EQ2 What are the impacts of globalisation for countries, different groups of people and cultures and the physical environment? Flashcards
What is the ‘Global Shift’?
The international relocation of different types of industries
- stems from a combination of off-shoring, outsourcing and new business start ups
What 3 unethical economic practices are common in early-industrialising nations?
- Dangerous working conditions
- Child Labour
- Highly unequal pay between genders
What impacts has globalisation had on poverty reduction and waged work?
- 1bn have escaped $1.25 per day poverty since 1990
- ‘new global middle class’ growing mass of urban workers who’ve escaped rural poverty
- 3bn middle-class people in Asia by 2030
What impacts has globalisation had on education and training?
-2500 universities in China, India and South Korea
- China awarded 30k PhD’s in 2012
- Asian countries crucial in quaternary sectors (biotech and medical science)
However, Illiteracy problems remain in rural India/Bangladesh
What impacts has globalisation had on Environment and resource pressure?
- Forested land lost to urbanisation (Nigeria forest halved since 1990)
- ‘Commodities Supercycle’ (1990-2008) for raw materials (e.g soy beans, iron ore)
However, pressure has reduced in line with reduced demand (economic growth in China has halved since 2008)
What impacts has globalisation had on infrastructure?
-Rapid Transport (motorways, high-speed rail, airports etc.)
- High rise development in city centres
- Loss of recreational space
- Loss of traditional settlements (Mumbai Dharavi slum prime for redevelopment)
Why was India targeted for outsourcing by UK and US businesses?
- Many Indian citizens are fluent English speakers - comparative advantage
- High Broadband capacity in Bangalore, a tech hub
What are some of the benefits of India’s operation as a call centre hub?
- Earn good middle-class wages by Indian standards
- purchasing power seen by growth in shopping malls
- Highly Profitable outsourcing companies
- Infosys revenue $9bn in 2015
What are some of the costs of India’s operation as a call centre hub?
- Workers feel exploited
- Highly repetitive and tedious work
- have to deal with time zone differences
- sometimes 10hr shifts, 6 days a week
- Wealth gap increased
-More billionaires than the UK
- More in absolute poverty than all of Africa
By how what percentage did extreme poverty fall in China from 1990-2005
60%
How has outsourcing changed through the decades in China
1990s: ‘Workshop of the world’ - Victorian living conditions
2000s: wage increases up to 65% - following worker strikes (Honda, Carlsberg etc.)
2010s: Strategic Planning to grow the ‘hi-tech’ market - less throwaway goods
Where have many sweatshops marketing ‘throw-away’ goods relocated to?
Bangladesh - Labour costs remain much lower
What are the costs of China’s ‘Workshop of the World’ status?
Dangerous Conditions
- 2500 metal workers lost a limb/finger per year
Environmental Damage
- life expectancy reduced by 5 years due to air pollution in cities
What are the benefits of China’s ‘Workshop of the World’ status?
Higher living standards
- car ownership up from 1% in 2000 to 20% now
Domestic firms starting to grow
- local companies adopt technologies brought by TNCs (e.g Xiaomi)
What environmental factor is a key driver for TNCs when looking for locations to outsource?
Strictness of environmental governance
- this allows them to produce however they choose; not being forced to abide by environmental laws
- high income nations have well funded bodies, (e.g UK Environment Agency) to monitor industrial operations
How has the global shift affected developed countries?
Western factories closed as Asia became the focus of global manufacturing.
- Inner city unemployment soared in places such as Sheffield and Baltimore
- ‘switched off’ communities arose, with little contribution to the global economy
What 4 challenges, posed by the global shift, are faced in developed nations?
- High unemployment
- Detroit yet to replace jobs following collapse of automobile industry - Crime
- ‘switched off’ areas less able to access legitimate global flows, turning to illegal global flows (drug/people trafficking) - De-population
- Detroit has lost 1m residents since 1950
- ‘white flight’ has re-ignited racial tensions in places such as Baltimore - Dereliction
- living environment declines in quality due to abandonment, crime and low house prices
What is de-industrialisation?
The decline of regionally important manufacturing industries
- can be characterised by falling output and reduced workforce numbers
What is an internal migrant?
Someone who relocates inside the borders of a country
- this is often rural-urban in emerging economies
- However, the inverse occurs in developed nations as wealthy people seek the countryside
What is urbanisation?
An increase in the proportion of people living in urban areas
What is an economic migrant?
Migrant who’s primary motivation is to seek employment
- could be for better pay, more regular pay, promotion or change in career entirely
What is a refugee?
People who are forced to flee their homes due to persecution
What are intervening obstacles?
Barriers to migration (e.g political borders/physical features)
What is Natural Increase?
The difference between birth rate and death rate
- developing megacities often high rate of natural increase - due to large proportion of young working adults
What level did global urbanisation pass in 2008, and what is the projection for 2050?
50% in 2008, 75% by 2050
- the majority of people now live in urban areas
How many internal and international migrants are there?
750M internal (1/3 Chinese rural-urban migrants)
250M international
- Most of these are economic migrants
What is the global total of displaced people?
110M
Conflicts - such as those in the Middle East and Ukraine - massively boosted numbers in last decade
What is a megacity defined as?
A city with 10M or more inhabitants
How many megacities are there in 2024, and how has this changed from 1970?
34 in 2024, just 3 in 1970
What are 2 urban pull factors?
- FDI provides more work opportunities
- More regular pay
- Opportunity for promotions - Better Education and Healthcare
- increased life expectancy
- more attractive for families to set up a life
What are some rural push factors?
