THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD Ritzer (2015)

WEEK 1- INTRODUCTION TO GLOBALIZATION ⮚ Globalization is a trans planetary process or

a set of processes involving increasing
DEFINING GLOBALIZATION liquidity and the growing multidirectional
➢ Progress flows of people, objects, places, information
➢ Development as well as the structures they encounter and
➢ Integration create that are barriers to, or expedite, those
flows
THOMAS LARSSON (2001)
Robertson (1992), in his article, Globalization:
⮚ The process of world shrinkage, of distances Social Theory and Global Culture,
getting shorter, things moving closer.
⮚ defined globalization as the “understanding
⮚ It pertains to the increasing ease with which of the world and the increased perception of
somebody on one side of the world can the world as a whole.”
interact to mutual benefit with somebody on
the other side of the world Albrow and King (1990)

MARTIN KHOR ⮚ defined globalization as “all those processes

by which the people of the world are
⮚ Occurring through and with regression, incorporated into a single world society. This
colonialism, and destabilization means that peoples around the globe live in
a borderless community.
⮚ Globalization as colonialism
METAPHORS OF GLOBALIZATION
Classification of Definitions
SOLIDITY
1. Broad and Inclusive- can include variety of
issues but does not shed light on the ⮚ Refers to barriers that prevent or make
implications due to its vagueness difficult the movement of things

2. Narrow and Exclusive- better justified but LIQUIDITY

can be limiting due to their application
adhere to only particular definitions ⮚ Refers to the increasing ease of movement of
people, things, information, and places in
Ohmae (1992) the contemporary world

⮚ Globalization means the onset of borderless e.g., stock market, unstoppable social media
world (broad and inclusive) uploads

Robert Cox FLOWS

⮚ The characteristics of the globalization trend ⮚ Are movement of people, things, places, and
include the internationalizing of production, information brought by the growing
the new international division of labor, new “porosity” of global limitations (Ritzer, 2015)
migratory movements from south to north,
the new competitive environment that e.g., patronizing foods introduced by foreign
accelerates these processes, the cultures
internationalizing of the state. Making states GLOBALIZATION THEORIES
into agencies of globalization (narrow and
exclusive) HOMOGENEITY

⮚ Refers to the increasing sameness in the

world as cultural inputs, economic factors,
and political orientations of societies expand
to create common practices, same
economies, and similar forms of
government.
 ⮚ Homogeneity in culture is linked to cultural ⮚ Robert Hormats (1998) opined that ‘The
imperialism great beauty of globalization is that no one
is in control.’ This only means that no
⮚ e.g. individual, no government or no institution
has the control over globalization.
⮚ Christianity brought by Spaniards
⮚ Thomas Friedman (1999:112-3) emphasized
⮚ Americanization
that the most basic truth about globalization
⮚ One size fit all by IMF is this: ‘No one is in charge…But the global
marketplace today is an Electronic Herd of
⮚ McWorld- one political orientation often anonymous stock, bond, and currency
traders and multinational investors,
⮚ Global Flow of Media- imposed by West
connected by screens and networks.’
⮚ McDonaldization 4. Globalization benefits everyone.
HETEROGENEITY
⮚ This lies at the heart of market globalism and
⮚ Creation of various cultural practices, new represents a ‘good’ phenomenon.
economies, and political groups because of
⮚ Globalization provides great opportunities
the interaction of elements from different
for the future, not only for our countries, but
societies in the world.
for all others, too.
⮚ Cultural Hybridization
⮚ Its many positive aspects include an
unprecedented expansion of investment and
THE FIVE CORE CLAIMS OF MARKET GLOBALISM
trade; the opening up to international trade
1. Globalization is about the liberalization of the world’s most populous regions and
and global integration of market. opportunities for more developing countries
⮚ anchored in the neo—liberal ideal of self- to improve their standards of living; the
regulating market as the normative basis for increasingly rapid dissemination of
a future global order. information, technological innovation, and
⮚ This perspective explains the relevant the proliferation of skilled jobs.
functions of free market-its rationality and 5. Globalization furthers the spread of
efficiency, as well as its alleged ability to democracy in the world.
bring about greater social integration and
material progress-can only be realized in a ⮚ Francis Fukuyama (2000) stressed that there
democratic society that values and protects exists a ‘clear correlation’ between the
individual freedom. country’s level of economic development
and successful democracy. While
2. Globalization is inevitable and irreversible. globalization and capital development do
not automatically produce democracies, ‘the
⮚ The market-globalist perspective sees level of economic development resulting
globalization as the spread of irreversible from globalization is conducive to the
market forces driven by technological creation of complex civil societies with a
innovations that make the global integration powerful middle class. It is this class and
of national economies inevitable. As a matter societal structure that facilitates democracy’.
of fact, market globalism is always interlaced
with a belief that markets have the capacity ⮚ The former First Lady Hillary Rodham
to use new technologies to solve social Clinton (1999) praised the Eastern Europe’s
problems. economic transition towards capitalism by
saying, “The emergence of new businesses
3. Nobody is in charge of globalization and shopping centers in former communist
⮚ This claim highlights the semantic link countries should be seen as the ‘backbone of
democracy.’
between ‘globalization-market’ and the
adjacent idea of ‘leader lessness’.
 DYNAMICS OF LOCAL AND GLOBAL CULTURE According to Gereffi, the global economy can be
studied at different levels of analysis.
PERSPECTIVES ON GLOBAL CULTURAL FLOWS
1.MACRO LEVEL
1, CULTURAL DIFFERENTIALISM
> this includes the international organizations and
⮚ Emphasizes that cultures are essentially regimes that establish rules and norms for the
different and are superficially affected by global community.
global flows
⮚ The World Bank, the International Monetary
2. CULTURAL HYBRIDIZATION Fund, the World Trade Organization, and the
⮚ Emphasizes the integration of local and International Labor Organization are the
global cultures existing international organizations that
make impact to the economy of the world.
⮚ Glocalization (global and local) - creating a
unique outcome in different geographic ⮚ The regional integration schemes like the
areas European Union and the North American
Free Trade Agreement are also part of these
3. CULTURAL CONVERGENCE organizations. Since these regimes blend
both the rules and resources, they
⮚ Stresses on homogeneity introduced by substantiate the widest parameters within
globalization which the global economy operates.
⮚ Cultures are deemed to be radically altered 2. MESO LEVEL
by strong flows
⮚ it is believed that the building blocks for the
⮚ Deterritorialization global economy are the countries and firms.

