Transcript Analysing Globalisation - School

Analysing Globalisation
We can use three perspectives to aid us in our analysis
of globalisation:
•Globalist
•Internationalist
•Transformationalist
The use of these different perspectives is helpful in
evaluating how, and on whom, the processes of
globalisation impact.
We can compare the similarities and differences
between the three perspectives, focusing on what
globalisation means to each one.
Globalisation of Culture
Globalist
Positive
What is Happening?
How do we Know?
(evidence/examples)
Who is affected?
(and how?)
What are the
implications for the
future?
Pessimist
Internationalist
Transformationalist
By Jamieleigh
and George
In recent decades, there has been a phenomenal growth in the global
circulation in terms of both, distance, volume and cultural goods. An
important component of this growth has been the spread of
communication technologies meaning that distance has no limits, allowing
the growth of TNC’S. Globalists argue that there are increasing
inequalities of access to the hard and software allowing global
communications, and that we are becoming one big culture rather than
individual ones. This is through the influence of technological devices
such as televisions and the internet.
Statistics show that regions of the world have variations regarding the number and per capita of television
ownership. There are more televisions in Asia, America and Europe, there are relatively few in Africa and
Oceania
 Hardware of some magnitude in most cases in recent years has seen a dramatic increase in the number of
television channels. Such growth is taking place especially in Europe and North America.
The global media market is dominated by ten transnational corporations such as Time Warner and Disney.
Increase in
receivers
Total number of world television
receivers
Number of internet hosts
120000000
100000000
1400
1200
1000
800
millions
600
400
200
0
USA
80000000
1965
1975
1985
1997
1
Number of
internet hosts
is higher in
South Korea
than in
Australia
South korea
60000000
Zambia
40000000
Ethiopia
20000000
Australia
0
1
•The growth in the ownership and use of communication technologies
has lead to a a reduction in cultural differences around the world.
•Culture is seen as something which is bought and sold as a part of
the market system. ‘Americanization’ is the growing phenomenon of
the American cultural influence.
•Many would agree that what passes as a ‘global culture’ include coca
cola, McDonalds and Disney all originate from the USA.
•The reason behind this problem is the increasing concentration of
ownership of the media.
•There are no longer as many bodies reporting, recent years have
seen the concentration in the ownership of global media and cultural
organisations.
•Increasing large and powerful organisations such as, Disney are
controlling both distribution and content indicating their growing
presence.
There has been considerable evidence supporting the ideology that the
globalisation of culture is not the emergence and growth of the global
culture but the spreading of the English language and western cultures.
Therefore overtime there will be a generation of global similarities. However
if globalisation of culture does occur on such a scale there will be various
implications for the future. There is a growing possibility of conflicts
between the dominating culture and previous cultures such as religion.
Therefore many people will refuse to be classed as one culture and will
rebel against being classed as one.
Positive Globalists
What is happening?
There has been a phenomenal growth in the global circulation - in
terms of both distance and volume. We can apply this to cultures, in
that they are growing in complexity as well as spreading and being
taken on board by many countries.
There are huge and fast growing culture flows between countries.
Ownership of televisions and radios has increased enormously
worldwide, albeit with huge regional disparities.
National broadcasting systems are declining audience shares.
Cable and satellite ownership rates are increasing and in some
countries are very high.
Positive Globalists
How do we know?
The value of cultural imports and exports increased six fold between 1970 and 1980,
increasing from $6800million to $38500million.
The number of televisions has risen from 192 Million in 1965 to 1,396 Million in 1997.
This shows that there has been a huge rise in the possibilities for more & more of the
worlds population to be better informed and educated.
Receivers per 1000 inhabitants
Africa
60
America
429
Asia
190
Europe
446
Oceania
427
World total
240
This is a positive thing as we
should all be aspiring to a civilised,
Western society, that is democratic
and encourages commercialism.
Market share of public television(% viewing time)
1975
1990
1995
Germany
100
68
39
Italy
91
51
48
France
100
34
41
Netherlands
100
56
39
UK
52
48
44
Positive Globalists
Who is affected and how?
