Understanding Globalization: Causes, Spheres, and Impacts
1.1 Concept of Globalization:
Process of increasing independence among states and regions of the world. 1.2 Causes of Globalization: Scientific and Technological Advances: Advances in telecommunications allow us to connect with people and companies in real time. Progress in Transport: Motorways and speed trains facilitate rapid transport of goods. Spread of Capitalism: After the Cold War, capitalism became the dominant economic system. Multinational Corporations: Growth of companies has led to large industrial and services corporations that do business globally. International Organizations: Ex: WTO, UN.
2.1 Global Politics: International Sphere
INTERNATIONAL SPHERE: Globalization promotes relations between countries through supranational organizations, controlled by Western powers, causing political instability in some areas of the world. NATIONAL SPHERE: The expansion of certain liberties such as civil rights and democratic government and limits autonomy for the states by decisions made by supranational institutions and by the interest of superpowers that control the institutions.
2.2 Economic Globalization: 1-Production:
Often done on a global scale since corporations locate their companies in areas where they have the most advantages, enabling industries to be created in poor countries, but most operations are done in wealthy countries. 2-Exchange of goods, capital, services, and technology are taken on a global dimension, providing opportunities for some poor countries which have been able to improve their economies. 3-Consumption of goods increases, which promotes specific tastes and brands.
2.3 Other Spheres of Globalization: 1-Social Level:
Globalization facilitates the movement of people. Tourism is only possible for certain social groups, migration also leads to the exploitation of workers and discrimination, international mafias have spread, also certain diseases. 2-Scientific and Cultural Level: Globalization promotes the spread of improvements in health and medicine, however, it has also led to a loss of cultural identity. Environmental Level: Globalization leads to environmental awareness and agreements to solve global problems such as overexploitation of natural resources or climate change.
3.1 Political Differences:
A state authority may be monarchical if the head of the state is a king or queen or republican if the head of state is a president elected by citizens, the form of government can be presidential or parliamentary system. Territorial division of power differs between states with a decentralized system. Political systems may be democratic or authoritarian.
3.2 Democratic Systems:
Limit government power through fundamental law or a constitution and respect the rights of citizens and the principles of national sovereignty. There are free elections with universal suffrage to elect the government, but democracies face new challenges and problems. The challenges include the need to create equal opportunities for all people and the poor reputation of political parties among certain sectors of society. This, in turn, leads to a lack of interest in politics and the growth of political abstention.
3.3 Authoritarian Regimes:
Don’t have limitations to their governments and don’t respect citizens’ rights, however, they concentrate sovereignty in one person or small group which don’t respect separation of powers. To gain power, these groups use violence, torture, and arbitrary executions.
4.1 Different Economic Systems: 1-Neo Keynesian Economics
Argues for state intervention in the economy to prevent some of the failures of the free market, also argue for greater public spending to protect less sectors of society, this model also defends government regulation of trade and financial markets to prevent bad behavior and also control over working conditions. Neoliberalism: Argues for total liberalization of the economic system, in this ideology they consider the state an obstacle to a free economy. They argue in favor of reducing public spending and directing it towards the economy’s most productive areas.
4.2 Problems with Capitalism:
States: Policies and their decisions are conditioned by multinational corporations. The economy suffers crises. Due to the current global nature of the economy, some of these crises had a global dimension, e.g., the 2008 crisis. Society: Disadvantaged groups suffer the consequences of a decline in public investment in social services. Environment suffers due to production and consumption.
5.1 Diversity Across Societies: Developing Countries: Families:
Usually numerous and fathers command. Women: Have unfair situations, their social role is limited to the home or for working low wages and they are forced to be submissive to their fathers or husbands. Contrast Between Social Classes: Very rich minority which controls resources of wealth and the other population lives in poverty. Consumption and Leisure are limited, they are agricultural societies where the population lacks basic products. Western Societies: Families: are generally small and are different types: nuclear families, single-parent families, families with same-sex parents, and houses with just one person. Women changed. Their role is going stronger and they have full political rights and also they entered the labor market, but they don’t have complete equality. Contrast Between Classes: Upper class small, middle class majority.
5.2 Cultural Diversity
Western model to the world has led cultural conflicts and opposition by certain peoples. The consolidation of multicultural societies in Western countries has resulted from immigration and has led problems like racism, xenophobia, and segregation.
7.1 New Architectural Trends: 1-International Style in Postmodern Architecture:
International style: spread throughout the world at the end of the second world war and led to the generalization of rationalist architecture using geometric forms, hardly any decoration, and curtain walls. Prominent figure: Mies van der Rohe. Postmodern architecture: was developed in 1970 as a reaction of modern architecture. characterized by complexity, a diversity in style, and uses forms and styles of the past with new improvements. Modern Architecture and Its Trends: High-Tech Buildings including technological and industrial components as the decoration of the building architects: Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano. Deconstructivism is characterized by metallic material and irregular fragmented forms.
7.2 New Trends in Sculpture:
Representing objects with the basis who simulate objects using plastic: George Segal and Duane Hanson. Also uses the basis “arte povera” which sees material discarded like cloths. Human figure that artist developed their own style: Constantin Brancusi progressed from figurative to abstract art. Alberto Giacometti made stylized and fragile figures.
6.1 Scientific Advances: Biotechnology:
Beginning 21st century, our DNA was deciphered, with this, it was possible to understand better the origin of some hereditary diseases like cancers and also is possible to produce genetically modified foods and crops. Medicine: Improvements by diagnostic techniques, medicines, and artificial insemination and organ transplants. Physics: advances in energy production, to understand the universe and space exploration