Globalisation Flashcards
Global shift, migration, culture, development and responses
What is a diaspora?
A scattered population caused by migration
How could migration potentially affect a country’s services?
Large-scale migration can cause a sudden population increase and services like education, housing and healthcare cannot keep up.
Example of a world leader who has been opposed to immigration
Donald Trump
One of his first executive orders was a so-called ‘Muslim ban’ and 60,000 visas were revoked
UK political movement which wants to limit immigration
Rise of UKIP - received 12.2% of the vote in the UK general election 2015
Many voted for Brexit as they believed EU freedom of movement was allowing too much immigration
Tension against globalisation example: First Nations
The First Nations are indigenous people in Canada, they resist the move to turn the Jumbo Valley into a ski resort
Ktunaxa Nation (indigenous people) oppose their land being developed and they want to preserve it to ensure sustainability
Censorship definition
Limiting what media the population of a country is able to see or access
How is censorship used in China?
The government has banned most western social media platforms and replaced them with their own ones, which they can track.
For example, instead of WhatsApp they have WeChat
Why does China use censorship to limit globalisation?
They want to limit foreign culture that their citizens are exposed to, so they don’t become ‘westernised’ and are more loyal to China
How many foreign films does the Chinese government allow to be shown in China each year?
34
as of 2012
What is a tariff?
A tax that is paid on imports and exports into a country
What is a quota?
A limit on the number of a good that can be exported into a country each year
3 ways a country can control globalisation
- Censorship
- Limiting migration
- Trade protectionism
What is sustainability?
The ability to meet the needs of a current generation without compromising the needs of future generations
What is localism?
Buying food from local producers in order to reduce food miles and carbon emissions.
What are transition towns?
Towns which have localism schemes in place in order to promote sustainability
Example of a transition town and schemes they introduced
‘Totnes pound’ could only be spent in the town and encouraged economic sustainability through cumulative causation.
By buying local produce, food miles are reduced, being more environmentally sustainable.
Drawbacks of localism
- Local produce is often more expensive than imported goods (due to less worker exploitation)
- Arguably more sustainable to import tropical fruits than using lots of electricity to create an artificial environment to grow them in the UK
What is Fairtrade?
An NGO which aims to ensure that workers are paid a fair share for their work in developing countries.
What is ethical consumption?
The practice of only buying sustainably/ethically sourced products
How does the UK government enforce recycling?
By fining local councils who throw away too much waste
What are some issues with recycling?
- Research shows 2/3 people are not sure whether they are using the correct bin for recycling
- It is up to people how much they recycle. While it can be encouraged, nobody can be forced to recycle.
- Recycling is a costly process which requires lots of energy (which may involve burning fossil fuels)
NGO that encourages recycling
Keep Britain Tidy
They run campaigns, such as the ‘Great British Spring Clean’, where people across the country clear litter in their area. This aims to encourage people to reconsider how much they waste.
3 aims of Fairtrade
- To reduce the inequalities of global trade
- Improving working conditions by ensuring a fair pay
- Reducing environmental degradation from trade
What is the ‘global shift’?
Global shift is the movement of manufacturing and the outsourcing of services from the West to the East.
Why has India seen large growth in the services sector?
A large educated and English-speaking population has encouraged many TNCs to place their call centres here.
Worth of the outsourcing industry in India
$150bn
Example of a TNC based in India
In 2003, BT opened two call centres in India.
They employed 2,200 people.
BT benefit from lower labour costs as wages are lower in India.
How has the global shift caused urbanisation?
In countries like China, rural farmers are moving to the cities to get jobs in manufacturing.
Average rate of growth for China’s economy each year 1978-2012
Average rate of 9.4% each year.
Example of the global shift impacting the environment
In China, 40% of their farmland was degraded because of pollution and increased building.
How has the global shift increased the number of squatter settlements?
People are moving to the cities to get jobs at a faster rate than houses are being built.
How bad is air pollution in China?
Air pollution levels in Beijing were over 20x the recommended level by the World Health Organisation.
Some predict in Northern China the pollution levels cut life expectancy by 3 years.
How bad is water pollution in China?
85% of the water in Shanghai’s main river was undrinkable.
Wealthier residents may have access to piped water, but those in squatter settlements likely rely on the river.