It is mainly the LEDCs which are affected by this process. This should be seen as
beneficial as it means they are becoming more developed. So in relation to the
modernisation theory as long as globalisation happens eventually every country will
reach MEDC status as we are allowing our values and aspirations to spread.
Due to the fact that there are less restrictions on commercial television in countries
other than the U?K, and in addition there is limited control over the internet, this
creates an enormous opportunity to see a new world and different way of doing
things. As many more televisions and computers are owned now than ever culture is
given the freedom to spread and extend.
The growth of alternative media sources and technological advances such as the
internet means there is a potential for more democratic discussion instead of
traditionally when any form of debate referring to issues was controlled by the higher
powers. A plurality of voices can now be heard through this digital community
(Rheingold-1995) .
The power of the internet to bypass the power of traditional media dominated by the
political elite is demonstrated in the success in the Zapatistas Movement in Mexico.
Positive Globalists
What are the implications for the
future?
There are two possible outcomes:
GLOBAL VILLAGE (Marshall McLuhan – 1960s) – one culture is
shared, this is becoming a possibility with the increase in ICT and
people owning communication hardware. The internet and phones
are causing space to no longer be of any relevance so cultures and
ideas can spread digitally. This theory comes from the Progressive
Globalists.
MULTIPLICITY OF CULTURES – we could be given a choice. We
can chose our own individual cultures to suit us. This theory is from
a liberal perspective which also point to the democratic nature of the
free market.
Transformationalists (culture)
What is happening?
Transformationalists see important changes taking place
in global flows but emphasise the diverse and unpredictable
consequences of the globalisation of culture. This perspective
sees the world as divided into a number of regions- each with
their own internal dynamics and global ties (rather than ‘the west’
dominating the ‘third world) (Sinclair et al 1996)
Transformationalists suggest cultural imperialism is a ‘western or
US- centric story’
The transformationalist stance emphasises that while
contemporary patterns of global, political, economic and
communications flows are historically unprecedented, the
direction of these patterns remains uncertain since the process
of globalisation is in no way predictable and could be reversed or
change direction at any time.
How do we know?
• Transformationalists use the example of international television
flows suggesting that these do not just demonstrate domination- it is
regional as well as global.
• Audience ratings are used by Transformationalists to see how many
are watching imported and indigenous programmes (domestically
produced ones have the highest audience ratings) that are
transmitted at peak viewing times.
• US imported programmes tend to fill less popular times slotsTransformationalists suggest that this is due to the fact that if a
programme is to appeal to a global audience it basically requires a
lack of a strong specific cultural reference. So rather than cultural
domination much global flow of television is simply a consequence
of increased transmission hours and demand for cheap material to
fill slots which raises doubts about cultural impacts of imported
programming.
Who is affected?
• Tranformationalists criticise cultural imperialists for believing that
because the west is inflicting their culture upon the developing world
with imported television, etc, their own culture and traditions are
being eroded.
• Media research has found now direct effects or measurable impact
but has rather examined the meaning of television of our daily lives.
Rather than passively or uncritically receiving messages, audiences
are active in reading cultural texts.
• The audience is bringing about its own cultural beliefs and
resources to interpret and make sense of television programmes
making a more complex and varied picture with considerable
diversity as cultural goods are translated and adapted.
Implications for the future?
• Finally, Transformationalists argue the case that, whether or not
beneficially, a fundamentally more interconnected world is now
emerging, in which "globalisation is a central driving force behind the
rapid social, political and economic changes that are reshaping
modern societies and world order.“
•
The local and distant, the periphery and centre, do not exist in
isolation of one another, as the reality of one is inextricably
intertwined with, for example, the poverty, the environment, and
indeed the media of the other.
• Transformationalists tend to assume that viewing western capitalist
television entails the inculcation of western values particularly
regarding consumer desires.
Culture Internationalists
•Internationalists root their argument in the in the desirability of the
local, and of nation states.
