EQ2: What are the impacts of globalisation for countries, groups of people and cultures, and the environment?

Question 1

Why do many economists argue that the twenty-first century will be ‘Asia’s century’?

Answer 1

The global economic centre of gravity has shifted towards Asia in the last 30 years. This is a result of the global shift of industry towards Asia. In particular:

• The shift of manufacturing jobs
• The shift of service and administration jobs

Question 2

What are the benefits of the global shift to Asia?

Answer 2

• Major investment in roads, ports, airports and power infrastructure; China built 11,000 km of new motorways in 2015 alone.
• A shift from informal, insecure employment to waged employment with a set income and some security.
• TNCs invest in training and skills development to improve workforce productivity, and some skills are transferable.
• Major reductions in regional poverty due to employment; some 600 million Chinese were lifted out of poverty between 1992 and 2015.
• As more people in formal employment pay taxes, local and national government invest in public services such as education and health.

Question 3

What are the costs of the global shift to Asia?

Answer 3

• Urban sprawl and loss of productive farmland and forests as industry and cities expand to accommodate industry and worker housing.
• New development tends to be unplanned and sometimes poorly built, lacking key public services.
• Pressure on natural resources, especially water supply as new factories and offices demand resources.
• Low wages, long working hours, lack of union representation and possible exploitation of workers.
• Rapid loss of tradition such as local foods and dress as the pace of urban and industrial change is so rapid.

Question 4

What percentage of the world’s coal is burned in China?

Answer 4

Close to 50%

Question 5

Around what percentage of China’s rivers and lakes are polluted?

Answer 5

Around 50%

Question 6

Around what percentage of China’s groundwater is polluted?

Answer 6

Around 40%

Question 7

What percentage of China is subject to desertification and severe soil erosion?

Answer 7

Over 20%

Question 8

What has the impact been of the desertification and severe soil erosion which China has been subject to?

Answer 8

• Major dust storms
• Combined with deforestation, desertification has forced many farmers off their land and into cities as the farmland has been over-exploited.

Question 9

How many years has air pollution in northern China been estimated to reduce life expectancy by?

Answer 9

Air pollution in northern China has been estimated to reduce life expectancy by nearly five years.

Question 10

What the consequence of global shift been for developed countries?

Answer 10

For developed countries, the global shift has meant deindustrialisation.

Question 11

What social and environmental problems in many former industrial cities in the developed world has economic restructuring caused?

Answer 11

• Declining populations
• High violent crime rates
• Dereliction
• Unemployment

Question 12

What percentage of all land in Glasgow is derelict?

Answer 12

About 4% of all land in Glasgow is derelict; this land is mostly disused factory sites and is often contaminated by industrial waste, making it costly to reuse.

Question 13

What have the connections created by globalisation caused there to be an increase in?

Answer 13

The connections created by globalisation have caused an increase in global migration.

Question 14

What form of migration is the most significant?

Answer 14

Rural-urban migration

Question 15

In developing and emerging countries, what percentage of urban growth is caused by rural-urban migration?

Answer 15

In developing and emerging countries about 60% of urban growth is caused by rural-urban migration.

Question 16

In developing and emerging countries, what percentage of urban growth is caused by high birth rates in cities (internal growth or natural increase)?

Answer 16

In developing and emerging countries about 40% of urban growth is caused by rural-urban migration.

Question 17

What are the social challenges of megacity growth?

Answer 17

• Housing is in short supply, leading to the growth of slums and shanty towns that lack water, sewers and power supplies.
• Poverty is rife because wages are low and jobs are in short supply; many people have dangerous informal jobs.
• Lack of taxes means the city governments struggle to supply essential health and education services.
• Lack of water and sanitation means disease and illness are common in slums.

Question 18

What are the environmental challenges of megacity growth?

Answer 18

• Sprawling slums at the city edge cause deforestation and loss of farmland and increase flood risk.
• Wood fires, old vehicles and industry mean air pollution levels are high.
• Rivers and lakes are polluted with sewage and industrial waste, making health problems worse.
• Critical resources, especially water, are in short supply because of soaring demand.

Question 19

In 2015, what percentage of the UAE’s population was from India?

Answer 19

In 2015, 27% of the UAE’s population was from India.

Question 20

What are the economic benefits of migration for the source country?

Answer 20

Remittances boost the incomes of families

Question 21

What are the economic costs of migration for the source country?

Answer 21

Loss of skilled and educated workers

Question 22

What are the social benefits of migration for the source country?

Answer 22

Contact with a different culture

Question 23

What are the social costs of migration for the source country?

Answer 23

Families are broken up as young males tend to migrate

Question 24

What are the political costs of migration for the source country?

Answer 24

Mass emigration can be viewed as a failure to provide for people at home

Question 25

What are the environmental benefits of migration for the source country?

Answer 25

Reduces pressure on resources if the population is large

Question 26

What are the economic benefits of migration for the host country?

Answer 26

Low wages workers fill skills gaps

Question 27

What are the economic costs of migration for the host country?

Answer 27

Some host population workers can’t get jobs

Question 28

What are the social benefits of migration for the host country?

Answer 28

Migrants can counteract an ageing population

Question 29

What are the social costs of migration for the host country?

Answer 29

Demand for education, health and housing rises

Question 30

What are the political costs of migration for the host country?

Answer 30

Cultural tensions with the migrant population

Question 31

What are the environmental costs of migration for the host country?

Answer 31

Can lead to demand for more housing and therefore loss of greenspace; possible overcrowding

Question 32

What are remittances?

Answer 32

Remittances are the money migrants send back home to help their families in the source country.

Question 33

What is a ‘westernised’ global culture based on?

Answer 33

This culture is based on:

• wealth creation, earning money in order to buy consumer goods and high levels of consumption
• private enterprise, where people own businesses rather than the government owning them
• success, which is measured by how wealthy you are and how much ‘stuff’ you buy
• fashion, technology and trends, which are important in western culture
• an attitude that the physical environment should be exploited for its natural resources to create wealth.

Question 34

What has caused cultural diffusion to spread?

Answer 34

Western culture has spread by cultural diffusion.

Question 35

What factors have caused cultural diffusion to spread?

Answer 35

• Migration brings people into contact with each other.
• Tourism brings people into contact with new cultures.
  TNCs spread their brands and products around the world.
• Global media organisations like Disney, CNN and the BBC spread a western view of world events?

Question 36

Name one health impact of changing diets in Asia.

Answer 36

Rising obesity and diabetes

Question 37

Why are protest groups such as Occupy Wall Street and the Global Justice Movement strongly opposed to globalisation?

Answer 37

Protest groups such as Occupy Wall Street and the Global Justice Movement argue that globalisation has:

• dramatically increased resource consumption through exploiting the natural environment
• exploited workers
• passed political and economic power into the hands of TNCs and uncaring governments, at the expense of ordinary people
• created increased inequality
• caused cultural erosion.