GED 104 - THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD
Trans by: ANONUEVO, CALIMAG, GONZALES, MACASAET,
ORTEGA, SALAZAR, SANGALANG, SEVILLA, UNTALAN
WEEK 2: INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF
GLOBALIZATION
What is globalization?
● The process in which people, ideas and goods spread
throughout the world, spurring more interaction and
integration between the world’s cultures, government
and economies.
● A process of interaction and integration among the
people, companies, and governments of different
nations, a process driven by international trade and
investment and aided by information technology.
● It is about growing worldwide connectivity.
Globalization: PAST VS PRESENT
Globalization: Defined
“Globalization is an expression, and intensification of
social relations and consciousness across world time and
world space. It is about growing worlwide connectivity.” -
Steger
Characteristics of Globalization:
1. It involves both the creation of new social networks
and the multiplication of existing connections that cut
across traditional, political, economic, cultural and
geographical boundaries.
2. Globalization is reflected in the expansion and the
stretching of social relations, activities, and
connections.
3. Globalization involves the intensification and
acceleration of social exchanges and activities.
4. Globalization processes do not occur merely or an
objective, material level but they also involve the
subjective plane of human consciousness.
Historical Periods of Globalization
1. The Prehistoric Period (10000 BCE - 3500 BCE)
● Contacts among hunters and gatherers -
who were spread around the world - were
geographically limited.
2. The Premodern Period (3500 BCE - 1500 BCE)
● Invention of wheel in addition to roads made
the transportation of people and goods more
efficient.
● Writing facilitated the spread of ideas and
inventions.
3. Early Modern Period (1500-1750)
● European Enlightenment project tried to
achieve a universal form of morality and law.
● Led to the capitalist world system which
helped to strengthen globalization.
4. The Modern Period (1750-1970)
● Innovations in transportation and
communication technology, population
explosion, and increase in migration led to
more cultural exchanges and transformation
in traditional social patterns.
● Process of industrialization also accelerated.
5. The Contemporary World (from 1970 to present)
● Creation, expansion and acceleration of
worldwide interdependencies occurs in a
dramatic way and it was a kind of leap in the
history of globalization.
Dimensions of Globalization
1. Economic Dimension - refers to the extensive
development of economic relations across the globe
as a result of technology and the enormous flow of
capital that has stimulated trade in both sources and
goods.
2. Political Dimension - refers to an enlargement and
strengthening of political interrelations across the
globe.
3. Cultural Dimension - refers to the increase in the
amount of cultural flows across the globe. Cultural
interconnections are at the foundations of
contemporary globalization.
4. Religious Dimension - whether the root cause of a
particular conflict or merely a vehicle for the
mobilization of nationalist or ethnic passions, religion
is certainly central to much of the strife currently
taking place around the globe.
5. Ideological Dimension - Ideology is a system of
widely shared ideas, beliefs, norms and values
among a group of people often used to legitimize
certain political interests or to defend dominant power
structures. It connects human actions with some
generalized claims. - Globalization is a social process
of intensifying global interdependence while globalism
is an ideology that gives the concept of neo-liberal
values and meanings to globalization.
Major Ideological Claims of Advocates of Globalism
1. Globalization is about the liberalization and global
integration of markets.
2. Globalization is inevitable and irreversible.
3. Nobody is in charge of globalization.
4. Globalization benefits everyone.
5. Globalization furthers the spread of democracy in the
world.
WEEK 3: GLOBAL ECONOMY AND MARKET
INTEGRATION
Economic Globalization
- Refers to the increasing interdependence of world
economies as a result of the growing scale of cross-
border trade of commodities and services, flow of
international capital and wide and rapid spread of
technologies.
- Reflects the continuing expansion and mutual
integration of the market frontier.
- An irreversible trend for the economic development in
the whole world at the turn of the millennium.
Dimensions of Economic Globalization
1. The globalization of trade of goods and services.
2. The globalization of financial and capital markets
3. The globalization of technology and communication
4. The globalization of products.
International Monetary Systems (Ims) and Gold Standard
 ● IMS refers to a system that forms RULES AND
STANDARDS for facilitating international trade
among the nations.
● It helps in reallocating the CAPITAL AND
INVESTMENT from one nation to another.
● It is the global network of the government and
financial institutions that determine the exchange rate
of different currencies for international trade.
International Monetary Systems (Ims) and Gold Standard
● Gold Standard is a SYSTEM of backing a country’s
currency with its gold reserves. Such currencies are
freely convertible into gold at a fixed price, and the
country settles all its international trade transactions
in gold.