•Anthony Smith 1995, a leading writer on nationalism, addresses the
depth and history of national cultures.
•Albeit culturally constructed, they are the outcome of centuries of
continuity, communication, interaction and collective experience,
forged in history, closely linked with identities and not easily
replaced or redirected.
•Compared with deep-rooted and long-standing national cultures.
Disney like many earn profits, but they are ephemeral they don’t
connect with everyday lives and identities as do national cultures.
How do we know?
CHANNEL
% IN ALL HOUSEHOLDS
% IN SATELLITE AND
CABL;E HOMES
TOTAL BBC
44
31.1
TOAL TERRESTRIAL
COMMERCIAL
45.5
32.1
TOTAL NONE
TERRESTRIAL
10.5
36.7
TOTAL BSKYB
4.9
16.8
MTV
0.2
0.8
NICKELODEON
0.5
1.8
COUNTRY MUSIC TV
0.1
0.1
DISCOVERY CHANNEL
EUROPE
0.2
1.2
DISNEY CHANNEL
0.3
0.8
PARAMOUNT
0.1
0.3
FOX KIDS
-
0.3
•The table to your
right shows that
British viewers
tend to watch
British channels
rather than global
television
according to some
statistics, i.e.,
1.4% in total is a
percentage of 6
channels in all
households of
foreign American
channels,
compared to 44%
for total BBC2
channels.
Who is affected?
• The general public are affected by such
developments and change.
• There will also be the increasing growth of
companies and businesses through
advertisement via television and other
forms of the media, this will help them to
develop and become more worldwide.
What are the implications for the
future?
• The Nation-state will remain the main body which
regulates the media.
• The growth of the media will continue to rise, allowing
the world to communicate and interact with ease, for
example, “global television”.
• National broadcasting will remain “alive and well”,
despite the increasing competition. +
• Rich national economies have the capacity to adapt
and to meet new economic challenges.
• Even where poorer national economies seem to be
benefiting from increased production and export of
goods, much of the value added at each stage of
production may still accumulate to the bigger countries.
Globalisation of the Global Economy
Globalist
What is Happening?
How do we Know?
(evidence/examples)
Who is affected?
(and how?)
What are the
implications for the
future?
Internationalist
Transformationalist
Globalisation is the process of corporate structuring that focuses on
a companies core competency on a single worldwide market,
creating growth and profit opportunities which generate money for
the economy. This affects employees, customers and suppliers.
Globalisation focuses on the development of common global culture.
Globalisation is defined as the process by which markets and
production in different countries are becoming increasingly interdependant due to the dynamics of trade in goods and services
and flows in capital (equipment) and technology
Economic Globalists understand globalisation as a phenonemum
concerning the growing integration of the national economies of
most states in the world based on 5 interrelated drivers of change,
these are
1.)Growing international trade resulting from lower trade barriers
and more competition.
• 2.)Increased financial flows in such forms such as foreign direct
investment (FDI) and technology transfers. FDI can take place in the
forms of brand new investment or mergers with and acquisitions of
existing enterprises and this is how capital flow develops.
• 3.)Increased communications via both the internet and traditional
media.
4.)Technology advances in electronics, transportation and
Bioengineering etc.
5.)Increased Labour mobility
According to the Globalists the outcome is that a single economy is
emerging and this is stretched so that events and functions take
place in a particular region and this has a huge impact on the whole
world. Individuals and businesses can now use the internet to but
goods etc without moving from there homes or workplace, without
restrictions and also they may avoid tax etc
It is further suggested that multinational companies such as
Unilever, Proctor and Gamble, Nestle and Sony control the
economy through particular products and this proves the theory.
• International investment means that any company which owns a firm
may well be part of a dominating worldwide power producing goods
such as “Daz”. A typical English product is thought to be “Ariel” but in
fact this brand name is owned by US company Proctor and Gamble.
• Since the 1970’s trading relationships have developed in ways that
indicate fierce integration than there has ever been before. The idea
of an international economy is that goods are bought and traded at
different points from where they are made where it is most
economically viable. Foreign investment has also highly increased.
