Wojciech Janicki

Department of Economic Geography

Maria Curie-Skłodowska University
Lublin, Poland

University of Oulu, 27. March 2008

Is globalisation a really global process?

 What is globalisation?

expanding actions concerning the whole world in all aspects: political

political,
economic, cultural, (...)
functional convergence
g of space
p and time
deprivation of territorial aspect of various processes and phenomena
homogenisation,
g , uniformisation of the world
new international order that replaced Cold-War order
a situation where a p
producer may y pproduce anywhere
y in the world,, sell
wherever he wants, use resources of any country and have his headquarters
anywhere in the world (after M. Friedman)

2
 Th i i globalisation
Theorising l b li i
The World-Economyy Theoryy (=hyperglobalisationism):
( yp g )
– globalisation is a natural process of dispersion of capitalism, the world
is a market and labour force pool
– there exist core- , semi-peripheric-
p p and p
peripheric
p countries
The Regional Bloc Theory (=Global Scepticism):
– globalisation is a strategy of development of capitalism
– the rich get richer and the poor get poorer
The Third Way Theory (=Transformationalism):
– globalisation is an objectively existing process
– there is a need to protect diversity against homogenisation
– nation-states should be transformed to be able to face competition on
the world market
The World-Culture
World Culture Theory (=Homogenism):
– creation of a world culture is a part of globalisation, not its side-effect
– cultural homogenisation started in colonial times (exploration, trade,
evangelisation economic and cultural expansion)
evangelisation,
– European culture as a world norm (point of reference)
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 What is globalisation?
„An English princess and her Egyptian lover perish in a car
crash inside a French tunnel while traveling in a German vehicle
with a Dutch engine driven by a Belgian, who had earlier had a sip
of Scottish whisky and was trying to elude their Italian paparazzi
pursuers driving
d i i a Japanese
J motorbike.
bik She
Sh is
i subsequently
b l
administered CPR by an American paramedic using Brazilian
pharmaceuticals.
And this text was written by a Filipino operating on technology
patented by Bill Gates, who had borrowed it from the Japanese. And
you're
you re probably sitting there reading this on a clone of the American
IBM that depends heavily on Taiwanese hardware and has a Korean
monitor assembled by Bangladeshi workers at a Singaporean
factory transported by truck by Indians,
factory, Indians stolen in an ambush
orchestrated by Indonesians and finally sold to your country of
residence by the Chinese.
THAT is globalization!”
☺ 4
 B i i
Beginnings off globalisation
l b li i

mobile phones (90ties)

internet (80./90.)
creation of GATT (1947, Geneva; WTO - 1994)
UN (26. June 1945, San Francisco)
IMF and WB (Bretton Woods, USA, July 1944)
Atlantic Charter (1941)
dynamics of trade turnover compared to dynamics of production
(data available since 18th century)
geographical
hi l Great
G t Discoveries
Di i era
ancient Greeks and Phoenicians and their travels

5
3 i
3-minute phone
h call
ll New
N York
Y k – London
L d [$]

6
P
Passenger fli
flights
h

7
Tanzania 2004, A. Martinka 8
9
 M li
Mali

(S.Codrington, Planet Geography) 10

 Time-space convergence
Sydney - Brisbane:
– 1902 r.: 4320 minutes by steamboat (approx. 3 days)
– 2002r.:
2002r : 85 minutes
min tes by
b plane
– (4320 min. - 85 min.) / 100 years = 42 min./year (convergence coefficient)
(D.Janelle 1969)

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 E
Expansion
i off consumption
i culture
l

A group of American tourists arrived in Italy. Amazing! said one to their

guide.
id You
Y hhave pizza
i here
h too!!
(S.Codrington, Planet Geography, p.702)

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 Gl b li i = Americanisation?
Globalisation A i i i ?

“carriers of globalisation” : USA, IMF, WB, WTO, TNC

(„Kompendium...”,, Baczwarow, Suliborski)
(„Kompendium...

there is no single force responsible for globalisation – it is rather a result

of parallel development of technology, market and changes of political
climate
li t in i the
th worldld
(„Oblicza procesów globalizacji”, red. M.Pietraś)

beginnings of 20th century: Europeisation of the world

now: domination of the USA in various aspects:
– military (Iraq, Afghanistan, Security Council of the UN)
– economic (16% share in WB)
– cultural (film,
(film music)

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 „The
The Americanisation of the world is a fact,
fact disregarded only by the
most adamant idealists who stand firm in their boat-rocking dream. [...]
America has prevailed, regardless of who or what appears on the
chessboard of the world in the coming centuries.
centuries It has prevailed and
prospered, perhaps not in the vein of Ancient Greece, but rather as an
entity more akin to a Rome Greek in spirit, but better organized in
practice.
i [...]
[ ] Even
E after
f Rome
R had
h d lost
l its
i youthful
hf l freshness
f h andd vigor,
i
the world continued to strive for a Roman way of life. [...]
Our ancestors undoubtedlyy bemoaned the cultural shallowness or
remoteness of Athens and, later on, Italia. Or the putridity of Paris. These
paradigms set the standard for the worlds of yesteryear and molded them
into their image not due to their own superiority or preeminence
preeminence, but
rather - and most importantly - because they were strong, able,
resourceful and because they looked toward the distant horizon with
determination Just like America.
determination. America ”
J. Surdykowski: McDonald’s, czyli wszędzie ta sama nuda?
(McDonald's, or: Same Old Thing, Everywhere?)
R
Rzeczpospolita
li 198,
198 25-26.08.2001r.,
25 26 08 2001 p.44

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 M D ldi i off the
McDonaldisation h world?
ld?