⮚ The global economy is seen as the arena in

WEEK 2 GLOBAL ECONOMY which countries compete in different
product markets.
For the past centuries, the global economy has
significantly changed. 3. MICRO LEVEL

⮚ In the 11th century, the long-distance trading ⮚ There is a growing literature on the
flourished between Venice and the resistance to globalization by consumer
Netherlands. groups, activists, and transnational social
movements.
⮚ The woolen industry in the 13th century in
Flanders ⮚ Therborn (2000) expressed, “There are many
theories related to economic sociology
⮚ 14th century in Florence incorporate the global economy in their
frameworks, but they differ in the degree to
⮚ Those global changes have contributed which it is conceptualized as a system that
much to the economy of the world. There shapes the behavior and motivation of actors
was the birth of CAPITALISM. inside it, or as an arena where nationally
determined actors meet, interact, and
In Gary Gereffi’s journal:
influence each other.”
The Global Economy: Organization, Governance,
According to world-systems theory, the upward
and Development
or downward mobility of nations in the core,
➢ He mentioned that the global changes are semi periphery, and periphery is determined by
attributed to how the global economy is a country’s mode of incorporation in the
organized and governed. He furthered that capitalist world-economy, and these shifts can
these changes give impact not only to the only be accurately portrayed by an in-depth
flow of goods and services across national analysis of the cycles of capitalist accumulation
borders, but also the implications of these in the longue durée of history (Wallerstein 1974,
processes for how a particular country move 1980, 1989; Arrighi 1994).
up or down in the international scene.
1. CORE Countries for periphery countries to rise out of their status
and move into semi-periphery or core status. This
In world systems theory, the core countries are the can be done by doing things such as industrializing,
industrialized capitalist countries on which stabilizing the government and political climate, etc.
periphery countries and semi-periphery countries
depend. Core countries control and benefit from the Periphery countries as listed in the appendix of
global market. They are usually recognized as "Trade Globalization since 1795: waves of
wealthy nations with a wide variety of resources and integration in the world-system" that appeared in
are in a favorable location compared to other states. the American Sociological Review (Dunn, Kawana,
They have strong state institutions, a powerful Brewer (2000)).[18]
military and powerful global political alliances.
WEEK 3 MARKET INTEGRATION INTERNATION
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS

