Globalization

Globalization

Introduction

Globalization is better understood, therefore, as simultaneously an idealist set of beliefs; a behavioral set of principles, rules, and activities; and a material set of outcomes and infrastructures. Globalization is a form of idealism through reification of a complex process that, it is said, will make the world richer and happier, and it is rationalized and naturalized in the name of efficiency, competition, and profit, as an inevitable concomitant of the historical triumph of liberalism. Globalization is a form of behavioralism in its reorganization of existing institutions, resulting changes in the practices of real live people, and creation of new conditions of normality that are of benefit to some and not others. Finally, globalization is a form of materialism in the sense that flows of capital, technology, goods, and, to a lesser degree, labor move rapidly, putting in place new infrastructures and landscapes of production, exchange, and consumption.

The ideology associated with contemporary globalization is widely identified with neoliberalism, although its origins are to be found in the liberal economic system established through the post-World War II Bretton Woods regulatory regimes. Neoliberalism looks to the market as an institution best suited for fostering both individual accumulation and social progress; it favors minimal political intervention into their operations. Drawing on a crude version of Adam Smith's “invisible hand,” deregulated markets are believed to maximize social benefits and utilities. In fact, neoliberalism involves a shift in regulation from the market itself to the political economy in which markets are shaped. When encoded in international law, treaties, and conventions, rules and regulations become globally binding on all signatories, and violators may be sanctioned and fined. Such meta-regulation is less visible to individual participants in markets and more distant from national political institutions but, in many instances, provides specific advantages to capital.

Globalization is the creation and expansion of economic and social connections among people and organizations around the world. The movement of people, goods, ideas, technology, and money fuels the process across national boundaries. The populations of different cultures have interacted and established economic and cultural links for centuries. In the middle Ages, merchants and explorers exchanged goods and ideas throughout Europe, across North Africa, and between the Middle East and Asia. However, in recent decades, globalization has advanced at an increasingly rapid pace. Two major forces in this development have been the Internet, which has sped up communications, and businesses, which have expanded to reach markets on distant continents.

Although people still identify with their local communities and national governments, many increasingly see themselves as part of a global society. However, globalization does not affect all regions in the same way. Individuals and corporations in industrialized countries tend to benefit more than those in developing countries.

Discussion

Samuel Huntington coined the expression Davos Culture in his book The Clash of Civilizations (1996) to define such universal civilization. The phrase Davos Culture takes its name from Davos, the Swiss town that had hosted a preponderance of World Economic Forum meetings since 1971. The members of Davos Culture share ...