European Monetary Integration
➔ Refers to a 30-year long process intended to reduce
the excessive influence of the US dollar on domestic
exchange rates, and led, through various attempts, to
the creation of a Monetary Union and a common
currency.
➔ According to the European Commission in 2008, the
first 10 years of the EMU were an evident success for
participating countries in terms of increased trade and
capital transactions, more integrated economies,
restored macroeconomic stability and the utilization of
Euro as the second most widely used reserve
currency.
International Trade
 Refers to the exchange of goods, services and capital
across national borders.
 A multi-million dollar activity central to the GDP of
many countries and the only way for many people in
many countries to acquire resources.
Trade Policies
● Refers to the regulations and agreement of foreign
countries.
● It defines standards, goals, rules, and regulations that
pertain to trade relation between countries.
● Taxes imposes on import and export, inspection,
regulations, tariffs and quotas are all part of country’s
trade policy.
Focuses of Trade Policies in International Trade
1. Tariffs
 Taxes or duties paid for a particular class of
imports or exports.
 Heavy tariffs on imported goods are levied
by some nations for the protection of their
local industries.
2. Trade Barriers
 Measures that governments or public
authorities introduce to make imported
goods or services less competitive than
locally produced goods and services.
 State-imposed restrictions on trading a
particular product or with a specific nation.
3. Safety
 Ensures that imported products in the
country are of high quality.
Types of Trade Policies
1. National Trade Policy
 Safeguards the best interest of its trade
and citizens.
2. Bilateral Trade Policy
 To regulate the trade and business
relations between two nations, this
policy is formed.
3. International Trade Policy
 Defined the international trade policy
under their charter like the International
economic organizations, such as
Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD), World Trade
Organization (WTO) and International
Monetary Fund (IMF).
World Trade Organization (WTO)
○ Deals with the global rules of trade between
nations with the main function of ensuring
that trade flows smoothly, predictably and
freely.
○ The only global international organization
dealing with the rules of trade between
nations with WTO agreements, negotiated
and signed by the bulk of the world’s trading
nations and ratified in their parliaments at its
heart.
Global Economy Outsourcing
Outsourcing
● An activity that requires search for a partner
and relation-specific investments that are
governed by incomplete contracts.
● Depends on:
○ Thickness of the domestic and
foreign market for input suppliers.
○ Relative cost of searching in each
market.
○ Relative cost of customizing inputs.
○ Nature of contracting environment.
Market Integration
● Refers to how easily two or more markets can trade
with each other.
● Occurs when prices among different
locations or related goods follow similar patterns over
a long period of time.
Types of Related Market Where Market Integration Occurs
1. Stock Market Integration
- A condition in which stock markets in
different countries trend together and depict
same expected risk adjusted returns
2. Financial Market Integration
- An open market economy between countries
facilitated by a common currency and the
elimination of technical, regulatory and tax
differences to encourage free flow of capital
and investment across borders
Global Corporation
● A business that operates in two or more countries
(multinational company)
● Several advantages are offered by global expansion
of business over running a strictly domestic company.
Foreign Direct Investment (Fdi)
● A major driver of extended global corporate
development
● An investment made by a company or individual in
one country in business interests in another country,
 in the form of either establishing business operations
or
acquiring business assets in the other country, such
as ownership or controlling interest in a foreign
company.
BRICS ECONOMIES
● Combined economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China
and South Africa.
● Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) refer to the
idea that China and India will, by 2050, become the
world’s dominant suppliers of manufactured goods
and services,
respectively, while Brazil and Russia will become
similarly dominant as suppliers of raw materials.
GENERAL AGREEMENT ON TRADE IN SERVICES (GATS)
● The first multilateral agreement covering trade in
services, which was negotiated during the last round
of multilateral trade negotiations, called the Uruguay
Round, and came into force in 1995.
● Provides a framework of rules governing services
trade, establishes a mechanism for countries to make
commitments to liberalize trade in services and
provides a mechanism for resolving disputes between
countries.
WEEK 4: GLOBAL INTERSTATE SYSTEM
Globalization vs Nation
(States)
Can Globalization replace the state?
➔ No
● States are independent political communities each
possessing a government and asserts sovereignty.
Economic Sovereignty
● The power of national governments to make decisions
independently of those made by other governments
● Globalization as a counterpoint of national
sovereignty
● In a globalized world economy, governments have no
alternative but to adopt neoliberal economic policies
