UNIT 4
GLOBALIZATION & REGIONALIZATION
• Definition of Globalization: it is defined as:
• the stretching of social and political activities across state
the intensification or the growing magnitude of interconnectedness in almost
every aspect of social existence
the accelerating pace of global interactions and process as the evolution of
worldwide systems of transport and communication increases the rapidity of
or velocity with which ideas, news, goods, information, capital and technology
move around the world;
• the growing extensity, intensity, and velocity of global interaction is associated
with a deepening enmeshment of the local and global
• Globalization is synonymous with a process of time-space
compression . In this respect globalization embodies a process of
deterritorialization:
• social, political, and economic activities are increasingly stretched
across the globe
• they become in a significant sense no longer organized solely
according to territorial logic.
• Territorial borders no longer demarcate the boundaries of national
economic or political space.
• The relative significance territory and boarders, as constrains of
social action and exercise of power, is declining.
• Note only that the distinction between the domestic and
international, inside and outside the state breaks down.
4.2. The Globalization Debates
Globalization is a contentious issue in international
relations.
There has been intense debate as to: the direction,
nature and effect of globalization on states.
• Three perspectives on globalization are :
1. The hyper-globalists
2. The skeptics and
3. Transformationalists.
Each perspective delivers a distinct response to the
questions of:
what is new about globalization; and
what are its political consequences for sovereign
statehood
1. THE HYPER-GLOBALIST
According to this view globalization:
• defines a new epoch in human history in which nation
states become obsolete to regulate their economy and
boundary.
• privileges the economic over the political, the market
over the state, and prefigures the decline of states.
• economic globalization is bringing about a de-
nationalization/ de-territorialization of economies
through the establishment of transitional networks of
production, trade and finance.
economic globalization is generating a new pattern of
losers as well as winners in the international economy
The already existing South-North gap has been considered as
acronyms as a new international division of labor emerges with
• The competitive nature of the market would bring new
economic class as winners and losers, hence this put a
challenge for the state.
• They also argue that globalization is imparting new
liberal ideas and implant culture of modernization
replacing the traditional culture having an impetus
towards creating a new global order marked by uniform
cultural values or way of life.
2. Skeptics
• For Skeptics globalization:
is synonymous to internationalization
it is very much dependent on the regulatory power of
the state to ensure the continuation of economic
liberalism.
States are central actors and agents of globalization
playing central role in shaping and regulating the
economic activities including the Trans-boundary flows
of ideas, goods and peoples
They undermine that the world is interconnected and moving
into a village.
More interconnectedness at regional level lesser than at the
global level.
Skeptics argues that there is no free flow of goods, resources,
technology and finance at the global level; instead we have
regional based globalization.
They argues that the Western region is more
intergraded and globalized than the other part of the
world
They do not believe that globalization would help to
narrow the economic and technological gap that is still
prevailing between the Global North and Global South.
• Globalization brings nothing new, rather it is just the
crystallization of the already existing realities of the
world which has been marked by the North-South gap
reflected in terms of the deeply rooted patterns of
inequality and hierarchy.
THE TRANSFORMATIONALIST
• To the transformationalist perspective globalization is:
• a critical driving force behind the rapid social, political
and economic changes.
• Reconstituting or reengineering the power, function
and the authority of the state.
• Under globalization, national economic space no more
coincides with state boundary.
• They assert that a new sovereignty regime is displacing
traditional conception of state power.
• It is not purely State-Centric or even primarily state
managed as authority has become increasingly diffused
amongst public and private a agencies at the local,
national, regional and at global levels i.e. down ward, up
rewards and sideways.
• This does not mean that the power of national government is
necessarily diminished but on the contrary it is being
redefined, reconstituted and restructured in response to the
growing complexity of process of governance in a more
interconnected world.
Globalization and Its Impacts on Africa
• In its contemporary form, globalization is driven by a
variety of forces.
• These are:
– the flow of financial resources
–technology, especially transport, communications and
information technology
–the global diffusion of religious ideas as well as
ideologies.
• Impacts of globalization:
• the Americanization of the world
• the propagation of a universal paradigm for economic
and political development, and
• the dominance of unilateralism as a way of conducting
international relations.
