What is meant by globalization and what are the causes behind it?

A number of scholars have tried to define globalisation focusing on different aspects of this concept. According to Anthony Giddens, globalisation refers to ‘intensification of worldwide social relations which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles away and vice versa’. Jan Aart Scholte has argued that globalisation leads to growth of ‘supraterritorial’ relations among people around the world as ‘transborder’ connections make territorial boundaries irrelevant. David Harvey defines it as ‘time space compression’. According to David Held, globalisation ‘may be thought of as a process (or set of processes) which embodies a transformation in the spatial organization of social relations and transactions - assessed in terms of their extensity, intensity, velocity and impact - generating transcontinental or interregional flows and networks of activity, interaction, and the exercise of power.’ These definitions include interaction between local, national and international level and shrinking of time and space due to technological advances in communication and transportation leading to growing interconnectedness among people around the world. It is important to mention that globalisation does not mean subordination of local and national to global but it only facilitates an interaction between these three levels.

There are five features that can be associated with globalisation. One, it leads to deterritorialization, meaning the geographical borders become less relevant as internet and media bring the world to our homes. The happenings in one country are immediately transmitted to other countries through TV and online news. Second feature is interconnectedness. Due to blurring of geographical borders, there is growing connectivity between the actors at local, regional and global level. For example, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) used online media and social networking sites to allure youths from all over the world to its cause. Young recruits sitting at their homes have been in contact with their bosses through internet which has been facilitated by growing interconnectedness between them by forces of globalisation. The popular image of globalisation is that it is a topdown process where a single global system is being established. Here, globalisation is linked to homogenization as political, cultural, economic and social diversity is being destroyed in favour of uniformity (globalisation from above). However, there is also a shift towards indigenization as western consumer goods and images have been absorbed into more traditional cultural practices (globalisation from below). Third feature is speed, as people, information, goods and services are travelling at an intensified speed which accelerates social activity. Fourth feature of globalisation is that it is a long-term process. Experts agree that globalisation is not a contemporary phenomenon as its features have existed since humanity itself, although they disagree when exactly globalisation started. Lastly, globalisation is a multi-pronged process as it impacts areas like politics, economy, culture and technology at the same time.

There are two views about what leads to globalisation. According to George Ritzer, the materialist view believes that capitalism in general or the multinational companies are the main factor behind globalisation. In contrast, the ideal view says that globalisation is a result of changes in thinking and ideas, information Understanding Globalisation and knowledge. In terms of thinking, there is a shift from local and national to global. Our knowledge base has also become global in scope. However, Ritzer argues that globalisation is a result of both material and ideal factors.

According to Andrew Heywood, the most significant forms of globalisation are economic, cultural and political. 

Economic Globalisation – It reflects the idea that no economy in the world is isolated today and there is an inter-locking global economy which has absorbed various economies around the world. Demise of Soviet Union acted as a catalyst for global economic integration as the last major block of countries were absorbed into global capitalist system. Economic globalisation has reduced capacity of national governments to manage their economies and to resist their restructuring along free market principles. 

Cultural Globalisation – This is a process by which images and information produced in one part of the world diminish cultural differences between individuals, nations and regions by entering the global flow. It has often been portrayed as the process of McDonaldization. However, culture may also constrain forces of globalisation instead of serving them as sensitivity towards local cultures is required to become a global business brand. 

Political Globalisation – This is evident from growing importance of international organizations which exercise transnational jurisdiction like the United Nations and European Union. Most of these organizations have come up in the post-1945 period. The inter-state emphasis of political globalisation distinguishes it from economic and cultural globalisation as they highlight the role of non state and market based actors.

David Held has highlighted the military aspect of globalisation. He has defined military globalisation as “the process which embodies the growing extensity and intensity of military relations among the political units of the world system. Understood as such, it reflects both the expanding network of worldwide military ties and relations, as well as the impact of key military technological innovations (from steamships to satellites), which over time, have reconstituted the world into a single geostrategic space.”He argues that globalisation in military domain has been visible in geopolitical rivalry and imperialism of great powers, evolution of international alliance systems and security structures, emergence of world trade in arms with worldwide diffusion of military technologies and institutionalization of global regimes with jurisdiction over military and security affairs. For Robert Keohane and Joseph Nye, military globalisation entails “longdistance networks of interdependence in which force, and the threat or promise of force, are employed.

Manfred Steger has added one more dimension – ecological globalisation. He argues that there is an inexorable link between all humanity and the planet Earth. The Industrial Revolution has caused many ecological problems, including, resource and food shortages, overpopulation, reduced biodiversity, pollution, Understanding Globalisation and climate change. All these problems are global — the result of aggregated human action — and require a coordinated response. However, there are still debates about the seriousness of ecological issues, and, whilst progress has been made, few multilateral measures have been implemented. This phase of globalisation has been severely damaging to the environment, and action is needed now to save future generations from negative impact.

George Ritzer has added other dimensions like religion, science and sports. He opines that most of the world religions like Islam and Christianity are global in scope and often seek to expand their global scope. Science has become a global enterprise as its knowledge base is formed by inputs from many parts of the world and that knowledge is virtually disseminated everywhere. Sport has become global through major organizations involved in globalisation of sports like football, tennis and golf.

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