Essay
Essay DVA2602 - Community Development And The Basic Needs Approach
- Institution
- University Of South Africa (Unisa)
THE IMPACT OF GLOBALIZATION ON THE GLOBAL SOUTH
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Discuss in detail as to how communities in the global South are responding to globalisation.Globalization has been a controversial topic for a long time. While some believe that it has negative
consequences, others believe that it has opened new opportunities for countries in the global South.
While there is no clear consensus on the effects of globalization, it has had a significant impact on
communities in the global South. In this essay, I will discuss how communities in the global South are
responding to globalization.
“Communities in the global South are responding to globalization in a variety of ways. Some are
embracing it, while others are resisting it. There is no one-size-fits-all response to globalization, as
each community must make its own decisions based on its unique circumstances. However, there
are some common themes that emerge from the various responses to globalization.”,
The communities in the global South are responding to globalisation in many ways. Some people
argue that globalisation has had negative effects on these communities, while others argue that
globalisation has had positive effects. It is important to consider both sides of the argument before
concluding. In this essay, the positive and negative effects of globalisation on communities in the
global South will be discussed.
Globalization refers to the process of expanding world trade, contacts among societies, and the
sharing of ideas around the world. It's a complex topic, and there are many ways to think about it.
Here we focus on its effects on communities in the global south. We'll explore how they are
responding to globalization, the challenges they face, and what the future may hold.,
A key concern of many observers of the globalization process has been the way in which
communities in the global south are responding to the challenges that this pose. While some
commentators have been quick to suggest that globalization is inevitably leading to the
homogenization of cultures, this is not always the case. Indeed, in many instances, communities in
the global south are actively engaged in resisting the forces of globalization and endeavouring to
maintain their distinct identities. To gain a better understanding of this phenomenon, this essay will
explore the ways in which communities in the global south are responding to globalization.
Globalization can be defined as the unprecedented interconnectedness of people, societies and
economies beyond traditional national boundaries. Although globalization is not unique to the
contemporary context, its current neoliberal iteration is arguably unprecedented. The purpose of
this essay is to examine the impacts of globalization on the Global South. It is important to note a
few important caveats that are useful in contextualizing the present analysis and understand its
intended scope. First, the Global South is a heterogenous block, and the political, social and
economic realities of each country are often location and history specific. Therefore, the Global
South is used loosely to capture some of the shared realities experienced by countries that are yet to
achieve high levels of industrialization. Second, globalization is a continuous and ongoing process,
such that its effect on a group of countries is necessarily tied to a specific time period- and not
necessarily applicable across different epochs.
The next section of the paper will highlight the political implications of globalization on the Global
South, arguing that most countries have lost autonomy over their economic policies- which
questions the validity of democratic sovereignty to the Global South. This will be followed by a
discussion of the social implications of globalization on the Global South. It will be argued that
, globalization has led to the Westernization of local cultures, which is not necessarily a value
judgement in its own, but rather demonstrates how local cultures are becoming eroded by processes
of globalization (albeit with simultaneous processes of resistance). The fourth section of analysis will
examine the economic impacts of globalization on the Global South, arguing that most economies
have experienced economic growth regression and de-industrialization, which fuel the cycle of
dependency between the industrialized core and the underdeveloped periphery. Overall, the thesis
to be defended is that globalization has been mostly negative for the Global South, although this is
applicable to most Global South countries (not all), as some have managed to capitalize on
globalization flows to foster their own development and growth.
The Political Impact of Globalization in the Global South
The contemporary iteration of globalization arguably began at the end of the Second World War,
specifically with the establishment of the Bretton Woods system. The Bretton Woods system marked
a departure from the traditional application of globalization processes, in that it led to the
establishment of a new global economic order (Fioretos & Heldt, 2019). The specific aspects of the
Bretton Woods institution that have shaped the political realities of the Global South pertain to the
World Bank and the IMF, which have evolved to become the most recognized and widely accredited
authorities of economic policy- ostensibly for both the developed and the developing worlds.
Since the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Bretton Woods institutions have become ideologically
aligned with the neoliberal, classical economic school of thought. At its core, neoliberalism dictates
that the market should be left to its own devices, as it ostensibly possesses the ability to allocate
resources according to market forces and trends (Soederberg, 2005). The specific policies that are
promoted by the neoliberal ideology are the deregulation of the market; minimal government
control over the macroeconomy; trade liberalization; and privatization (Kentikelenis & Babb, 2019).
The Global South has relied on the Bretton Woods institutions for development aid, specifically in
the form of loans that can be directed towards the industrialization, economic and social
development imperatives. However, the influence of the institutions has arguably surpassed their
intended purpose, inferred from the practice of attaching aid conditionalities to recipient countries
(Klein, 2009). This has in turn resulted in the loss of political autonomy for the Global South, as their
governments are mandated to accept the neoliberal economic policies as a prerequisite to access
foreign funds from the Bretton Woods institutions.
A case example that justifies this assertion is the Structural Adjustment programs that were
introduced in the 1980s. In the wake of the oil and debt crises of the 1970s, Global South economies
were experiencing significant economic challenges that threatened their macroeconomic
performance (Mathies, 1983). However, as a condition of accessing foreign aid, Global South
countries were required to implement structural adjustment- which is synonymous with the
aforementioned neoliberal economic policies. This in turn implied that Global South governments
lost autonomy over the nature of macroeconomic policies- for instance by being forbidden to
continue the infant industry protection scheme that had been useful in driving industrialization
efforts (Haslam et al., 2009). Therefore, Global South economies lost the ability to direct their own
economic affairs in accordance with their development agendas- demonstrating the loss of political
autonomy that characterizes an important effect of globalization.
The Social Impact of Globalization in the Global South
Globalization pertains not only to the interconnectedness of national economies, but also the
unprecedented level of integration across different cultures. Technological innovation in the current
digital age has paved the way for the globalization of culture, in that it has become relatively easy for
cultures to mutually influence and affect each other regardless of geographic proximity. A key
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