of privatization, deregulations and reductions in public
expenditures.
Concepts of Sovereignty
1. International Legal Sovereignty
● Refers to the acceptance of a given state as
a member of the international community
2. Westphalian Sovereignty
● Based on the principle that one sovereign
state should not interfere in the domestic
arrangements of another.
3. Interdependence Sovereignty
● The capacity and willingness to control flows
of people, goods and capital into and out of
the country.
4. Domestic Sovereignty
● the capacity of a state to choose and
implement policies within the territory
State vs Nation
State
● a legal ang political entity
● Linked to a territory
● Exists with sovereignty
● Established consciously
● United by laws
Nation
● A socio-cultural entity
● Linked to a group of people
● May exist even without sovereignty
● Can be created unconsciously
● United by bond and shred history
Nation - State
● This refers to modern countries and their political
apparatuses rules over a single nation
● It is a political community that emanates (?) from
civic society to legitimately execute peace
Globalism and Nationalism
Then, what are the effects of Globalization on Nation-
State?
1. Imposing Forced Choice Upon Nation - States
The Golden Straight Jacket by
Thomas Fried Man
● Illustrate the forcing of stated into policies that suit the
preferences of investment houses and corporate
executives who swiftly move money and resources
into countries favored as adaptable to the demands of
international business and withdraw even more
rapidly from countries deemed uncompetitive.
Neoliberalism
● The intensification of the influence and
dominance of capital
● The elevation of capitalism as a mode of
production into an ethic, a set of political
imperatives, and a cultural logic.
● A project to strengthen, restore , or in some
cases, constitute anew the power of economic
elites
● Emphasizes the significance of contractual
relations on marketplace
2. Establishment of Political and Economic Integrations
Economic Integration
• Can be described as a process and a means by
which a group of countries strives to increase their
level of welfare
• An arrangement between different regions that often
includes the reduction or elimination of trade barriers
and the coordination of monetary and fiscal policies.
• Reducing costs for both consumers and producers
and increasing trade between the countries involved
in the agreement are the aims of economic
integration.
Political Integration
• Refers to the integration of components within political
systems; the integration of political systems with
economic, social, and other human systems; and the
political processes by which social, economic, and
political systems become integrated.
• Mainly based on welfare increasing effects of
integrated policy making according to the Economics
of European integration. It brings economic benefits
by leading the recovery of effectiveness in policy
making
European Integration
 • The process of industrial, political, legal, economic,
social and cultural integration of states in wholly and
partially in Europe
Europian Union
• An international organization comprising 28 European
countries and governing common economic, social
and security policies
Terms in the European:
Social Movement
• A type of group action
• Refers to the organizational structures and strategies
that may empower oppressed populations to mount
effective challenges and resist the more powerful and
advantaged elites.
Global Justice Movement
• Describes the loose collection of individuals and
groups often referred to as a "movement of
movements" who advocate fair trade rules and are
negative to current institutions of global economics
New transnational Activism
• As multifaceted as the internationalism. Although
globalization and global neo-liberalism, are frames
around which may activists mobilize, the protests and
organizations are not the product of global imaginary
but of domestically rooted activists
3. Establishment of International
Laws and Principles
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
● The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)
is a milestone document in the history of human
rights.Drafted by representatives with different legal
and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the
world, the Declaration was proclaimed by the United
Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December
1948 (General Assembly resolution 217 A) as a
common standard of achievements for all peoples
and all nations. It sets out, for the first time,
fundamental human rights to be universally protected
and it has been translated into over 500 languages.
4. The Rise of the Transnational Activism Transnational
Activism
● The mobilization of collective claims by actors
located in more than one country and/or addressing
more than one national government and/or
international governmental organization or another
international actor
5. Creation of New Communication
Network
-"New forms of digital media are accompanied by
globalization in bringing to light the possibilities for
merging new kinds of communities via networks and
creating new arenas for political interaction, identity and
belonging"
Social Media
- A computer-based technology that facilitates the
sharing of ideas and information and the building
of virtual networks and communities
- Internet based and offers users easy electronic
communication of personal information and other
content, such as videos and photos
