The state and Globalisation Flashcards
Can you define a nation state and explain its significance?
“A state is a human community which successfully claims the monopoly of legitimate violence within a given territory” - Max Weber
According to the Montevideo convention a state must have: 1 effective government Fixed territorial borders A settled population Recognition from other states
The state is a key actor in global politics
Can you define the different types of globalization and briefly explain their significance?
Political Globalization- refers to the amount of political co-operation that exists between different countries.
Economic Globalization- individual economic of states becoming less independent and more interconnected, resulting in the emergence of a single world economy.
Cultural globalization-the flattening out of different cultures into one monoculture
Can you explain how globalization has affected the nation state?
It has reduced state sovereignty and given more power to non-state actors such as IGOs and TNCs
E.g.
“Race to the bottom”
—> states pursue increasing deregulation in order to attract foreign investments which can often result in poor working conditions in order to cut costs
—> e.g. Rama plaza disaster 2013
Can you explain the difference between the liberal and realist view of globalization?
Liberals are skeptical of anything that diminishes state sovereignty a
Can you explain the different interpretations of globalisation, from sceptics, transformationalists and hyper-globalisers?
Sceptics believe globalisation is being exaggerated, it is not anything new and the state remains a highly significant actor.
Hyperglobalisers such as Philip Bobbit say that the nation-state is being eroded, with greater emphasis being placed on global governance, potentially leading to some type of world government.
Transformationalists believe states are adapting to globalisation as it is in their national interests. E.g. states that joined NAFTA.
Can you explain how far economic globalisation has reduced or entrenched global poverty?
Levels of extreme poverty have never fallen as hard or as fast as they have in the last 30 years.
Wider consumer choice has led to increased competition and falling prices.
However, the gap between the wealthy and the poor continues to grow and the poorest in society continue to be exploited and some are forced to work in dangerous conditions due to countries pursuing deregulation in order to attract foreign investment (race to the bottom) e.g. Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh in 2013.
Furthermore, although globalisation on a whole has reduced extreme poverty, there are many people in society who are not reaping the benefits.
Although lots of jobs have been created in developing countries, these poorer countries often risk becoming dependent on cheap foreign imports leading to them never developing their own industries, condemning them to a peripheral stage in global trade.
–> This would lead to them producing raw materials such as Ethiopia which produces and trades coffee, while foreign investors make huge profits exploiting the cheap labour in these countries. The exportation of primary goods then leads to developing countries becoming trapped in permanent low development.
Can you explain how far political globalisation protects human rights?
IGO’s such as the UN stress the importance of human rights, with all 193 members being signed up to the UNDHR. There has also been a growing number of supranational judicial bodies who represent a global standard of international law.
e.g. ICC- who prosecute suspected war criminals.
Can you explain the impact of globalisation on the environment?
Globalisation, in particular, economic globalisation, has had a rather negative impact on the environment as there is a huge environmental cost due to low regulation and the manufacturing of cheap goods, as well as the distribution of these products across the globe.
However, political globalisation has led to states trying to take collective decisions towards collective problems, such as global warming with the 2015 Paris agreement.
How far has globalisation challenged the sovereignty of the nation-state?
–> is the nation-state still the key actor in global politics.
Economic globalisation
- -> challenges sovereignty
- -> Race to the Bottom
Political Globalisation
Cultural Globalisation
Which form of globalisation has had the greatest impact?
Economic globalisation
- TNCs having greater power
- -> resulting in a loss of state sovereignty e.g. “race to the bottom”
- financial crisis –> interdependent economies
- Negative impact on the environment
Economic Globalisation Definition Cause Advantages Disadvantages
Definition:
The emergence of a single world economy.
Individual economies of states becoming less independent and more interconnected with each other.
Cause:
Linked to Economic Global Governance.
Caused by trade liberalisation policies
–> Washington Consensus
IGOs particularly the Bretton Woods institutions have advocated for the Washington consensus.
Technology has facilitated economic globalisation.
Example:
2008 financial crash that started in America and affected many other states e.g. Greece was hit especially hard.
The power of TNCs is great evidence of economic globalisation.
The single market and customs union in the EU is another example of globalisation.
The Euro is another example
Advantages:
There has been a huge increase in living standards.
Levels of poverty have never fallen as hard or as fast as they have in the past 30 years.
States are more vulnerable to crisis’s elsewhere
Disadvantages:
“Race to the bottom”- states compete with each other to have the largest profit margins and so they will often try to lower their production costs which can be detrimental
e.g. Rana Plaza 2013 Bangladesh
SAP- Structural adjustment programs (e.g. implementing austerity)
e.g. Greece had to implement SAPs after going to the IMF, this undermines state sovereignty
Political globalisation Definition Cause Advantages Disadvantages
Definition:
The participation of non-state actors in decisions affecting the nation-state, the state is no longer autonomous in its decision making
Cause:
The willingness of states to give up a degree of their sovereignty in order to gain collective solutions to collective problems, e.g. Global Warming, Terrorism…etc
Examples: • United Nations - humanitarian intervention in Libya in 2011 - 2015 Paris agreement • European Union • IMF • World Bank
Advantages:
From a liberal perspective, an advantage is that Political Globalisation gives states an interest in cooperating with each other.
Woodrow Wilson/ Kant said that IGOs would create the conditions needed for peace.
Political Globalisation mitigates anarchy.
Disadvantages:
Membership of IGOs undermines sovereignty, it makes states less autonomous.
The UN security council is vulnerable to institutional paralysis (When the permanent members veto each other.
e.g. Syria USA and Russia vetoed each other.
Cultural globalisation Definition Cause Advantages Disadvantages
Definition:
The flattening out of the world’s differences into one mono-culture.
Cause:
Caused by materialism, technology and global domination by some brands, we want more and more things that we undermine the uniqueness of individual cultures.
–> Linked closely to economic globalisation, cultural globalisation had been facilitated by economic globalisation.
e.g. In the EU there is free movement of people if people can move easier so can their cultures.
Examples: Brand and goods of TNCs - Nike - Shell - Coca-Cola - Apple The emergence of English as the dominant international language.
Advantages:
If people interact with people from different cultures that may foster understanding and cooperation.
Some might say it is leading to cosmopolitan values
Connected with political globalisation.
Disadvantages:
Left behind idea
–> Some people feel as though their identity and culture is being undermined.
Some say it is a form of cultural imperialism
–> We are actually just seeing “Americanisation”
When was the principle of state sovereignty
The principle of state sovereignty was established at the Peace of Westphalia in 1648
Sovereignty definition
The principle of absolute and unlimited power and the defining characteristic of a state.