Example of poor working conditions making employees ill
In 2011, Chinese workers at Foxconn were made ill as they were exposed to Chemicals while making iPhones for Apple.
Consequences of land degradation?
Land that could once be used for farming is now in too bad condition to do so.
This may impact farmer’s livelihoods or cause food shortages.
Examples of how has pollution and deforestation affected biodiversity?
- Nigeria lost 50% of its forested area.
- China has lost 50% of its vertebrates since 1970.
How has the global shift resulted in better transport infrastructure in China?
China has 22,000km of high speed rail. This is 60% of the world’s total.
How has the global shift resulted in better transport infrastructure in India?
The international airport of Mumbai increased its passenger usage to up to 40 million passengers annually.
4 ways developing countries have benefitted from the global shift?
- Better transport infrastructure
- Higher wages
- More jobs available
- Better education and training available
How have developing countries suffered from the global shift?
- More air pollution has serious health effects
- More squatter settlements
- Unsustainable resource exploitation
- Worker exploitation
- Land degredation
How has the global shift reduced poverty?
1 billion people (mostly in China) have come out of absolute poverty since 1990.
What is absolute poverty?
Someone who earns less than $1.25 every day.
What is the spiral of decline?
When unemployment leads to depopulation because of a lack of jobs.
Effects of the spiral of decline
- Buildings and houses derelict
- Rise in crime and other social problems
- Businesses leave the area as there are no skilled workers
Health impact of the mine closures in the 1970s and 1980s in Northern England
Rise in mental health issues due to the mass unemployment
What companies used to operate in Detroit?
General Motors and Ford
What country did many car companies move to from Detroit?
Japan, where costs are cheaper
What year was Detroit declared bankrupt?
2013
Percentage of the population that leave Detroit every year?
-0.5% each year
How did Leicester suffer the spiral of decline?
City used to have a large textile industry with over 30,000 people working in mills.
In the 1970s and 1980s, most of the factories moved abroad, including Marks and Spencer.
How many people in a megacity?
10 million
Number of megacities in 1990
Number of estimated megacities in 2030
1990 - 10
2030 - 41
2 reasons why megacities grow
- Natural increase - where the birth rate is higher than the death rate
- Rural-urban migration - Push and pull factors encourage migration
Examples of push factors
- Lack of services (such as police, fire)
- High crime
- Crop failure
- Drought
- War
- Flooding
Examples of pull factors
- More employment
- Access to healthcare
- More education opportunities
- Political stability
- Safe, low crime
Why can megacities be problematic?
Shortage of homes and resources: urban planners cannot keep up with the rate of growth.
This causes many to live in slums, often with no water or sanitation.
This is a threat to health and wellbeing and quality of life decreases.
Where is Karachi?
Megacity in Pakistan
How quickly is Karachi growing?
5% each year
Karachi % of Pakistan’s GDP
25% of Pakistan’s GDP
% of people in Karachi who work in the informal sector
75% (this means they pay no tax to the government)
Why is tax avoidance an issue in Karachi?
With less tax, the government has less money to spend on services like healthcare and education. These services would improve QoL for those in the city.
Why is water loss a problem in Karachi?
There is a lack of good infrastructure to provide clean water.
Estimated 30% of water is lost through leaks in the system.
This can cause diseases like Cholera as people have to drink dirty water instead.
Asia’s largest slum is…
Orangi Town in Karachi
Home to estimated 2.4m people
% of people in Karachi who live in unplanned/squatter settlements
50%
Population of Mumbai, India
22m
Doubled in size since 1970
Why is air pollution a problem in Mumbai?
4th most polluted city in the world
Causes respiratory illnesses
What is urbanisation?
People moving from rural areas to cities in search of higher paying jobs
Name of largest slum in Mumbai
Dharavi
What are elite migrants?
Wealthy migrants who are welcomed to a country because of the investment they bring in
Why are elite migrants advantageous to countries?
- Boost their FDI, e.g. in London, estimated 82% of property is sold to international buyers
- They are often skilled migrants, e.g. doctors who could work for the NHS. This fills skill gaps.
Why might elite migrants cause issues for a country?
Increases the interdependence between two countries.
E.g. in London the migration of Russian oligarchs increases interdependence between them.
What is FDI?
Foreign Direct Investment