And this is the core listing according to Babones 1. Primary Sector

(2005), who notes that this list is composed of
countries that "have been consistently classified into ⮚ Extracts raw materials from natural
a single one of the three zones [core, semi-periphery environment
or periphery] of the world economy over the entire E.g., Farmers, Miners
28-year study period".
2. Secondary Sector
2. SEMI- PERIPHERY COUNTRIES
⮚ Gains raw materials and transforms them
In world-systems theory, the semi-periphery
into manufactured goods.
countries (sometimes referred to as just the semi-
periphery) are the industrializing, mostly capitalist E.g., petroleum refinery
countries which are positioned between the
periphery and core countries. Semi-periphery 3. Tertiary Sector
countries have organizational characteristics of
⮚ Involves services than goods
both core countries and periphery countries and are
often geographically located between core and ⮚ Doing things than making things
peripheral regions as well as between two or more
competing core regions.[1] Semi-periphery regions E.g., Education, Transportation
play a major role in mediating economic, political,
and social activities that link core and peripheral
areas. International Financial Institutions

The following are semi-periphery countries BRETTON WOODS SYSTEM

according to Dunn, Kawana, Brewer (2000).
➢ Established due to sufferings of world ‘s
3. PERIPHERY COUNTRIES major economies because of World War I,
Great Depression in 1930’s and World WarII
In world systems theory, the periphery countries
(sometimes referred to as just the periphery) are 5 ELEMENTS OF BW SYSTEM
those that are less developed than the semi-
periphery and core countries. These countries 1. Expression of Currency in terms of gold or
usually receive a disproportionately small share of gold value to establish a par value
global wealth. They have weak state institutions and 2. Official Monetary Authority in each country
are dependent on – according to some, exploited by (central bank or national treasury)
– more developed countries. These countries are
usually behind because of obstacles such as lack of 3. Establishment of an overseer for the
technology, unstable government, and poor exchange rates, thus, IMF was founded
education and health systems.
4. Eliminating restrictions on the currencies of
In some instances, the exploitation of periphery the member states in international trade
countries' agriculture, cheap labor, and natural
5. US dollar became the global currency
resources aid core countries in remaining dominant.
This is best described by dependency theory, which
is one theory on how globalization can affect the
world and the countries in it. It is, however, possible
GENERAL AGREEMENT ON TARIFFS AND TRADE EUROPEAN UNION (EU)
(GATT)
➢ This organization was designed
An international organization for liberalization of to enhance European political and economic
trade that grew out of Bretton Woods System and integration by creating a
primarily focuses on tariff reduction to any single currency (the euro), a unified foreign
international trading system. and security policy, and common citizenship
rights and by advancing cooperation in the
WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION (WTO) areas of immigration, asylum, and judicial
Its operations are premised on the neoliberal idea affairs.
that all nations benefit from free and open trade and ORGANIZATION OF PETROLEUM EXPORTING
it is dedicated to reducing and ultimately COUNTRIES (OPEC)
eliminating barriers to such trade.
➢ it is a multinational organization that was
TRADE-RELATED ASPECTS OF INTELLECTUAL established to coordinate the petroleum
PROPERTY RIGHTS (TRIPS) policies of its members and to provide
➢ Is an international legal agreement between member states with technical and economic
all the member nations of the World Trade aid.
Organization (WTO). It sets down minimum FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT (FDI)
standards for the regulation by national
governments of many forms of intellectual ➢ it involves investments by one firm in
property (IP) as applied to nationals of other another firm that exists abroad in a different
WTO member nations. nation-sate, with the intention of gaining
➢ This involves intangible ideas, knowledge control over the latter’s operation.
and expressions that require use to be
approved by the owners. MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS (MNC)

