BACKGROUND

Globalization is the process of increasing global connections and interactions. The term "globalization"
first appeared in the early 20th century, replacing an earlier French word, "mondialisation." Its meaning,
however, evolved throughout the 20th century and became widely used in the 1990s, especially after the
end of the Cold War. Globalization has roots that go back to the 18th and 19th centuries, driven by
advances in transportation and communication technologies. The improvement of these technologies
allowed people, goods, and ideas to move across the world more easily, which led to the growth of
international trade and cultural exchange. While globalization is mostly an economic process, involving
trade and business connections, it is also deeply connected to social and cultural changes. As people
from different parts of the world interact more, they share beliefs, ideas, and cultural practices, which
influences societies everywhere. Globalization is also affected by political events, disputes, and
international diplomacy, which continue to shape how countries interact with one another. In short,
globalization began as a way to describe the increasing worldwide connections and has grown over time
due to technological advancements, international trade, and the sharing of cultures. It is a process that
affects economies, societies, and global relations.Globalization is a process which keeps on increasing;
may decrease for a while but it never ends and it cannot be stopped. •Human beings cannot live in
isolation. •They interact with each other; help one another and share knowledge and experiences with
each other. Some indicators are highly in favor of growth in globalization in future. •Technology seems to
be irreversible and there are new technological inventions, like smart phones, which facilitates social
integrations.Tweeter, Facebook and other social media sites also facilitated social interaction.
Globalization is a process that has deep historical roots. While many people think of it as a modern
phenomenon, some scholars trace its origins back much further, even to ancient times, such as the third
millennium BCE. However, large-scale globalization began in the 1820s and grew rapidly in the late 19th
and early 20th centuries, connecting the economies and cultures of different parts of the world. The
term "global city" was introduced by sociologist Saskia Sassen in 1991 in her book The Global City: New
York, London, Tokyo, highlighting the role certain cities play in the global economy. In 2000, the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) identified four key areas of globalization: trade and transactions,
movement of capital and investment, migration and movement of people, and the spread of knowledge.
Globalization impacts many aspects of life, including business, economics, social and cultural resources,
and even the environment. It is often broken down into three main areas: economic globalization
(focused on trade and finance), cultural globalization (the spread of ideas and culture), and political
globalizationBetween 1990 and 2010, globalization accelerated quickly, largely due to advances in
information and communication technology, which made it cheaper and easier to communicate globally.
Additionally, trade policies became more open, and manufacturing shifted to countries with lower costs,
especially China. In essence, globalization has evolved over centuries, and in recent decades,
technological advancements and changes in trade and manufacturing have played major roles in shaping
it.

DEFINATION

Gloalization is the process of increasing interdependence and integration among the economies,
markets, societies, and cultures of different countries worldwide. This is made possible by the
reduction of barriers to international trade, the liberalization of capital movements, the
development of transportation, and the advancement of information and communication
technologies. According to Albrow (1990), globalization refers to •“all those processes by which the
people of the world are incorporated into a single world society”.McGrew (1992) stated: Globalization
constitutes a multiplicity of linkages and interconnections that transcend the nation states (and by
implication the societies) which make up the modern world system. •It defines a process through which
events, decisions and activities in one part of the world can come to have a significant consequence for
individuals and communities in quite distant parts of the globe.Jones (1995) suggested •“globalization
may simply be an intensification of the process of international interdependence, a function of the
growth of competition in an international free trade system intensified by the diffusion of
technology”.Hebron & Stack (2013) defined globalization as •“the further development of the process
initiated over many centuries, reflected in the trade expansion, exploration, conquest, migration,
colonization, technological advancement, and so on that have taken place throughout world history”

DIMENION OF GLOBALIZATION

Preceding definitions revealed that globalization is comprised of multiple dimensions. •These

dimensions include economic, political, cultural and social.other important factors like political, cultural
and social factors.So, from one aspect, globalization represents unstoppable and relentless economic
force which integrated national markets, financial services, labor and firms on an unprecedented scale.
•This aspect can be characterized by unrestricted and massive flow of financial information, capital,
goods and services in virtually every part of the world.Other aspect focuses on the capacity and
sovereignty of states in the era of globalization. •Yet another aspect conceptualize globalization as
entanglement of diverse culture and social structures.•There are three main dimensions, economic,
political and socio-economic.