• Asymmetry in the distribution of power between developed and
developing countries
• In the case of Africa:
its position in the international system has been
considerably weak both in terms of economic and
human development- political and social instability and
the rise of authoritarian regimes that have further
weakening the ability of African countries to deal
effectively with globalization.
The cold war in Africa lead to the emergence of
authoritarian regimes in most African countries in the
form of one-party or military regimes - one party and
military regimes inhibited the emergence of democratic
governance and developmentally oriented regimes in
Africa.
With the end of the cold war, support has been
withdrawn by the major powers for many African
countries considered no longer of strategic importance.
This has entailed an increase in the number of so called
“failed states” in Africa in the past two decades
• The negative impacts of globalization on Africa includes
Erosion of sovereignty, especially on economic and
financial matters, as a result of the imposition of
models, strategies and policies of development on
African countries by IMF, WB and WTO
Reduction of the capacity of governments to determine
and control events in their countries, and thus their
accountability and responsiveness to their people
Fragmentation of national economies, polities,
societies and cultures that are triggered by globalization
weaken national consciousness and cohesion, leading to
social divisiveness and instability
Globalization has often pressured African leaders to
adopt policies and measures that are diametrically
opposite to the feelings and sentiments of the vast
majority of their people. This has led to the rise or
reinforcement of authoritarian regimes.
Globalization leads to the development of anti-
developmentalism by declaring the state irrelevant or
marginal to the developmental effort.
Development strategies and policies that focus on
stabilization and privatization, rather than growth,
development and poverty eradication, are pushed by
external donors, leading to greater poverty and
inequality and undermining the ability of the people to
participate effectively in the political and social processes
in their countries.
Welfare and other programs intended to meet the basic
needs of the majority of the population are transferred
from governments to non-governmental organizations
that begin to replace governments in the eyes of the
people.
As a result, governments lose what little authority
and legitimacy they have.
The consequent gap between government leaders
and the public leads to alienation of the population
from the political process and creates a favorable
environment for the emergence of non-representative
governments.
Conflicts over the distribution of the limited gains of
globalization become more acute and politicized.
Vulnerable groups, such as women, the youth, and
rural inhabitants, fare very badly in this contest and
are discriminated against.
Cont…
• Economically, globalization has, on the whole, reinforced
the economic marginalization of African economies and
their dependence on a few primary goods for which
demand and prices are externally determined.
• Economic and social stagnation has also triggered a
substantial brain- drain from Africa, further weakening
the ability of African countries to manage their
economies efficiently and effectively. As a result of the
cultural domination from outside that goes with
globalization, African countries are rapidly losing their
cultural identity and therefore their ability to interact
with other cultures on an equal and autonomous basis
• In sum, negative consequences of globalization on Africa
far out way their positive impact.
• 4.5. Pros and Cons of Globalization
• Globalization has its merits and demerits.
• Merits of globalization:
are the expansion of democratic culture, human right and the protection of historically minority and subaltern groups.
Innovation in science, medicine, and technology and information communication has enabled the improvement of quality of life.
Agricultural technological expansion resulted in the lifting out of millions of people out of poverty. The technological and social revolution
significantly contributed to advancement of human security and safety.
the free movement of good, service, people, ideas, expertise, knowledge and technology across national borders strengthened international
interdependence
States ceased to be the sole actors and referents of international relations and diplomacy, and conception of security as well. Along with it emerged
the responsibility of states to protect their citizens and the shared responsibility of the global society for protecting vulnerable groups from
human right violations and victimization. Furthermore, economist characterize the rapid economic growth in some countries of the south to
globalization.
• Demerits of globalization
the prevalence of a growing gap between rich and poor became considerably.
It is an aspect of Western imperialism of ideas and beliefs eroding and in roading the sovereignty of non-Western countries
Global capital and international financial institutions like WB and IMF made free inroads into countries of the south influencing the economic and
political dynamics of negatively.
With technological advancement, climatic, environmental and technological risks have multiplied.
It has made the globalization of risks, threats and vulnerabilities like global terrorism, religious fundamentalism, proliferation of Small Arms and
Light Weapons (SALWs), arms and human trafficking.
the rise of radical nationalism and ethnicity, which set the context for the emergence of the era of identity and identity conflicts.