(S.Codrington,
Planet Geography) 15
The Big Mac Index

16
Kenya 2004, A. Martinka 17
Fez, Morocco

18
(S.Codrington, Planet Geography
World?

19
W ld - TNCs
World TNC

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 Gl b li i – global
Globalisation l b l process??
which of these brands originate
g from
– Africa?
– South America?
– Asia
A i (b(besides
id JJapan and dS
Southth K
Korea)?
)?

21
E
Economic
i powers off the
h world,
ld 2001

22
41.

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 A i l b li
Antiglobalists

WTO summit in Seattle, 1999 – symbolic birth of the movement

catchwords:
– globalisation leads to poverty of the South and wealth of the North and
TNCs
– significant part of the world population does not benefit from
globalisation
– globalisation leads to uniformisation of societies
– globalisation leads to gradual degradation of the environment
– well developed countries are dictators on world markets
– debts of the South should be retired at once, without any conditions

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 25
(S.Codrington, Planet Geography)
26
Internet users – the world

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Internet users – world regions
g

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Mobile phones per 1000 inh. – world regions

29
 Foreign aid - Uganda

52% of the county’s budget is constituted by foreign aid

in 1993-2003
– rate of HIV carriers: 33% 6%
– rate of schooled kids: 60 75%
– rate of inhabitants living below the level of poverty: 58 33%

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 Foreign „aid
aid” - Chad

pipeline from Doba oil fields in Chad to Kribi terminal in Cameroon

(> 900 km)
consortium: ExxonMobil + ChevronTexaco + Petronas
- 3,7
3 7 bln
bl $ loan
l in
i World
W ld Bank
B k
compensation: 3000 franks (CFA) (= 4,60 €) / 1 mango tree;
yearly
y y harvest: 1000 fruits per
p tree, 0,15 € / fruit ((150 €))
division of income (de iure): consortium 87,5%, Chad 12,5%
division of income (de facto): consortium 87,5%, Idriss Deby 12,5%
“The World Bank was the determining factor in a project that places
Chad under a heavy burden of debt, increases poverty and corruption,
damages
g the environment and merelyy extracts a natural resource without
refining it on site, for the benefit of transnational corporations bent on
making big profits while leaving a few crumbs for the local leaders -
provided that the right to privatize natural resources remains inviolate.”
inviolate.
www.brettonwoodsproject.org
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32
 C l
Cultural
l globalisation
l b li i – various
i approaches
h
threatening
g of local cultures
– 51% languages are used by less then 10 th. people each
– creation of world culture dominated by American culture
strengthening
t th i off local
l l cultures
lt
– an external threat usually strengthens and unites around own values;
national identities are therefore better protected
– small cultures become better known to the world and adapt to new
circumstances
happy
ppy medium struck?
– homogenisation of consumption activities
– no homogenisation of social life
– blurring
bl i the th distinction
di ti ti between
b t national
ti l andd international
i t ti l
– glocalisation – balance between the global and the local

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 Ad
Advantages off globalisation
l b li i

free movement of people (f.e. tourism, migration)

free exchange of goods (trade gains
gains, lower prices)
free exchange of ideas and information
quick dispersion
q p of innovation
international division of work (specialisation of work, scale advantages)
quicker economic increase
higher level of life
international barriers are shifted

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 Disadvantages
g of globalisation
g
free movement of people
– f.e.
f e mass tourism and its negative consequences
– free exchange of people (migration: brain drain)
free (?) exchange of goods
– protection of EU farmers (300 bln $/year; 16x more than aid for Africa)
– weaker countries cannot successfully compete
local economic crises strike the whole world
diseases easily disperse
increase of crime, terrorism, smuggling of drugs and arms
economic neocolonialism
– commonwealths
lth
– subordination of weaker countries
– marginalisation of local companies by TNCs
offshoring
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 Perspectives and evaluation
globalisation should be strengthened through:
– increase of information flows
– elimination of stereotypes and prejudices
– changeg of approach
pp to ‘the others’ ((competitor,
p , not enemy) y)
*******************************************************
globalisation should be limited and subordinated to a set of priorities:
– social
– cultural
– ecological
*******************************************************
an alternative to globalisation should be found:
– glocalisation
– alterglobalisation
– sustainable development
– some rules of globalisation should be adopted and the process should
further develop in a „golden straightjacket” (after T. Friedman)
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