Discussing Globalization

Globalization

• Pros
• o contains seeds of a better future for all the world's people
• o economic prosperity and work for developing countries
• o business opportunities for industrial countries
• Cons
• o wealth creation has become the essential requirement of globalization –
• is this a goal in itself?
• o social goals are being ignored, stand second to financial interests
• o Westernization: gap between rich and poor is widening
• o “survival of the fittest”

Globalization

• Pros
• o major improvements in productivity, innovation, creativity
• o general economic prosperity
• o ecological stability
• o spread of democracy
• o freedom and human rights
• Cons
• o danger to the environment, massive pollution in third-world countries
• (China, India)
• o “outsourcing” of CO2 emissions
• o regional and ethnic tensions about natural resources e.g. clean water
• o biological diversity is destroyed
• o erosion of democracy and fair play through increasing power of
• multinational companies
• o they can no longer be controlled by elected governments
• o corruption

Globalization

• Pros
• o
• shared universal humanity and shared
• profits
• o
• cross-cultural understanding -> less hostility -> fewer wars
• o
• borderless, peaceful world of shared
• universal values
• o
• the world is getting smaller
• o
• world-wide web makes communication
• easier, cheaper
• o
• traveling becomes easier
• o free trade or rather
• fair trade? (so developing countries can benefit, too)
• Cons
• o trade barriers still exist: e.g. subsidies in agriculture of rich
• countries keep developing countries away from the world market

Globalization

• Pros
• o
• homogenous and largely commercial
• culture
• o
• music, fashion, food, world-wide
• style culture
• homogenous continents
• Cons
• o
• erosion of national cultures,
• massive immigration, migration
• o
• McDonald’s, Starbucks, Hollywood,
• Disneyland, Levi’s, Coca Cola, Pepsi, pop music…
• o
• Americanization
• o
• the introduction of new species on
• new land masses/continents leads to the extinction of domestic species
• o
• evolution has proceeded
• independently
• o
• moving plants and animals around the
• earth (via ships and planes) leads to a reduction of the number of species over
• time
• o
• invasive species: e.g. cats,
• rabbits, Himalayan Balsam (Indisches
• /Japanisches Springkraut, touch-me-not)
• homogenizer of
• continents