- It empowers individuals to have a voice
• Social movements have increasingly seen social
media as a means to collaboratively crowdsource with
diverse stakeholders
● In large organizations, social media are often
supported because the technology can help foster the
sense of a "digital village" where individuals are able
to "see" the lives of others within their organization
and feel closer to them.
● Social Media are used commercially as a key mode
for product exposure and messaging
● The Arab Spring was a series of pro-democracy
uprisings that enveloped several largely Muslim
countries, including Tunisia, Morocco, Syria, Libya,
Egypt and Bahrain. The events in these nations
generally began in the spring of 2011, which led to the
name. - The History
So,, why we call the world an INTERSTATE SYSTEM?
Global Interstate System
"It is a facet of contemporary political organization that seeks to
form collaboration among nation-states through the
establishment of intergovernmental organizations"
(Brazalote & Leonardo, 2019)
WEEK 5: CONTEMPORARY GLOBAL GOVERNANCE
If you are a "Global Governor" or the "World's President" what
are the five (5) priority problems that you want to resolve in
your first 12 months in office?
What Is Global Governance?
• Refers to the collective efforts to identify, understand,
and address worldwide problems that go beyond the
problem-solving capacities of states. (Weiss, 2010)
• The capacity of within the international system, at any
given moment to provide government-like services
and public goods in the absence of a world
government.
•
• It is a combination of informal and formal ideas,
values, rules, norms, procedures, practices, policies
and organizations that help all actors-states,
international organizations, NGOs-identify,
understand and address transboundary problems.
The Role of Nation-State in Globalization
• Nation-state’s role in globalization is COMPLEX
• Nation-states are divided by physical and economic
boundaries, reduced barriers in international
commerce and communication are considered as
potential threat.
• Sovereignty of individual nation is NOT abolished by
expanded trade among countries, instead,
GLOBALIZATION is a force that changed the way
nation- states deal with one another, particularly in the
area of international commerce
• In setting international commerce policies, isolated
states are forced to engaged to one another, while
nation-state’s domestic role is unchanged.
• Roles of some states were diminished while other
have exalted roles due to interactions of various
economic imbalances.
Problems Affecting the World today that cannot be solved
at the National Level / State-to-State Negotiations
1. Poverty
2. Environmental Pollution
3. Economic Crisis
4. Organized Crime and Terrorism
5. Pandemics
 6. Climate Change
Note: Decision-making processes in globalization is complex
as it takes place in various levels such as sub-national,
national and global which lead to the growth of a MULTI-
LAYERED SYSTEM OF GOVERNANCE.
United Nations (UN):
- is one of the examples of a non-state actor playing a
vital role in the world’s affairs.
- It is designed to make ENFORCEMENT of
international law, security, human rights, economic
development and social progress easier for countries
around the world.
- As an intergovernmental organization, the United
Nation is tasked to PROMOTE INTERNATIONAL
COOPERATION and to create and maintain
international order. It is the largest, most familiar,
most internationally represented and most powerful
inter-government organization in the world.
WEEK 6: THE GLOBAL DIVIDES: THE NORTH AND SOUTH
Global North - Refers to the countries that are geographically
in the northern hemisphere or to countries that are
economically developed
Global South - Refers to the countries that are geographically
in the southern hemisphere or to countries that are developing
or economically struggling
The Rise of the Global South:
- Many countries in the world as referred to as
countries in the Global South
- Among the countries commonly associated with the
term GLOBAL SOUTH are the countries in the Latin
America.
Trade Alliances in Latin America
PACIFIC ALLIANCE
- Its goal is Participatory integration for free
mobility in trade
MERCOSUR
- Its goal is competitive integration of national
economies and international market
● Latin America can be grouped geographically as a
group of countries in South America which share the
same language and culture
● These socio-cultural characteristics are linked with
their common colonizers: Spain and Portugal
● Historically, people in this part of the world have
colorful political scenes. Across time as well,
countries in Latin America have been plagued by
poverty and economic instability.
The Rise of The Global South
WHY HIGHLIGHT LATIN AMERICA TO DESCRIBE THE
GLOBAL SOUTH?
- In 2016, the Morgan-Stanley economists articulated
that Latin America plays a role in accelerating the
global economy. Brazil and Argentina managed to
stand up from economic turmoil. Economists
highlighted that politics and policy choices remain
significant in determining economic growth in the
area.
WEEK 7: ASIAN REGIONALISM
REGIONALISM and GLOBALIZATION
REGIONALISM
- Refers to the decentralization of political powers or
competencies from a HIGHER towards a LOWER
political level
GLOBALIZATION
- Refers to the decentralization of political powers or
competencies from a HIGHER towards a LOWER
political level
 Views of Globalization in the Asia Pacific And South Asia

