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Globalization and Poverty
Globalization and Poverty
For many years, globalization has been embraced by many developed as well as developing countries. This has been largely due to the fact that globalization has been viewed as a historically transformational process that has seen the integration of the world markets, economies, technology among other aspects. The issue as to whether globalization has had an overall positive impact on people’s lives in the developing countries especially those with poor economies has been a field of debate. Poverty has been used as a major indicator in trying to establish the effect of globalization in developing countries. While some developing countries have reaped the positive fruits of globalization, some have seen it as a contributory factor to the increase in poverty levels among people in such countries. Poverty indices from the Federation of St. Kitts in the Caribbean islands supports the argument that globalization can indeed increase poverty.
There are several reasons as to why globalization can cause poverty in developing countries; key among these is the fact that it brings unfair competition from big and well established blue chip multinational companies as they try to establish their businesses in the developing countries. For a country with a small population like St. Kitts, the effect of this competition can be far reaching since these multinationals possess most of the assets hence dominating the market while pushing the domestic companies out of business. This will make the local citizens poor since the major share of their economic activities is controlled by foreigners. In the case of St. Kitts whose economy is controlled by only a few sectors, this has overburdening of the very few economically viable activities available for locals hence majority remaining poor.
Due to the downward pressure on government spending for redistribution and welfare and owing to the fact that governments in underdeveloped countries do not have enough money, less money is spend on the welfare of citizens hence further increasing the poverty index of the country as a whole. This has further been fueled by the fact that international organizations such as the IMF and World Bank usually impose strict guidelines on government so as to reduce on spending, selective social services and private control. These factors put together have led to the increase in poverty levels in St. Kitts Island.
As a result of globalization, there is a widening gap between the rich and the poor in underdeveloped countries. In St.Kitts, there is low level of education and with increasing demand for highly skilled labor in the world market; the few skilled laborers have moved to seek greener pastures in other countries leaving the majority unskilled population unemployed. This has further widened the gap between the rich and the poor which is a major drawback to poverty reduction efforts. Further due to globalization, there has been increased trade between the state and the developed countries; this has phased out local commodities from the market which has in turn left the country with no alternative but top rely on borrowing from the international money lending institutions. Over reliance on foreign borrowing has further deteriorated the economy and hence increasing the poverty levels in this Caribbean state. While it may be tricky to directly attribute poverty increase to globalization, many studies have indicated that the challenges in implementing poverty reduction programs have been associated with globalization.
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Globalization and Its Discontents
Globalization and Its Discontents.
Formal writing assignments:
One of the debates we examine in this course is: Does globalization increase inequalities across countries? Below are two scatter plots we discussed in class. The charts are based on “ HYPERLINK “http://www.iie.com/fischer/pdf/fischer011903.pdf” t “_blank” Globalisation and Its Challenges”. By Stanley Fischer. AEA Papers and Proceedings. American Economic Review, volume 93, number 2, May 2003.
These plots present data supporting different conclusions in this debate. Prepare a 5-7 page, double spaced paper discussing the charts, their interpretation, significance, and what conclusions we can draw from the charts. Your paper should contain the following sections:
Introduction: What is the central question in the debate on inequality and globalization? From the course readings, outline two contrasting theses on the expansion of globalization and the expected effect on global income inequalities. Refer to the Ideologies of Political Economy readings. What are the principal concepts employed by the approaches? How do these approaches explain wealth accumulation and distribution? How do these approaches differ on the processes and consequences of flows in goods, labor, and capital? How is the exchange process defined and with what consequences? How and where does the accumulation of wealth take place in the global economy?
Evidence and Interpreting the Charts: What information is presented in the charts? What are the x and y axis? What are the variables? What do the points (crosses or circles) indicate on the charts?
Chart One: Is there a pattern of the points in the chart? What does the pattern of points in the chart suggest to you? Why does Fischer include a sloped line in the chart? What do we call this and what does it indicate? Which thesis would these data support?
