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Globalization as a Solution to Discrimination

Globalization can help reduce inequality and discrimination by lessening income gaps between countries, opening up multinational job opportunities, and contradicting the outcomes of protectionism policies that tend to increase inequality. While governments initially regulated trade to limit business owners, their rules have unintentionally created tensions and inequalities between social groups. Globalization allows free flow of trade and employment across borders, helping reduce inequality caused by differences in countries' relative wealth. Protectionism, on the other hand, increases inequality and tensions as it restricts global integration and opportunities. Therefore, a globalized economy is key to achieving true equality and ending discrimination in society.

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Pranav P. Sharma
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24 views5 pages

Globalization as a Solution to Discrimination

Globalization can help reduce inequality and discrimination by lessening income gaps between countries, opening up multinational job opportunities, and contradicting the outcomes of protectionism policies that tend to increase inequality. While governments initially regulated trade to limit business owners, their rules have unintentionally created tensions and inequalities between social groups. Globalization allows free flow of trade and employment across borders, helping reduce inequality caused by differences in countries' relative wealth. Protectionism, on the other hand, increases inequality and tensions as it restricts global integration and opportunities. Therefore, a globalized economy is key to achieving true equality and ending discrimination in society.

Uploaded by

Pranav P. Sharma
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

TO END DISCRIMINATION, THE KEY IS GLOBALIZATION

Word Count: 962 Words

Pranav Piyush Sharma

1005110265

SOC236

Prof. K. Plys

TA: Yifang Li

October 6th, 2019


SHARMA 1

For nearly 200 years, sociologist have been interested in studying how society works and

how it is constructed. Through many years of research and studies, a reoccurring issue is the lack

of diversity and acceptance for all minorities, which denies society the right to call itself a true

egalitarian (Statistics Canada 2009). In many cases, the top dog of many social hierarchies is the

upper-class, white, cis-gendered, hetero male. However, through the process of globalization, it

can be made possible that the world makes a strong shift towards social equality, which benefits

everybody in a working community. If globalization became the central part of the world’s

economic plan, the gap between different salaries will lessen, it opens multinational job

opportunities, and contradicts any outcomes that protectionism may yield. These points will be

solidified through the ideas and thoughts of academic readings, as well as other articles that

cover real world examples.

Since the workforce became a part of society, many regulations and restrictions were

made by the government in order to ensure that business owners were legally limited to the

amount of freedom they were allowed to impose on their affairs. However, what the government

did not predict was that their rules and regulations would create a huge tension between different

groups, which has led to inequalities. One of the most common inequalities that have appeared

when speaking about economics is the difference between incomes. During Wolf’s defense on

liberal globalization, he explicitly says that, “If the average real incomes of poor countries

containing at least half of the world’s population have been rising faster than those of the

relatively rich, inequality amongst countries, relative to population, will [fall]” (Wolf 2005:149).

As Wolf defends this idea, the reader can see the actuality about the world and liberal

globalization. The truth of the matter is that there are significant differences between the

developed ‘North’ countries and the developing ‘South’ countries (Baldwin 2016:5). For
SHARMA 2

example, between 1980 and 2000, World Bank stated that the average income of China, a

‘South’ country, rose by 440%, whereas the US, a ‘North’ country, rose only by 60% (Wolf

2005:149). Therefore, through liberal globalization and its free regulations, the global economy

is gradually moving towards a state of overall income equilibrium, leading to the disappearance

of socio-economic discrimination.

As Wolf’s Why Globalization Works defends this idea of no boundaries between

countries and a free flow of affairs between countries, the book points to an interesting statistic

about the globe’s inequality rate. Wolf places an importance on the idea that one’s inequality is

primarily based on their location and their country’s relative wealth (Wolf 2005:151). He states

that “global inequality among individuals rose progressively, from 1820 to a peak in 1980”

(Wolf 2005:150). This is an interesting find from World Bank because it concludes that the

inequality is not from within a country itself, but instead between countries (Wolf 2005:150).

This inequality between countries is more likely caused by the regulations imposed by the

government because it is the government that sanctions the communications between the globe.

In fact, the rules have become so regulated that the Canadian government has their very own

Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion, who is an essential minister responsible for

the restrictions laid out for the businesses that make up a grand portion of the Canadian economy

(Government of Canada 2019). As the government continues to tell its business owners what can

and cannot be done, specifically who can and cannot be hired, it denies companies the rights to

open their employment to national individuals solely because of their citizenship status.

However, without the government and its regulations, companies can openly hire individuals

from other parts of the world, allowing them to enter a new country’s relative wealth, leading to

the end of the inequality triggered by one’s location.


SHARMA 3

As proved in the last two paragraphs, if globalization became the central part of the

global economy, the outcomes of this form of economy will help shift society towards true

egalitarianism. However, the current trend of the global economy is towards protectionism, the

opposite of globalization. Therefore, if globalization yields a closer societal shift towards true

equality, protectionism must shift society towards inequality between individuals, as well as

between countries. This form of economy is President Trump’s overall goal with the US. Pankaj

Ghemawat clarifies the consequences of Trump’s goal of creating an economy of protectionism,

as he is essentially cutting ties between the US and other countries, such as Mexico or China.

