Types of Globalization

Financial globalization

• Interconnection of the world’s financial systems e.g. stock markets
• More of a connection between large cities than of nations
• Example: What happens in Asian markets affects the North American markets.

Economic Globalization

• A worldwide economic system that permits easy movement of goods, production, capital, and resources (free trade facilitates this)
• Example: NAFTA, EU, Multinational corporations

Technological Globalization

• The connection between nations through technology such as television, radio, telephones, internet, etc.
• Was traditionally available only to the rich but is now far more available to the poor. Much less infrastructure is needed now.

Political Globalization

• countries are attempting to adopt similar political policies and styles of government in order to facilitate other forms of globalization
• e.g. move to secular governments, free trade agreements, etc

Cultural Globalization

• Merging or “watering down” of the world’s cultures e.g. food, entertainment, language, etc.
• Heavily criticized as destructive of local culture
• e.g.  The Simpsons are shown in over 200 countries in the world.

Ecological Globalization

• seeing the Earth as a single ecosystem rather than a collection of separate ecological systems because so many problems are global in nature
• e.g. International treaties to deal with environmental issues like biodiversity, climate change or the ozone layer, wildlife reserves that span several countries

Sociological Globalization

• A growing belief that we are all global citizens and should all be held to the same standards – and have the same rights
• e.g. the growing international ideas that capital punishment is immoral and that women should have all the same rights as men.