Globalisation’ is a word which has come into common use in recent years. Government policy-makers, political party leaders, businesspeople, academics, labour union leaders and the mass media all refer to the effects of globalisation and how it is changing our lives. Governments talk about how important globalisation is. On one hand they tell us that globalisation is ‘good’ for us, but on the other hand they say that many of the problems we face today are because of globalisation, not government policies.
However globalisation has different meanings to different people. Here is a common understanding of the meaning of globalisation: a rapid increase in international trade and investment in the last 20 years which is breaking down national borders and creating a single global economy – often called the ‘global village’.
Most people see globalisation as a process of change, which many have been persuaded as natural and inevitable.
• It is not true that national borders are disappearing. We live in an economic system that is international or ‘global’, but national borders are stronger than ever. It has become easier for corporations to move investment from one country to another, but in most cases this involves the active support of national governments. Governments sign international agreements and make deals to allow business and capital to move around the world easily, but it is not so easy for ordinary people to move around. National borders are still very strong, so people need passports and visas as well as facing tight immigration controls; they cannot move easily from one country to another like rich people and corporations. So the ‘global village’ looks more like a village of the rich and powerful. In fact, it is not like a village at all, it is more like a heavily fortified global garrison where a handful of powerful and wealthy people are served by the majority