension between national and international interests. Globalization is not a simple subject, but this book organizes and addresses the relevant issues in an orderly and well written package. If one is interested in a specific globalization issue such as the environment, a well written summary can be found in the book. If one''s focus is on the global flow of capital and investments, or in broad trends of international trade or in the future of globalization, they are all covered in this book. The approach is not even-handed, but also puts those many issues into a broader, overarching framework that such a complex subject deserves." -- Theodore Collins, Counsel, Perkins Coie, Seattle; former General Counsel of The Boeing Company "Thom Fischer''s is one of the few books about globalization that cover the subject in a truly global approach without losing sight of details of the many facets of globalization. This very timely book describes the successes and shortcomings of a work in progress with examples from all four corners of the world, thereby making a strong case for continuing on the road toward globalization and more international cooperation. It should be required reading for those who, in this time of global economic and financial crisis, promote national-state isolationistic policies." -- Juergen R. Ostertag, Partner, Pryor Cashman LLP, New York City "This book is a magisterial special pleading in favor of globalization properly understood. It is based on a dazzling array of facts designed to prove the essential interconnectedness of global economic players generated by unprecedented and irreversible growth of the forces of cross-border investment and commercial integration. Fischer''s voice deserves to be heard." -- Dr. Siegfried Wiessner, Professor of Law and Director, Graduate Program in Intercultural Human Rights, St. Thomas University School of Law

In this work, Jurgen Osterhammel and Niels Petersson make the case that globalization is not so new, after all. Arguing that the world did not turn "global" overnight, the book traces the emergence of globalization over the past seven or eight centuries. In fact, the authors write, the phenomenon can be traced back to early modern large-scale trading, for example, the silk trade between China and the Mediterranean region, the shipping routes between the Arabian Peninsula and India, and the more frequently travelled caravan routes of the Near East and North Africa, all conduits for people, goods, coins, artwork, and ideas.

This book offers new perspectives on global phenomena that play a major role in today’s society and deeply shape the actions of individuals, organizations and nations. In a complex and rapidly changing environment, decision-makers need to gain a better understanding of global phenomena to adapt and to anticipate the evolution of the global context. The authors—ten renowned international scholars of anthropology, economics, law, management and political science—propose an interdisciplinary and comparative approach to social sciences. They analyse how international phenomena, such as globalisation or transnationalisation, transform the disciplines of social sciences from an epistemological standpoint. Explaining what ‘global' means in difference disciplines, the authors analyse several global phenomena that characterise today’s international environment such as the circulation of norms and ideas, the linkages between war and globalization, corporate governance, and the impact of multinational enterprises on sustainable development and poverty reduction. Providing examples of analytical disciplinary approaches and guidelines for decision-makers in a fast-changing global context this book will be useful to scholars and students of anthropology, economics, law, management and political science as well as practitioners in the private and public sectors.

In this provocative book Terhi Rantanen challenges conventional ways of thinking about globalization and shows how it cannot be understood without studying the role of the media. Rantanen begins with an accessible overview of globalization and the pivotal role of the media.

Explores globalization, its opportunities for individual empowerment, its achievements at lifting millions out of poverty, and its drawbacks--environmental, social, and political.