• Consumers benefit in terms of faster growth and quicker access to
new technology and cheaper exports due to greater competition.
• Globalisation has made the world economy more efficient and has
created millions of jobs mainly but not only in developing countries.
• Trade barriers are imposed to protect countries economies but it is
argued that to remove them reduces the role of government.
• The economy gains both winners and losers because in both rich
and poor countries some people becoming very rich while others
who make the rich richer stay very poor and have to live in poverty.
The developers and managers and bosses of industry gain good
lifestyles and wealth while the ones who work for them and create
there wealth are kept in poverty due to exploitation.
• Because of globalisation the rich are getting richer and the poor are
sinking deeper into poverty. It is argued that globalisation helps rich
countries get richer and keeps less developed countries in poverty
because the rich countries exploit the poorer countries to work for
low wages so they profit more which is unfair and this is why
globalisation creates both winners and losers
Internationalists say the extent of globalisation is
‘oversold and overstated’
(DeLong 1999)
Internationalists rejects beliefs of Globalist’s and
Transformationalist’s who claim that Globalisation is
inevitable.
Internationalist’s claim that nothing has changed, that
Globalisation is simply a continuation of what has already
been happening and there is no evidence to suggest that
a single Globalist economy is evolving.
“ Long distance commerce has existed for
centuries and in some cases even millennia.”
(Scholte 2001)
Ancient Babylon and The Roman Empire had forms of
long distance trade, eg. shipments between Arabia
and China via South East Asia transpired regularly
more than a thousand years ago.
Although components are moved between factories
in this production chain, two thirds of
Honda’s assets and sales in 1998 were still located in
Japan and so it is still a Japanese corporation with a
clear home base from which it can be regulated.
Although moves to such institutions as the EU can be
perceived as a move to a single Globalist economy, the power
of the Nation State has not be undermined and trade remains
predominantly regional.
International economic governance is still
directed by the stronger and richer economies
and is largely in their interests therefore it ignores
the needs of lower economic governments.
Internationalists include and credit the economic
contribution of women, as opposed to the Globalist
Perspective.
Unlike rich national economies, the poor economies
Do not have the capacity to adapt to meet new
economic challenges.
Trade is primarily regional, while companies and
consumer markets remain predominantly national
and the implication is that this will continue in the
future.
The relative importance of global trade is only
at the same level as it was a century ago.
Therefore there is no reason to believe that this will
increase in importance in the future,
Even where poorer national economies seem
to be benefiting from increased production and
export of goods, much of the value added at
each stage of production may still accrue to the
richer countries. Therefore the implication is
that this pattern will continue.
What is Happening?
• Significant changes to the international
economy are taking place but the
globalisation process is not inevitable.
• Globalisation is contributing to a
remarkable politisation of social life.
• Economic globalisation is happening but
the knock on consequences for politics
and culture are not predetermined.
How do we know?
• Globalisation isn't occurring, France has imposed limits
on imports of American cultural products.
• NO free trade in agriculture, France has retained EU
subsidies for its farmers.
• Inter-state co-operation to resist unwanted global
developments. The Asia, South America and Russian
financial crisis in the 1990’s, various countries
collaborated to limit the effects of a similar crisis.
• East Asian crisis of 1998 demonstrated key sites of
global power can be quite literally oceans apart from the
subjects and futures they determine.
NB – 3 examples of why globalisation isn’t occurring and
the east Asian crisis illustrates a transformationalists
example of where globalisation did actually occur.
Who is affected?
• Developments in one region can come to
shape the life chances of communities in
other countries.
• States are taking action to limit the
potentially adverse affects of economic
globalisation.
What are the implications for the
future?
• The consequences of contemporary global
interactions are complex, diverse and
unpredictable and the effects are often uneven.
• Feminists have seen opportunities for the
advancement of women's rights through
globalisation.
• The main consequence is a shrinking world-for
the majority it creates a distancing or profound
disembedding of power relations.
Fukuyama - ‘ In many respects
globalisation is still superficial.’