Firstly, Trump has “already threatened […] countries in various ways, for example […]

imposing 45% tariffs on all imports from China” (Ghemawat 2016:3). These threats that he has

made towards China and other countries has created tension between the US and the rest of the

world. Ghemawat creates a few conclusions about Trump’s goal to restrict the facets of

globalization, one of which is the restriction on the inflow of not just immigrants in general, but

primarily on Muslims (Ghemawat 2016:2). These restrictions, along with Trump’s threats

towards other countries, form a dilemma for US citizens working abroad and multinationals from

elsewhere that hope to work in the US as they may find themselves caught up in larger strains

between their home and their host governments (Ghemawat 2016:3). For this reason, Trump’s

outcomes of the US’ protectionist economy imply that through protectionism, inequality will, in

fact, be exposed more in society, thus sealing off egalitarianism.

As protectionism continues to be the current globe’s economy type, inequality continues

to be a common trend in modern day society. However, globalization both opens communication

doors between countries, and offers society an opportunity to reach the final goal of true

equality. Therefore, in order to end discrimination, there must be an economy of globalization.


SHARMA 4

References

Baldwin, Richard E. 2016. The Great Convergence: Information Technology and the New

Globalization. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.

Ghemawat, Pankaj. 2016. “Trump, Globalization, and Trade’s Uncertain Future.” Harvard

Business Review, November 11. Retrieved September 29, 2019 ([Link]

globalization-and-trades-uncertain-future).

Government of Canada. 2019. “The Honourable Mary Ng MP.” [Link]. Retrieved October 1,

2019 ([Link]

Public Service Alliance of Canada. n.d. “National Capital Region.” Canadian Women's History.

Retrieved October 3, 2019 ([Link]

Statistics Canada. 2009. Canadians Aged 15 and over Who Reported Experiencing Discrimination

or Unfair Treatment in Canada in Last Five Years, by Type of Situation, 2005 to 2009. Retrieved

October 2, 2019 ([Link]

x/2010001/article/11527/tbl/[Link]).

Wolf, Martin. 2005. Why Globalization Works. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Common questions

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Theoretical benefits of globalization in achieving social equality include the creation of a level playing field through freer flow of goods, services, and people, which breaks down the barriers of nationality-related inequalities. This enhances access to a wider range of job opportunities and leads to a more equitable distribution of global wealth, unlike protectionism which reinforces income disparities and restricts international economic participation, thereby limiting social mobility .

Globalization counters the negative effects of government restrictions by promoting a legal environment that encourages the free movement of labor and capital across borders, effectively reducing nationalistic constraints. As businesses gain the ability to hire talents globally and operate without rigid national boundaries, they can achieve greater efficiency and contribute to reducing international disparities in income and employment opportunities .

The document argues that protectionism contradicts globalization's goal of reducing inequality by emphasizing national self-interest and erecting barriers that prevent equitable global trade. Protectionists measures, such as tariffs and immigration restrictions, create an unequal playing field, limiting the benefits of globalization like wider market access and collaborative economic growth, which are essential for addressing global income disparities .

Protectionism contributes to social inequality by creating barriers to trade and restricting the movement of people across borders. This approach leads to tensions between countries and reinforces existing barriers to social and economic mobility, as seen with the U.S. under Trump's administration imposing tariffs and limiting immigration. These measures exacerbate inequality both within and between nations, as they prevent the equitable distribution of wealth and opportunities that globalization promotes .

The document links egalitarianism with global economic policies by arguing that globalization provides the tools to dismantle restrictive national policies that perpetuate inequality. By promoting the free flow of trade and international cooperation, globalization helps achieve greater socio-economic balance, maximizing opportunities and reducing income disparities between individuals regardless of their geographical location, thereby fostering a more egalitarian society .

Government-imposed regulations exacerbate international inequality by restricting trade and employment opportunities to domestically favored individuals, thus perpetuating the income disparity between countries. The Canadian government's regulations, for example, deny companies the freedom to hire international talents based solely on citizenship status, which limits the economic potential of different regions and sustains inequality .

Introducing protectionist policies, such as those promoted by President Trump, can lead to increased socio-economic tension and isolation on a global scale. Such policies, by imposing tariffs and restricting immigration, create barriers to international collaboration and limit the opportunities for mutual growth and understanding between nations, thus exacerbating existing inequalities rather than resolving them .

Historical inequality amongst individuals between countries is largely attributed to differences in national wealth and governance structures, rather than internal distribution. Globalization seeks to address this by spreading technological advances and economic developments more evenly, as evidenced by significant economic growth in developing nations post-globalization. This suggests that globalization mitigates historic inequalities by allowing for deeper integration into the global economy, which redistributes resources more fairly .

Globalization helps to reduce income inequality between countries by allowing for the free flow of trade and business, which raises the average real income of poorer countries at a faster rate than that of wealthier ones. This convergence of incomes across nations is illustrated by the significant income growth in 'South' countries like China compared to 'North' countries such as the United States, suggesting that global economic policies that eliminate barriers can lead towards income equilibrium and lessen socio-economic discrimination .

Analyzing economic trends from 1820 to 1980 is significant in understanding global inequality because it highlights the exacerbation of income disparities prior to the modern era of globalization. This period marked a peak in global inequality, suggesting that international barriers and lack of integration played a key role in widening this gap. By comparing these trends to the period after 1980, one can infer the positive impact globalization had in reducing these disparities and promoting economic convergence .

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