1st Describe globalisation and its various dimensions, and the factors that have allowed/encouraged
Question its development. (20 marks)
2nd There are distinct groups of 'winners' and 'losers' in the current globalised system of trade. To
Question what extent do you agree with this statement? (20)
3rd Whilst the last century has witnessed an increase in the breadth and depth of globalisation and
Question associated connectivity, recent years have seen a slowing and even a reversal of this process in
some areas. A rise in nationalism and other recent events such as conflict and countries placing a
greater importance on being self-sufficient (e.g., energy and food security) mean that
globalisation is likely to decrease in the future. To what extent to you agree with this
assessment? (20 marks)
1. Describe globalisation and its various dimensions, and the factors that
have allowed/encouraged its development. (20 marks)
Globalisation is the term used to describe how the world has become increasingly
interdependent, and the flow of ideas, cultures, economies and populations across the world.
Globalisation is often only referred to in an economic sense - the integration of markets and
trading across borders, but globalisation also involves the flow of social and academic ideas
throughout the world. It can be hard to find one singular definition of globalisation due to its
diverse nature, and how people may have differing views based on how it has affected them. For
example, globalisation may be good for big companies who can pay their workers in LDEs lower
wages, and thus can turn a tidy profit, whereas a factory worker in a deindustrialised sector of
the UK may oppose globalisation as jobs are being outsourced. Globalisation has been driven by
various factors, ranging from economic, historical, political, technological and social, and these
factors often interact with each other to pave the way for the expansion of globalisation.
One factor which has encouraged the development and expansion of globalisation historical
events/practices which have engrained themselves in global interactions. For example, the fall of
communist nations such as the Soviet Union had many long-lasting effects on the global
economy and the region’s foreign trade. Before the fall of the Soviet Union, imports and exports
accounted for just 4% of Soviet GNP, and what little trade the Union did engage in was mostly
with communist nations within Eastern Europe. This would also be the case with many other
communist nations, who opposed capitalist practices and therefore would not engage much in
global trade. However, once the communist governments of these nations had been dismantled,
trade with them massively increased, promoting global cooperation and links – for example,
Russia joined the World Trade Organisation in 2012. Another historical factor could be
colonisation affecting trade routes and migration between countries. For example, the
Commonwealth is an association comprised of almost completely just former territories of the
British Empire, originally required allegiance to the British monarch, and still acknowledge the
British monarch as the symbolic head of their association. Colonialism results in long-established
economic relations, similar administrative and legal systems, and facility with a shared language,
and therefore cannot be dismissed as an underlying factor of the development of globalisation.
Political factors also have a large impact on the expansion of globalisation across the world. For
example, countries engaged in conflict and wars will often lead to mass immigration and an
influx of asylum seekers in other countries, an example of how people and their respective
, languages flow across the world and resulting in a diaspora of ethnic groups in countries other
than their homelands. Immigration control and laws concerning the borders of certain countries
are also responsible for encouraging the development of globalisation for this very reason.
Globalisation is also encouraged through the breaking down of trade boundaries through the
creation of trade blocs between neighbouring countries, such as the NAFTA bloc for the US,
Canada, and Mexico, and allows the flow of economies and goods throughout North America.
Other international agreements and organisations, such as the UN, also contribute to the
expansion of globalisation, as they result in international cooperation. Governments also
encourage globalisation by advocating for TNCs to invest in certain sectors of their economy, for
example the UK advocated for TNCs to help combat the effect of deindustrialisation in the north
of England and offering incentives such as tax breaks.
Another key factor which has massively contributed to the development of globalisation is
advancements in technology and methods of communication, such as the prevalence of the
Internet and the resulting global connectivity. Not only direct communication with others
through such channels as email, but people everywhere find themselves connected by the
internet in the sense that you could easily browse online and buy a product made in another
country, and have it shipped over in a matter of minutes; e-commerce and electronic banking
allows rapid global transactions. More efficient methods of transport, such as containerism and
air transport allow for less waste of perishable products, as well as reducing time and transport
costs of said products, allowing them to travel faster and further. Technological advances have
also allowed globalisation to develop, as for example the increasing number of people with
mobile phones across the world and therefore greater access to social media means that the
disparity in prosperity between different countries is more obvious, encouraging migration to
find better opportunities. Service and information flows is an example of globalisation, and is
intrinsically linked to such advancements in communications tech, as they are footloose and take
place globally, therefore are reliant on such technology for the transfer of information.
Digitisation and satellite technology have made communication cheaper and easier, as well as
instantaneous worldwide in the form of email and the internet.
Finally, economic factors have a major effect on the development of globalisation, as much of
the global desire to communicate with the rest of the world and be involved in global policies
stems from attempts to capitalise on economic opportunities in other countries. For example, in
countries with a large supply of natural resources, TNCs will invest, not out of a wish to help
raise the standard of living in the country, but because they believe they will benefit from their
share of the profits (which is usually higher than the amount staying in the country the resources
are extracted from). The original country receives economic stimulation in the form of jobs that
the TNCs provide, allowing their economy to grow and potentially evolve their own trade
agreements or invest in other sectors and TNCs receive the repatriation of these said profits, an
example of globalisation in action as a result of financial goals of TNCs. Trade and the reduction
of trade boundaries between countries is both cause and effect of the development of
globalisation.
Overall, there are many important factors leading to the development of globalisation, and many
of these factors interact with each other to perpetuate the cycle of globalisation. Economic
factors are the most notable example of this, but its inextricable connectivity to the other factors
means it is almost impossible to assign it the role of most important factor. They all contribute to
