GLOBALISATION

 

 The world has shrunk in many ways, the most important is in communications.

WORLD SYSTEMS THEORY

 Wallerstein (1974) developed a Marxist approach to globalisation, where rich countries exploit the poor. Countries development is based on a New International Division of Labour (NIDL) with three levels, core, semi-periphery and periphery. There was the possibility of changing status.

 Evaluation

  •  Giddens said that political relations were separate from though influenced by, the economic system.
  •  There are different social systems at each level.
  •  World systems theory is about international economic relations rather than globalization. It describes nations exploiting each other rather than global capitalism, which national boundaries doesn't always limit.

SOCIOLOGY OF THE GLOBAL SYSTEM

  •  Sklair (1993) said there's a global system structured by a global capitalist class based on:
  •   The relationship between states.
  • Transnational practices which cross boundaries and originate with non-state actors (e.g. tns's.
  •   Three Kinds of Transnational Practices:
    •    Economic, dominated by tnc's, trade, investment and NIDL.
    •    Political, dominated by transnational capitalist class including tnc execs, politicians and media producers.
    •    Cultural, consumerism

THE GLOBALISATION OF CULTURE

  •  Present or future possibility, dominated by tnc's, eg. cnn, mtv.
  •  There's not yet a global language, so sports etc. which need no language are promoted. There are global brands and people etc. Olympics, funded in part by tnc's, and selling international brands.  
     Global Tourism

 Mostly between rich countries. But it's the major export of rich countries.

  For:

  •   Generates investment and investment.
  •   May encourage liberalism.
  •   May preserve traditional sites and customs

  Against:

  •   Undermines subsistence agriculture.
  •   Raises property prices.
  •   May destabilise the political system.
  •   May commercialise and destroy traditional culture.

CONCLUSIONS

  •  Globalisation challenge to authority of nation state.
  •  Control of national borders harder.
  •  tnc's powerful.
  •  Class difference global as well as local.
  •  Globalisation political and cultural and not just economic
  •  Globalisation may be a result of modernity (Giddens) or has helped produce a postmodern era.
  •  Cultural images are sold as products, and used to sell other products.
     

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