4.6: Student Resources

Key Terms/Glossary

• Civil society: The political space comprising organizations engaged in advocacy and collective action
• Comparative advantage: Specializing in those goods and/or services which can be produced at lower relative cost
• Free trade: Minimizing barriers to the movement of goods and services, often over international borders
• Intergovernmental organization (IGO): An international organization comprising governments as members
• International migration: Movement of people across international borders, forced or voluntary
• International trade: Movement of goods and services over international borders
• Liberal democracy: A political system of representative government in which there is broad enfranchisement of the population and robust liberal institutions such as the rule of law and independent civil society
• Multinational corporation (MNC): Also known as transnational corporations (TNCs), these are privately-owned entities engaged in economic activities in more than one country
• Nation: A group of people with a shared sense of identity, often deriving from a common language, history, faith traditions, foodways, and cultural practices, among other factors
• Neoliberalism: An ideology which draws on classical liberal ideas regarding the value of individual freedoms and extends these globally, with a supportive suite of international institutions and domestic policies
• Protectionism: Promoting policies which reduce the access of international actors to a domestic market, for example raising tariffs (taxes) on imported goods in order to give an advantage to domestic producers
• State: Internationally recognized entity possessing political authority – or sovereign rights – over a territory and its population

Summaries

4.1 Introduction: Politics of Globalization

The politics of globalization involve contestation over material gains and losses as well as deeper values such as national identity and fairness. State (national) governments, civil society, and international organizations all represent powerful, organized actors that shape the trajectory of globalization. All of these groups have influenced policies related to trade, immigration, and finance, among other international topics.

4.2 Background: Reaching the "End of History"

Beginning in the late 1980s, some argued that political globalization was characterized by global convergence around the idea of liberal democracy. However, alternatives to liberal democracy continue to exist and attract followers in the early decades of the Twenty-first Century.

4.3 Theories and Concepts: Competing Visions of the Global Order

Scholars continue to debate various aspects of globalization such as the nature and direction of global political forces. These debates frame globalization as benign versus threatening and contend that the globalizing world is moving in the direction of convergence versus divergence.

4.4 At Home and Abroad: World Society or Rising Nationalism?

There are tensions between nationalism and globalization. While nationalism reflects the attachment of an individual to the particular collective identity of the nation, globalization pushes individuals to embrace a broader sense of self in the world. Some countries, such as the United States, have exhibited strong nationalist movements, which push against the forces of globalization.

Suggestions for further study

Websites:

• Council on Foreign Relations, World101: Globalization
• Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics: Nationalism (Renaud-Philippe Garner)
• US Department of Labor, Bureau of International Labor Affairs, List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor
• V-Dem Institute, Democracy Reports

Documentaries:

• 30 Frames a Second: The WTO in Seattle, a 2000 documentary film by Rustin Thompson on the 1999 anti-globalization protests in Seattle, Washington
• Trump’s American Carnage, a 2022 documentary by PBS Frontline on the populist tactics employed by politician Donald Trump, leading to an armed insurrection on the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2022

Books

• Huntington, S. (1996). The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of the World Order. Yale University Press.
• Fukuyama, F. (1992). The End of History and the Last Man. Free Press.
• Sabanadze, N. (2010). Globalization and Nationalism: The Cases of Georgia and the Basque Country. Central European University Press. https://books.openedition.org/ceup/556

Review Questions

1. Free trade implies:
   1. Trade that is free of cost to exporters
   2. International trade in which countries seek to minimize barriers to the flow of goods and services
   3. Trade which benefits only domestic producers
   4. International trade focused on increasing corporate taxation
2. Liberal democracy comprises all of the following institutions EXCEPT:
   1. Rule of law
   2. Independent media
   3. Civil liberties
   4. Lack of accountability for public officials
3. Debates over the politics of globalization include whether:
   1. The world is moving toward convergence versus divergence
   2. Globalization is ultimately a threatening or benign process
   3. National policies should focus on integration with the global system versus isolation
   4. All of the above
4. All of the following are terms used to describe aspects of globalization EXCEPT:
   1. McWorld
   2. Clash of civilizations
   3. Comecon
   4. Coca-colonization
5. There are tensions between nationalism and globalization because:
   1. Nationalism emphasizes attachment to a narrower national identity rather than embrace of global ideas
   2. Global forces, such as global brands and global media products, are perceived as threatening to national identities
   3. Nationalists fear the loss of distinct national identities to a global system dominated by wealthy liberal democracies
   4. All of the above

Critical Thinking Questions

1. Consider the various views of globalization presented in section 4.3. Which do you find most compelling? Which do you find least convincing? Explain your reasoning and the evidence that you would need to locate to support or refute your selected views. 
2. What are some of the things that a nationalist might find threatening about globalization? Cite specific examples. In what ways are nationalism and globalization compatible?
3. Imagine you were in the room in 2001 when two pie-wielding activists approached the World Bank President. How would you have reacted to the situation? Would you have been an ally of the activists, the World Bank President, both, or neither? Write an op-ed about the event which reveals your own politics regarding globalization.