AGREEMENT ON TRADE-RELATED INVESTMENT ⮚ A firm that has the power to coordinate and
MEASURES (TRIMS) are rules that apply to the control operations in more than two
domestic regulations a country applies to foreign countries, even if it does not own them.
investors, often as part of an industrial policy.
⮚ Global corporations
➢ These are range of operating or performance
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ORGANIZATION
measures that host-country governments
(ISO)
impose on foreign firms to keep them from
having distorting effect on trade in goods ⮚ An international institute of technical
and services. standards that sustain and vindicate the
quality assurance of the goods and services
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
available in the global market.
➢ It deals with exchange rates, balances of
WEEK 4 GLOBAL INTERSTATE SYSTEM
payments, international capital flows, and
the monitoring of member states and their  “Global Interstate System” is a system of
macroeconomic policies. competing and allied states around the
world.
WORLD BANK (WB)
 The word “global” refers to the interaction
➢ It provides funds to government-sponsored
networks in which people live, whether these
or guaranteed programs in so-called Part II
are spatially small or large around the world.
(member states that are middle-income or
“Interstate” explains the connections and
creditworthy poorer nations).
operations between states, and “system”
means that these policies and settlements
are interacting with one another in
important ways; interactions are two-way,
necessary, structured, regularized, and
reproductive.
  Systemic interconnectedness exists when  Sovereign states are experiencing increased
lives of the people in the jurisdiction and of difficulties in supplying regulatory and
others are significantly affected and redistributive public goods and establishing
influenced through the interactions, this is and enforcing property rights in the face of
pivotal for social continuity and/or social relatively open trade, rapid information-
change. technology advances, and considerable
financial deregulation.
 This system imposes a check and balance of
power such that no state-system would be  Moreover, both market relations and
able to monopolize the world economy and political discontent with economic policies
everyone would have a fair share of have virtually become “borderless.”
resources and opportunities, this means that
the economy, production in focus to the  The international system has now become
factors of production cannot be constrained less state-centric that makes a way into the
to a degree of political monopoly. political constitution of domestic policies.
Notably, the advancements in technology
WEEK 5 GLOBAL CONTEMPORARY GOVERNANCE and its innovations have increased the speed
of the migration and transplantation of legal
 Globalization is a rich and a broad concept rules and policies.
and may be defined in various perspectives.
It cannot be denied that globalization has  The transnational actors, which are non-
made a tremendous impact on the sovereign state, such as the intergovernmental
state. Fowler and Bunck (1996) emphasized organizations (IGOs), international
that a sovereign state has a territory, the nongovernmental organizations (INGOs),
people, and a government. and transnational corporations (TNCs) have
assumed relevant roles in global
 Any state admitted as a member of the governance. They have created
United Nations will be upon the decision of transnational law that runs many
the General Assembly as recommended by dimensions of the political economy that
the Security Council. The United Nations was once governed by the sovereign states.
membership requirements are
 The Rome statute of the International
 (1) the state must be a peace-loving state Criminal Court (ICC) upholds the principle of
which accepts the obligations contained in complementarities and recognizes that
the present Charter, and states do not have to collaborate with the
 (2) in the judgment of the Organization, court unless they have ratified the statute.
must be able and willing to carry out these However, this is only part of the picture.
obligations.  The establishment of special hybrid courts in
 Chapter 2, Article 4 of the United Nations Cambodia, East Timor, Lebanon, and Sierra
Charter states that only sovereign states can Leone means that states no longer see
become members of the United Nations. sovereign state law alone as a sufficient
Although all UN members are fully sovereign means of punishing serious war crimes.
states at the present, the Belarus, India,  The decisions of international judges and
Philippines, and Ukraine- four of the original prosecutors now permeate and shape the
members- were not independent at the time domestic criminal law of these countries.
of their admission in the organization. William Burke-White further asserts that the
 Even from the seventeenth century, the legal ICC has become part of a system of multilevel
framework of a sovereign state has served as global governance through its alteration of
a definitive ground for political governance state preferences and policies and its
and economic system. deterrence of future crimes through judicial
and prosecutorial pronouncements.
 Sovereignty has been constitutionally used
both on national and international levels.  International law has evolved into a central
The intercontinental spread of capital and framework for the emergent system of global
the formation of global markets have governance. This system supplies the
eventually substituted the fragmented normative mechanisms for the
national economies. establishment of IGOs and the facilitation of
 the international response to issues as
diverse as nuclear proliferation, climate
change, ocean use, and the functioning of the
world trade system.

 Alexandra Khrebtukova insightfully points

out, “[national borders no longer confine the
diverse views that prioritize subjects of
international law different perspectives are
often less identifiable with specific states
than with discrete branches of the law, each
manifesting separate functional perceptions
of what that law should take as its primary
focus.

 A sovereign state and its laws are changing;

they are transforming according to their
relevance to the international system. A state
may, in some point in time, opt to comply
with the international and transnational
standards. However, the adaptive power of
the state law should not be underestimated.

 Generally speaking, the laws that govern the

sovereign state are strong and flexible
enough to endure the many challenges along
the way. Even with globalization around, the
laws are here to stand firm on the political
influence over the lives of sovereign state’s
people and the majority of peoples around
the globe.