Economic Gloalization

Economic globalization is the growing connection between national economies, driven by the increased
movement of goods, services, technology, and capital across borders. It leads to a global market, where
businesses operate worldwide, and products are sourced from different countries to take advantage of
lower costs and better quality. Globalization also combines different markets into one large global
marketplace. This trend is mainly driven by developed countries working with less developed ones
through investments, trade agreements, and immigration. International standards, like the shipping
container system, have made trade more efficient and cheaper. Multinational corporations operate in
multiple countries and control production in more than one location. A free-trade area is a group of
countries that agree to reduce trade barriers, such as tariffs, to encourage easier trade. The European
Union is an example of a free-trade area with policies allowing the free movement of people, goods, and
services within its member countries. Global trade in services, like India’s outsourcing industry, also plays
a major role in economic growth. Theories of globalization, such as William I. Robinson’s, suggest that
since the 1980s, production has become more fragmented, with goods being made in different
countries, which further connects the global economy.
Contemporary economic globalization is a result of gradual emergence of international economic order
which started from economic conference held at the end of World War II in Bretton Woods,
England.•Major economic powers of global North reversed their interwar (1918-1939) policy of
protectionism. America and England played leading role in the success of that conference. Other than
reaching towards consensus on increasing international trade, these countries also agreed on
establishing binding rules of international activities. •Bretton Wood’s conference laid foundation for the
establishment of other important international organizations like IMF, World Bank and World Trade
OrganizationInternational Monetary Fund was established to handle international monetary systems.
•Similarly, World Bank was created to facilitate loan facility for the reconstruction of post-war Europe, its
scope was expanded to provide loan for developing countries of the world. •General agreement on
tariffs and trade was established to cater the problems of international trade in 1947 which was
converted into World Trade Organization in 1995. Economic globalization refers to “the intensification
and stretching of economic interrelations across the globe”.Economic globalization refers to the
progressive “networking” of national market economies into a single, tightly interconnected global
political economy whose accumulation and distribution of resources are increasingly governed by
neoliberal principles-emphasizing the role the market while minimizing governmental involvement in
economic matters”. although there are restrictions on trades:

Restrictions (50%)

Hidden Import Barriers(21%)

Mean Tariff Rate(29%)

Taxes on International Trade (percent of current revenue)(25%)

Political Gloalization

Political globalization refers to the growing global political system, which includes national governments,
international organizations, and non-governmental groups like charities and social movements. This
process reduces the importance of individual nations and increases the influence of other political
actors. Political globalization involves managing international issues, including trade, through a global
system. In political science, "intergovernmentalism" refers to the idea that national governments play
the main role in regional cooperation, while "multi-level governance" suggests that different levels of
authority—both domestic and international—interact in global politics. Some people now hold multiple
citizenships, meaning they are considered citizens of more than one country. Non-governmental
organizations (NGOs), such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, are becoming more influential in
shaping global policies, especially in areas like humanitarian aid and development. These organizations
are blending business and charity to address global issues, with significant private philanthropic funding
flowing to developing countries. In response to globalization, some countries, like North Korea, have
adopted isolationist policies, limiting foreign influence and restricting the movement of people and aid
within their borders. some evidence of political gloalization are :

i.Embassies in Country [25%]

ii.Membership in International Organization (28%)

iii.Participation in U.N. Security Council Missions (22%)

iv.International Treaties (25%)

Socio-Cultural Globalization

Talking about economic and political globalization may represent a part of the story as globalization is
not comprised of economic/political process only but affected by social and cultural spheres, where
people confront major shifts.Giddens (1990) tried to define social aspect of globalization as,
•“worldwide social relations which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped
by events occurring many miles away and vice versa”.•Similarly cultural globalization refers to, “the
intensification and expansion of cultural flows across the globe”Social globalization includes three
aspects which are

•personal contact, •information flows and •cultural proximity

i) Data on Personal Contact [39%]

–Telephone Traffic (26%) –International Tourism (26%) –Foreign Population (percent of

total population) (20%) –International letters (per capita) (26%)

ii) Data on Information Flows (34%)

–Internet Users (per 1000 people) (36%) –Television (per 1000 people) (36%) Trade in
Newspapers (percent of GDP) (28%)

iii) Data on Cultural Proximity (32%)

–Number of McDonald’s Restaurants (per capita) (37%) –Trade in books (percent of GDP) (24%)

People to people interaction facilitated by immigration and tourism, cultural exchange, information
flows, technology dissemination and exchange of ideas through the medium of radio, TV channels,
newspapers, telephone, and internet helped in disseminating new idea from developed to less
developed countries and this idea dissemination helped in more social and cultural integration.On the
positive end, an accelerated march towards homogeneous culture where linguistic, ethnic and racial
differences are washed away, will leads towards institutionalized, modernized and rationalized global
culture. This kind of social arrangement may cause a true transnationalism and give rise to more
peaceful and tolerate world order.But according to a contrary perspective, homogeneous culture
predominated by western as well as American values and symbols threaten the cultural
identities.•Therefore, globalization proves a challenge for authentic culture communities through the
power of expanding interchange of values, norms, identities, ideas and self-conception. However, some
people worry that globalization can reduce cultural diversity. As powerful countries, especially Western
ones, influence others, local cultures may be overshadowed. This is sometimes called "Americanization"
or "Westernization." Despite this, countries like China have become major exporters of cultural goods,
showing the growing influence of non-Western cultures.

Transculturalism refers to mixing elements from different cultures, and people from such backgrounds
are called "third-culture kids." Overall, cultural globalization is a complex process that changes how we
share and experience culture worldwide.