- Population growth
- not enough jobs for those who need them - Land reforms
- laws on land ownership, TNCs moving in and cash crop demands - Growth of Global Agribusinesses
- introduction of modern tech makes farmers redundant - Resource Scarcity
How does ‘shrinking world’ technology contribute to rural-urban migration?
Rural Inhabitants are ‘switched on’ to the outside world
- More accessible technology (satellites, TV and Radio, Mobiles)
- Better transport links (Trans-Amazon Highway)
What is Centripetal Migration?
Movement of people directed towards the centre of urban areas
- causes people to live in municipal dumps, floodplains, cemeteries and dangerous hill slopes
Where are informal settlements often built?
On the fringes of the urban area
What do environmental policies, such as the UK’s Green Belt, aim to do?
Restricts building outwards on the suburban fringes of cities, on greenfield land
- Instead promotes high density development in the inner city, on brownfield land, as a more effective option to meet housing needs
What is a brownfield site?
Abandoned or derelict urban land with industrial/commercial previous uses
How many live in Mumbai and where do most internal migrants come from?
-Urban area population of 22M
-Most migrants coming from rural states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar
What are examples of global brands in Mumbai?
Hilton and Starbucks
What affluent area in Mumbai is home to Bollywood stars and Billionaire managers of TNCs?
Altamount Road
How many are employed in plastic recycling industries in the Dharavi slum?
5000
- Rising land prices have increased pressure for the area to be redeveloped
How many people live in Karachi and where do most internal migrants come from?
- 24M (2nd largest megacity after Tokyo)
- Rural areas such as Sindh and Punjab
What are prominent sectors in Karachi?
Shipping, banking, retailing and manufacturing
Skilled graduates from Karachi’s universities have helped it become a global hub for what industry?
Media and Software
- Geo TV and CNBC are based in the city
What 2 types of pollution need to be managed to ensure sustainable megacity growth?
- Water Pollution from untreated sewage
- Air Pollution from Industry and exhausts
What social concerns need to be addressed to ensure sustainable megacity growth?
- Unsafe Housing due to poor regulation
- Lack of Education/Healthcare
- High Youth unemployment (25% in Cairo)
- Rise of Extremist movements
- Affordablehousing in developed nations
What is a Global Hub?
A highly globally-connected city; or the home region of a large, globally-connected community
What 3 types of population movement have led to the growth of global hubs?
- Elite international migrants
- Low-waged international migrants
- Internal (rural-urban) migration
What are elite international migrants?
Highly skilled/socially influential individuals. Their wealth derives from their profession or inherited assets.
- some are ‘global citizens’ with homes across the world
- often welcomed by governments
What are low-waged international migrants?
Those drawn in their masses to a global hub, hoping to fill gaps in low skill employment
- many do so illegally
- work on construction sites, kitchens or as cleaners
What are the positives of elite migrants living in London?
- Invest in businesses and property - stimulating wider economic growth and regeneration
- Increased diversity and culture spreading
- Invest in environmental schemes
What are the negatives of elite migrants living in London?
- Increased pressure for luxury developments - relocating local residents/businesses
- Vacant properties due to ‘global citizens’ with many other homes
- Higher inequality across the city (e.g Mayfair and Tower Hamlets)
- Private transportation damages the environment (cars congest, private jets release CO2)
What are the positives of low wage migrants working in Qatar?
- Fills gaps in undesirable low wage employment (e.g construction, hospitality)
- Remittances support families back home (make up 10% of Bangladesh’s GDP)
- More diverse population
What are the negatives of low wage migrants working in Qatar?
- Exploitation of Labour (poor conditions, no legal protection, non-payment issues)
- Difficult to integrate (language barriers, religion etc.)
- Poor Housing standards (overcrowding, poor sanitation)
- Strain on natural resources due to rapid population influx
What is cultural imperialism?
The practice of promoting/forcing the culture of one nation onto another.
- Often occurs from a larger more powerful nation, onto a smaller less affluent one
What is soft power?
The global influence a country holds as a result of its culture or political values
- Unlike cultural imperialism, no force is involved
(The USA - Hollywood, Harvard, Microsoft and NBA)
What are components of cultural traits?
Religion, Language, Traditions, Food, Clothing
How have TNCs influenced a ‘global culture’?
They offer uniform products globally, creating a common culture of consumerism
- ‘Glocalisation’ can also be an effective strategy
What are examples of a ‘Global culture’ in the form of Media?
- Disney has exported stories of superheroes and princesses
- Western festivals of Halloween and Christmas feature in films
- The BBC has a World Service radio station
How has Migration and tourism influenced a ‘Global culture’?
- Imperial Europeans spread languages and customs across the globe
- Tourists increasingly demand familiar amenities when visiting abroad
What manifestation of a global culture (in the form of language) has emerged and is spoken by over 4bn people?
Globish - form of basic English consisting of around 1500 words
- this is due to English being a global language of commerce, technology and education, owed to colonial strength and superpowers such as the USA
What are the main arguments against ‘hyperglobalisation’?
- Dissolution of languages and cultures
- Environmental degradation - due to unsustainable economic growth
What are the main arguments for ‘hyperglobalisation’?
- Global culture values equality, greater freedoms and reduced discrimination
What are examples of opposition to globalisation from 1) France and 2) China
- 40% of all television output must consist of French productions
- ‘Great Firewall of China’ prevents users from BBC and Facebook services
What special recognition was introduced in 1972 by the UN to protect places with cultural/physical significance?
UNESCO World Heritage Site
