Globalization has been defined by Merriam Webster as “the development of an increasingly integrated global economy marked especially by free trade, free flow of capital, and the tapping of cheaper foreign labor markets” (Merriam Webster). Frequently touted as “inevitable” by politicians, pundits and economists of both the right and left political spectrums (Sparke 32-41), Globalization has also been hailed in Hegelian terms as “the end of history,” as well as a great leveler, although wage inequality is on the rise throughout the world (OECD). But other factors, such as structural inequalities within nations and domestic policies, work in concert with Globalization to fuel wage inequality (Ravallion).
Globalization’s claim of removing national borders is an exaggeration at best, and frankly disingenuous at worst. Frequently, Globalization is merely a reboot of traditional economic imperialism (Mentan). Consequently, economic populism has been on the rise worldwide, as seen in the United States and Great Britain – both of whom as prime sponsors of Globalization have recently retreated to right-wing populism (Boggs 160-173).
It may be convincingly argued that beneath the façade of Globalization’s purported egalitarian edifice is a largely hegemonic framework. Globalization “. . . clearly promotes the hegemony of Western culture and corporations; puts jobs and communities at risk in the rich countries and exploits cheap labor in the poorer countries; increases threats to the environment; and undermines the foundations of democracy and social stability” (Lerche). The theories of hegemony developed by Antonio Gramsci may assist in solidifying resistance to Globalization, as “. . . students and scholars of world politics should thus be seeking to look at how neo-liberal global hegemony is constructed at its local, regional, national and international level” (McNally and Schwarzmantel 29).
Globalization has also helped to accelerate environmental degradation, with Globalization and Climate Change working “synergistically” in enabling the growth of tropical infections (Davis et al.), as well as contributing to increasing carbon emissions throughout the world (Huwart and Verdier). In addition, Globalization, via the IMF and World Bank, has been perceived in contributing towards vulnerable populations’ sense of precarity. “While globalization and its attendant neo-liberal economic model may have brought unprecedented opportunities and prosperity to some in the globally connected north, many others in regions that are disconnected from the global flows are ‘moving from the previous situation of exploitation to a new form of structural irrelevance’” (Bosworth et al., 265). In this connection, applying Paul Farmer’s theories of structural violence, where human suffering is inherent in a damaged society due to its family, institutional, and economic manifestations of violence (Farmer), the effects of Globalization on populations suffering from precarity may be discerned, such as in the legacy of IMF policies on Haiti (Long et al. 6).
Finally, Globalization has contributed to an increase of right-wing authoritarianism throughout the world, having largely flourished as a reaction against Globalization. Furthermore, the effects of Globalization in accelerating Climate Change, among its effects on other health and environmental issues, is sufficient in questioning both its inevitability and benefits.
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