Chart Two: Is there a pattern of the points in the chart? What does the pattern of points in the chart suggest to you? Which thesis would these data support? Why is chart one different than chart two? What additional information has Fischer introduced in chart two? Why does he do this? He does not include a slope in chart two. If the slope were indicated, what would it look like? Does this suggest a different conclusion than chart one? Why?
In both charts, why does Fischer indicate Sub-Saharan countries? What is his purpose in doing this? Does it change the interpretation of the pattern of circles? In chart two, Fischer labels some circles, why does he do this? What point is he making and why is it important? How does Fisher account for these differences? Do the Sub-Saharan African countries form a distinct pattern in the charts? Do these patterns differ from chart one to chart two? What explanations should we consider to explain why the Sub-Saharan African countries form a distinct group in the charts?
Conclusion: Discuss how the evidence in the charts relates to the debates on inequality and globalization. Does the evidence support one interpretation more than another? Why? How would you revise the interpretations to better explain the evidence in the charts? In other words, what additional explanations and evidence would you want to examine in an assessment of the interpretations?
Globalization and International Political economy The Politics of Alternative Futures
Globalization and International Political economy: The Politics of Alternative Futures
Overview
This riveting book focuses on matters concerning globalization, and the politics that are involved, such as multinational firms and pursuing power. Furthermore, it provides evidence regarding how the future world will be affected by networks and coalitions. The latter seeks to promote how people will view the future. The book gives detailed explanations regarding various people and ways through, which they often struggle, in an attempt to make their future secure. Also, it demonstrates the manner, which murderous and non violent groups, are viewed as being resistant (Rupert & Solomon, 2005). The book examines processes such as capitalism and globalization in an international perspective. Moreover, there is mention of struggles and processes that have occurred due to complex politics. The authors believe that people have the ability of changing the image of the twenty first century.
About the Authors
The author Mark Rupert, lecturers as a professor, at the Syracuse University at the department of political science. The other author is Scott Solomon, who works as an assistant professor at the University of South Florida, in the department of International Affairs and Government. Furthermore, he works at the university’s Research Center as a research fellow (Rupert & Solomon, 2005).
Strengths and Weaknesses
The book’s authors have made it be easily read and in a timely manner. One does not feel like that they will not get to finish it on time. Furthermore, the approach is unique, as many globalization books do not follow the same format. Students will gain valuable knowledge after reading all the chapters. The authors have made sure that they carried out in-depth research, as well as provided valuable learning materials. On the other hand, the book disappoints as it does not have many pages. Once one has completed reading, they feel the urge to know what else the authors know concerning the topic. For example, as the book comes to an end, the authors do not give a clear opinion concerning this matter. In turn, the reader does not know where the authors stand. Overall, the book is a must read for people interested in political and globalization matters (Rupert & Solomon, 2005).
Annotated Table of Contents
At the beginning, of the first chapter, a tradition that is scholarly has been used in justifying the theoretical context found in the book. The theoretical framework makes it easy to understand the historic materialism that exists. Discussions concerning contemporary politics are available, and it gives more emphasize on intellectual discussions. In the other chapters, there is mention of globalization and its various fundamentals. A link, which exists between terror, globalization and state power, is expressed. It seems that, in any civil society, which is global, matters concerning class and gender arise. In subsequent chapters, policies that exist in the American market are focused upon. They policies are known to cause political and economic inequalities. At the last chapter in the book, future scenarios are discussed (Rupert & Solomon, 2005).
Length and Format
The book has 192 pages in total, and it is in the English language. Its dimensions are 9x 6.7×0.6 inches, and it only weighs 10.4 ounces. Indeed, it is a book that will be easy to read in a timely manner (Rupert & Solomon, 2005).
References
Rupert, Mark. & Solomon, Scott. (2005). Globalization and International Political economy: The Politics of Alternative Futures. New York: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.