Judging by the frequency at which we every day encounter the multinational look of various issues, it is fit to state that the world economy has gone global. This is well characterized by the increased movement of people, cash, services rendered, exchange of information as well as the prevalence of different cultures across the international borders. The effect is a trend towards living in a world with no defined borders. By simple definition, globalization is used to refer to a tendency towards increased economic reliance between nations as characterized by the rise in transactions carried out across the national borders. The term has however in certain cases been hijacked to referring to international networks especially those dealing with acting in favor of human rights, those focusing on environmental issues, and those fighting for the rights of females. According to an article that appeared in Globaleducation.com, although this international reliance and exchange has been there for quite some time now, the recent past has seen the escalation of these aspects, a phenomenon that can be attributed to advancement in technology and various methodologies that have aided the citizens in various countries to a gap in the difference of many subdivisions.
Without a doubt, the fact that globalization is fast taking shape is well understood. Some people however argue that putting a check to its spreading is a solution to acceptance of globalization as inevitable. They, therefore, advocate for a reasonable amount of resistance aimed at stopping the widespread of globalization. A critical approach should be accorded to the process of attempting to fight globalization which would address critical questions resulting from stopping the same. There is a need to find out exactly who stands to benefit and who loses from the termination of the same. The issue of how to handle problems that require a multinational corporation to solve should also be addressed. Despite all the evidence pitched against the globalization process, “the numerous benefits that Globalization has brought cannot be ignored” (D’Anieri 243).
A benefit that has truly seen a positive effect of globalization is the rate at which those nations that have endorsed an international outlook in terms of doing business have registered a significant increase. Countries that carefully interact with other countries have seen fast and steady development as opposed to those that remain reserved. Statistics show that those economies which have a global outlook continue to develop at approximately 2.5 percent higher as compared to those that remain opposed to globalization. According to Healy’s article in ZMagazine, a high economic growth rate resulting from an endorsement of globalization places a nation in a better position to raise the standards of living of the citizens as well significantly putting a decrease to the poverty levels. Globalization has meant that in terms of doing business internationally, the cost of importation of the goods is kept low as well as presenting the nation with a wide array of goods. The obvious resultant from this is the increased competition which has, in turn, meant improved efficiency and quality of production (11).
As a country enjoys the benefit of wealth resulting from global trading, the quality of the health care facilities is improved allowing the citizens access to better sanitation and hygienic conditions resulting from improved health facilities and access to hygienic uncontaminated water. The result of this is a reduced rate of premature deaths. Globalization has meant that the overall revenue of a country goes up and the obstacles to investment are eliminated hence speeding up the economical growth in many countries. Globalization has brought various countries in the world together in the quest for finding a lasting solution for the environmental problem. Environmental awareness has of late been a subject of discussion in many countries in a bid to launch a quest for using energy sources that cause less pollution in terms of carbon emissions. The other reason is geared towards providing those countries with scarce resources with alternative sources of energy.
Political wrangles, as well as a financial downturn, are two factors that at some point in time are subjects of concern to every nation. With globalization, these disputes have found a perfect method of resolving them in the formation of institutions that operate globally such as WTO as well as the Worlds Bank. These institutions have also been vibrant in resolving wrangles that involve two or more governments by the use of well-structured rules as opposed to intimidation of minor economies by the more developed ones. The relative calm enjoyed as a result of intervention by these global organizations is vital in minimizing the occurrences of cases of terrorism which is a major threat to any country. By recognizing the importance of also having NGO’s that have a global outlook “it should be possible to join hands to advance the same objectives more deeply through the design of appropriate governance” (Bhagwati 43).
An irreversible aspect that continues to inspire globalization is the development of technology. Modern innovations have improved the technology to such levels that information sharing globally has been made possible and the cost of communicating relatively reduced. Other aspects that have been effectively improved by development in technology are the manner of doing business between countries as well as handling medical emergencies. Learning has also been facilitated by technological innovations with the possibility of acquiring a degree in a long-distance form of learning now being made possible. The internet is possibly the biggest boost to the technological interventions and there seem to be no signs of it ever going away or being phased out any time soon. This only makes reversing globalization a harder task for those who feel it is possible.
As a result of improved technological advancements, communication means have been modernized making it possible for information around the globe to spread far and wide. As news is transferred in a wide spectrum and within a short duration, information about oppressive and dictatorial regimes and exposed leading to the development of democratic rules around the world. Globalization has had a significant impact on the way workers are treated in the workplace. Companies with an international outlook have switched to adopting standardized labor laws that are acceptable in multiple countries. The amount of wages paid to the workers has also been standardized across several countries. An example is a way international companies such as Coca-Cola and IBM have adopted fairness in terms of their labor laws and employee income across the globe. This caters to the exploitation of workers that would otherwise be prevalent if there were attempts to block globalization.
Globalization has opened up international borders allowing people to migrate to foreign countries. People of diverse cultures, therefore, get to interact in the course of going about their business. The result is recognition, understanding, and appreciation of the diversity of the cultures. There is therefore a harmonized state of existence among the residents leading to improved democracy as well as recognition of human rights. Through transacting business globally, for example, countries have accepted to have a language that is uniting to all resulting in the widespread use of English which is now used by around 20% of the world population. In the case of attempts to reverse democracy, all this would be lost leading to segregation and discrimination along the different cultural lines. “The more you understand the cultural ways of other countries, the better the bond you have with that country” (Holzman 5).
D’Anieri in his book notes that as a result of globalization the countries have been able to identify the common problems that are facing them. One such problem that has warranted international collective response is the issue of the environment. Through various forums between nations, it has been discovered that environmental problems such as global warming, loss of forest cover, overpopulation, and ozone layer weakening have all been found to be caused by a collective responsibility between countries. Through several conventions held around the globe, leaders have resolved to collectively reverse the situation with the latest planned to be the Copenhagen Convention planned to take place in December 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark. This would otherwise have not occurred if globalization was to be reversed and the devastating effects that would result in terms of climatic changes would be unimaginable.
In conclusion, globalization has served to improve the interrelatedness between nations which has proven to be of many benefits. Ideas, cultures, and information have been shared between nations thus enabling improvement of ties between various countries as well as standardization of ways of life. It is with much confidence therefore that I state that the process of globalization is truly inevitable. Attempts to reverse the process can have far and reaching implications that would be difficult to reverse. Stork in his article appreciates that the benefits of globalization clearly outweigh the reasons for stopping it.
Works Cited
Bhagwati, Jagdish. In Defense of Globalization. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.
D’Anieri, Paul. International Politics: Power and Purpose in Global Affairs. Florence, KY: Cengage Learning, 2009.
“Globalization” Globaleducation.com. 2009. Web.
Healy, Sean. “Is Globalization Inevitable?” ZMagazine 5.3 (2001): 11-12.
Holzman, M. “Globalization Supporting Comparative Advantage in Economies”. 2006.
Storck, Thomas. “Is Globalization Inevitable?” 71.6 (2004): 3-8.