ASIA PACIFIC and SOUTH ASIA

- Refer together to the regions of East Asia, South
Asia, the Pacific Islands and South Asia
- Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan
- Cambodia, Laos and Nepal
- China and India
- Maldives and Bhutan

• Globalization in the Asia Pacific and South Asia is

an external phenomenon being pushed into the region
by world powers like US and Europe.

• Globalization is a process that transforms the Asia

Pacific and South Asia that can be viewed as a force
for good, bringing ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT,
POLITICAL PROGRESS and social and cultural
diversity

WEEK 8: ASIAN REGIONALISM (PART 2)

Asia Pacific and South Asia’s Impact on Globalization

Asia as the largest and most populated continent in the world.

Comprised of distinct regions such as :
1. Central Asia
2. East Asia
Concepts of Regionalism
3. South Asia,
Hettne (1996) suggested that regionalism as a
4. Southeast Asia
concept that has varying degrees.
5. the Middle East
1.Region as geographical unit
• A region can be interpreted as a place, as a physical
environment
Example: We can determine Asia as a region based on the
land and water boundaries surrounding it.

2.Region as a social system

• A region can be interpreted as a conglomerate of
people occupying a particular space and possessing
a unique dynamic of interaction.
Example: Asia can be determined as a region based on the
group of people occupying it and the shared ancestry,
language and culture these people have

Asia
- was the central global force in the early modern world
economy
- Site of the most important trade
routes
- “laboratories of modernity”
- has also been the home of influential cultural philosophical
3.Region as organized cooperation and religious movements, Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity,
• A region can be interpreted as a group of nations who Buddhism, Taoism and other oriental philosophies and
agree to take part and form a formal organization. religions generally originated from an Asian country and have
Example: Southeast Asia is a region within Asia and it has proliferated around the globe.
been formalized through membership in the Association of
South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). Central Asia
○ Important in the Silk Road trade (Roman Empire and
China)
East Asia
 ○ Cradle of ancient civilizations - China, Japan, and
Mongolia
South Asia
○ High population density; cradle of Indian civilization
Southeast Asia
○ Located in the Asia-Pacific Ring of Fire; historically the
goal destination of the European expeditions that search
for spice
Middle East
○ Many are arid desert regions but serve as a gateways to
major bodies of water in the world
➢ Asia has become an economic force characterized by REDUCED
POVERTY and FAST PACE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT in the
contemporary world (ADB, 2008)
➢ JAPAN embarked on procuring raw materials like coal and iron at
unprecedented economies of scale allowing them to gain a
competitive edge in the global manufacturing market as well as
globalized shipping and procurement patterns which other countries
modeled.
➢ INDIA opened-up and emphasized an exportoriented strategy
○ Textiles and other low-wage sectors have been a key part of
the economy with highly successful software development
exports
○ It also plays a key role in global service provisions as trends
in outsourcing and off-shoring increase
 CHINA pursues similar pattern of development at present and is
now the world’s largest importers of basic raw materials such as
iron and surpassed Japan, US and Europe in steel production
○ It also surpassed the World bank in lending to developing
countries
3. Increased connectivity
Facilitated by regional infrastructure projects as well as
delivering public goods
Benefits of Asian Integration
1. It harnesses the strength of diverse economies.
2. It provides platforms for connecting financial market
3. It makes the economy more resilient to global risks
4. It pools resources
5. It creates regional mechanisms for safety and security
Challenges
1. There is a need to establish compatible product standards
2. The need to establish guidelines that buffer financial contagion
and ensure compatible financial regulations
3. The need to coordinate macroeconomic policies 4. The need
to manage cross-border environmental and social policies (e.g.
fair treatment of migrant workers
Existing Cooperation in Asia
▫ Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation
▫ East Asia Summit
▫ Asia Pacific Community
▫ East Asian Community ▫ Association of Southeast Asian Nations
▫ ASEAS Plus Three (China, Japan and South Korea)

➢ India and China have also become a major source of

international migrant labor, which is also one of the fundamental
characteristics of the era of globalization. This includes the
migration of highly skilled labor into the high-tech industry based in
Silicon Valey. India, China and the Philippines were three of the top
four recipient states of migrant remittances.

➢ The trend of the rising regional free arrangements in the Asia

Pacific and South Asia. This kind of regionalism would mean as
bulwark to globalization or as compatible and even pushing forward
the process of global economic integration, Regionalism can
promote learning, assuage domestic audiences to the benefits of
free trade, and form the institutional framework to scale up from
regional cooperation or global cooperation. Regionalism can act as
springboard for globalization.

➢ In culture and globalization in the region, the source of a wide

variety of cultural phenomena that have spread outward to the
West and the rest of the world is the region. Examples include
“hello kitty” created in Japan including Anime, Pokemon, Power
Rangers which become regional and global phenomenon; the
regional and global rise of Korean Popular culture called “K-Wave”
comprimising of Korean dramas, music (K-pop) and the smash ht
“Gangnam Style” of Korean pop star PSY.

Dynamics of Asian Regionalism

ADB (2008) identified some factors that are influential in the
integration of Asian Nations

1. Enhanced dialogue between citizen of various nations

Facilitated by growing tourism activities in the regions and
consistent multi-lateral meetings among leaders of nation-state
2. Expanding intra-regional trade and investments
Brings forth closer financial markets and independent
economics