Page 1 : Contemporary World PoliticsGlobalization, Concept of globalization and its causes, Political, Economic and Cultural consequences, Impact of Globalization on India, Resistance to globalization & how social movements in India also form part of this resistance?

Page 3 : The Concept Of Globalization, Let us look at some examples-, Some farmers committed suicide because their crops failed. They had bought very expensive seeds supplied by a MNC., An Indian company bought a major rival company based in Europe, despite protests by some of the current owners., Many retail shopkeepers fear that they would lose their livelihood if some major international companies open retail chains in the country., A film producer in Mumbai was accused of lifting the story of his film from another film made in Hollywood., A militant group issued a statement threatening college girls who wear western clothes.

Page 5 : Cont.., These examples show us that globalization need not always be positive. It can have negative consequences for the people. Indeed there are many who believe that globalization has more negative consequences than positive. These examples also show us that globalization need not be only about the economic issues, nor is the direction of influence always from the rich to the poor countries., Globalization as a concept fundamentally deals with flows- ideas moving from one part of the world to another, capital shunted between two or more places, commodities being traded across borders, and people in search of better livelihoods to different parts of the world. The crucial element is ‘worldwide interconnectedness’ that is created and sustained as a consequence of these constant flows.

Page 7 : Cont..., Globalization is a multi-dimensional concept. It has political, economic and cultural manifestations, and these must be adequately distinguished., It is wrong to assume that globalization has purely economic dimension, just as it would also be mistaken to assume that it is a purely cultural phenomenon. , The impact of globalization is vastly uneven- if affects some societies more than others and some parts of some societies more than others- and it is important to avoid drawing general conclusions about the impact of globalization without paying sufficient attention to specific contexts.

Page 9 : Causes of Globalization, Globalization is about the flows of ideas, capital, commodities and people, Globalization is not caused by any single factor- , It is the result of historical factors, technological innovations, liberations of foreign trade and investment policies, and opening of multinational companies., The ability of ideas, capital, commodities and people to move more easily from one part of the world to another has been made possible largely by technological advances.

Page 10 : Consequences, Political Consequences:- , How does globalization affect traditional conceptions of state sovereignty?, Globalization results in an erosion of state capacity, i.e. , the ability of government to do what they do., Globalization does not always reduce state capacity . The primacy of state continue to be the unchallenged basis of political community., State capacity has got a boost as a consequence of globalization, with enhanced technologies available at the disposal of the state to collect information about its citizens.

Page 12 : II Welfare State is getting replaced by market II, Globalization results in an erosion of state capacity. All over the world, the old welfare state that performs certain core functions such as maintenance of law and order and the security of its citizens . , However, it withdraws from many of its earlier welfare functions directed at economic and social well-being. , In place of the welfare state, it is the market that become prime determinant of economic and social priorities. , The entry and the increased role of MNCs all over the world leads to reduction in the capacity of government to take decision on their own.

Page 14 : Economic Consequences, Economic globalization involves greater economic flows among different countries of the world . Economic flows in various forms, like, commodity, capital, people and ideas prompts rich countries to invest their money in countries other than their own. , It also draws attention towards the role of IMF and WTO in determining economic policies across the world. , Advocates of economic globalization argue that it generates greater economic growth and well-being for larger sections of the populations when there is de-regulation. Greater trade among countries allows each economy to do what it does best. This would benefit the whole world.

Page 16 : Cultural Consequences, The cultural effect of globalization leads to the fear that this process poses a threat to cultures in the world. It does so, because globalization leads to the rise of a uniform culture or what is called cultural homogenization. The rise of a uniform culture is not the emergence of a global culture. , While cultural homogenization is an aspect of globalization , the same process also generated precisely opposite effect. It leads to each culture becoming more different and distinctive. This phenomenon is called cultural heterogenization., Cultural globalization emerges and enlarges our choices and modify our culture without overwhelming the traditional norms.

Page 18 : India and Globalization, Globalization has occurred in earlier periods in history in different parts of the world. Flows pertaining to the movement of capital, commodities, ideas and people go back several centuries in Indian history., During the colonial period, as a consequences of Britain’s imperial ambitions, India became an exporter of primary goods and raw materials and a consumer of finished goods. , After independence, because of this experience with the British, we decided to make things ourselves rather than relying on others. We also decided not to allow others to export to us so that our own producers could learn to make things (Protectionism)., In 1991, responding to a financial crisis and to the desire for higher rates of economic growth, India embarked on a programme of economic reforms that has sought increasingly to de-regulate various sectors including trade and foreign investment.

Page 20 : Resistance to Globalization, Critics of globalization make of variety of arguments:-, Those on the left argue that contemporary globalization represents a particular phase of global capitalism that makes the rich richer and the poor poorer., Critics of globalization from the political right express anxiety over the political, economic and cultural effects. In political terms, they also fear the weakening of the state. Economically, they want a return to self-reliance and protectionism. Culturally, they are worried that traditional culture will be harmed and people will lose their age-old values and ways., Anti-globalization movements too participate in global network, allying with those who feel like them in other countries., In 1999, at the WTO Ministerial Meeting, there were widespread protests at Seattle alleging unfair practices by the economically powerful states. It was argued that the interests of the developing world were not given sufficient importance in the evolving global economic system., The World Social Forum (WSF) is another global platform, which brings together a wide coalition composed of human rights activists, environmentalists, labour , youth and women activists opposed to neo-liberal globalization..............

Page 23 : India and Resistance to Globalization, What has been India’s experience in resisting globalization?, Social movements play a role in helping people make sense of the world around them and finding ways to deal with matters that trouble them., Resistance to globalization in India has come form different quarters. There have been left wing protests to economic liberalization voiced through political parties as well as through forums like the Indian Social Forum., The resistance to globalization has also come from the political right. This has taken the form of objecting particularly to various cultural influences- ranging from the availability of foreign TV channels provided by cable networks, celebration of Valentine’s Day, and westernization of the dress tastes of girl students in schools and colleges..............................