Globalization

Definition/short description

"Globalization refers to a shift or transformation in the scale of human organization that links distant communities and expends the reach of power relations across the world's regions and continents" (David Held & Anthony McGrew).

"Globalization is the direct consequence of the expansion of European culture across the planet via settlement, colonization and cultural replication... it does not imply that every corner of the planet must become Westernized and capitalist but rather that every set of social arrangements must establish its position in relation to the capitalist West" (Malcolm Waters)

These are just two of the many definitions written about migration. The first one is an objective and standard definition which contains every important element when you talk about migration. It talks about the movement of human organizations and the result. The second definition is subjective and focusses on the extension of the Western culture instead of the movement of people.

In depth

Globalization has to do with the connection and communication of different people and organizations worldwide in the following areas:

• Sociology
• Society
• Economy
• Politics

Sociology

Sociology has to do with the impact of globalization on individuals. Student exchange is an example of how you can experience globalization as an individual, because it connects people all over the world. You can become friends with people all over the world and exchange information about different cultures.

Society

Society is influenced greatly by globalization. Different cultures are being exchanged. As a result the norms and values in a society adjust to the new society which contains a mix of various cultures.

Economy

Globalization has a large impact on the economy. Capitalism needs globalization to exist. The economy nowadays contains a world-wide trading web in which all countries in the world are somehow involved. Everybody, all over the world is connected. Goods can be produced all over the world, to be solved elsewhere.

Politics

Politics can sometimes be influenced by globalization. Globalization means also that states become aware of the governance in other states. If they recognize something which works well in other countries, they might change their own law. China is a good example, the chinese recently allowed people to possess their own property and build their own business.

Globalization results into concrete situations, for example the introduction of new technology all over the world. The relative distance between countries decreases, this means communicating with other areas all over the world becomes easier. The ability of copying, for example, eating habits becomes possible. Globalization has been a popular subject for the last fifteen years. The process was speeded up enormously by internet. However, globalization is not a new process. After World War II large areas in the world had to be rebuilt. The United States, Japan and Western Europe worked together towards a market in which all of them benefited. In the earlier days globalization was not less important. In the 15th century the imperialism caused people to relate to other societies. You could say globalization has always existed.

The relevance of Globalization for Migration and/or Migration Policy

Globalization is an important ingredient for migration. One of the main elements of migration is the movement of people. The more information people know about another country, the shorter the relative distance will be. Globalization enables people to gain information about different countries. Another example how globalization helps people to migrate is by their job. Globalization can mean a company in country 1 will start cooperation with another company in country 2. As a result, employees might be necessitated to migrate. Globalization could either be a migration push factor or a migration pull factor. Either way, globalization can take away many bariers in the process of migration.

Examples

Example: Is America Losing At Globalization? On the last olympics, the United States of America did not achieve to earn the highest amount of gold medals. Not only does this show the USA is not the country with the best athletes, experts say this shows America is losing the number one position in the daily global economy. For more information, please visit: http://www.newsweek.com/id/156343

Example: Globalization suffers first oil shock The oil prices has been increasing for a while. The economies of China and India have been growing because of the globalization. These growing economies leed to a increasing question for oil. For more information, please visit: http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200509/06/eng20050906_206899.html

Sources, further reading, links

• http://www.newsweek.com/id/156343
• http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200509/06/eng20050906_206899.html
• www.investorwords.com/2182/globalization.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globalization
• http://www.globalization101.org
• David Held & Anthony McGrew, Globalization/Anti-Globalization, first edition, Blackwell Publishing, 2002, ISBN 0-7456-2989-X
• Robert K. Schaeffer, Understanding Globalization, second edition, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.inc, 2003, ISBN 0-7425-1998-8
• Malcolm Waters, Globalization, second edition, Routledge, 2001, ISBN 0-415-23854-4

Related Educational Pages

• IPMProject1