PHASES

Phase 1

The process of economic integration accelerated in 1989/90 with the fall of Berlin Wall. Until then, only
west had actively participated and process developed with a slower pace. After this historical event, a
wave of globalization came. Soviet Union has opened up trade, •China has speeded up its reforms,
•India and Latin America has changed the policy of import substitution, common market and currency of
European countries was created, NAFTA was established, •GATT was completed and resultantly world
was moving towards trade liberalization and free flow of capital.

Phase 2

First phase euphoria ended in 1994/95 with Mexico crisis. •Mexico had to take multi-billion dollar loan
from IMF to escape from insolvency caused by short term capital. •This crisis effect spilled over to US,
Europe, Portugal and Spain. Situation was calmed down soon and a new wave of globalization started.In
Asia, Indonesia and Thailand enjoyed rapid growth. •The process was disturbed again in 1997/98 due to
capital flight from emerging markets like Asia, South Korea, Russia and Latin America. •But situation was
again ebbing rapidly. •A new story of digitalization and networks started and gave boom to globalization.

Phase 3

All hopes of developments from boom of 1990s seemed to be symbolic. •Terrorist attack in New York
and Washington DC in September 2011 resulted in market crash and USA started an endless war on
terror with the help of few EU member states and Russia.After all these happenings, still world did not
come across any big crisis. World economy again approached towards boom and reached highest world
growth of 5% where China and India were able to achieve 10% & 8% growth respectively during this
period. •Although world has enjoyed increased growth but benefits of globalization may not be equal
and for all. A question of equitable distribution of wealth was a big question mark for the
economists.There was a historic distortion in the process of globalization in 2007 due to credit crisis
which caused the virtual break down of banking industry. •Credit crisis gave birth to many other
problems ranging from food shortage, hunger to dramatic increase in prices.

Phase 4

Muller (2010) in his article “Phase 4 of globalization” has predicted fourth phase of globalization, in
which he predicted some situations like slower growth ahead, political destabilization and diffusion of
power. •He also suggested some remedies including work, thrift, creating solidarity, openness,
cooperation, originality.
 SUPPORT AND CRITICS

Reactions to Globalization:

· Reactions to globalization vary, with different beliefs about its benefits and drawbacks.

· Supporters see it as a way to promote economic growth and development, benefiting society.

· Critics view it as harmful, focusing on issues like social inequality, sustainability, and the negative
cultural impacts of imperialism and colonialism.

Xenophobia:

· Globalization brings people from different cultures together, but it can lead to xenophobia,
which is the fear of things perceived as foreign.

· Xenophobia can cause distrust, aggression, and a desire to protect one’s own culture.

Critiques of Globalization:

· Some criticize globalization for its negative impact on the environment, social cohesion, and
human well-being.

· They argue that traditional measures of success, like GDP, don’t consider inequality or happiness.

· They also point to unintended consequences like social breakdown, environmental harm,
poverty, and rising tensions between ethnic groups.

Globalization and Democracy:

· While globalization has spread Western-style democracy, it has also led to more inter-ethnic
violence and tensions.

· The mix of free market policies and democracy has sometimes led to militarization and conflict.

Pope Francis’ View:

· In 2019, Pope Francis expressed support for globalization in a speech, saying it should celebrate
unity while respecting the identity of each people.

· He emphasized that globalization should not erase cultural identities but should bring people
together in harmony.

Globalization and Different Theorists

i. Totalitarian states attempted to make the political community absolute. Liberaldemocratic states
recognize that their citizens value their membership of many communities alongside the nation-state.

ii. Some liberals have argued that globalization promises a new era of peace between the great powers.
This is a condition in which more cosmopolitan political communities may develop.

iii. Many realists have argued that the war on terror and the renewed risk of nuclear proliferation
indicate that globalization will not alter the basic features of world politics.

iv. Huntington's notion of the Clash of Civilizations challenged the idea that globalization will lead to a
world moral and political consensus.

v. Cosmopolitan approaches which envisage an international system in which all individuals are
respected as equal have flourished in the contemporary phase of globalization.

vi. Communitarians argue that most people value their membership of a particular political community;
they are unlikely to shift their loyalty from the nation-state to the human race.

vii. Post-structuralists argue that all forms of political community contain the danger of domination or
exclusion.

Globalization and Nationalism

i. Globalization and fragmentation are two phenomena that challenge traditional conceptions of
community and citizenship.

ii. Ethnic fragmentation is one reason for the failed state in Europe as well as in the Third World, but
demands for the recognition of cultural differences exist in all political communities.

iii. Globalization theorists have defended cosmopolitan democracy on the grounds that national
democracies are unable to influence the global forces which affect them.

iv. The apex of nationalism in relations between the great powers occurred in the first half of the
twentieth century.

v. Nationalism remains a powerful force in the modern world but globalization and fragmentation have
led to discussions about the possibility of new forms of political community.