GLOBALIZATION THE ESSENTIALS

371 Pages·2010·1.8 MB·English

by  Ritzer, George

GLOBALIZATION THE ESSENTIALS

GEORGE RITZER
A John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Publication

Globalization
Globalization
A Basic Text
George Ritzer
This balanced introduction draws on academic and
popular sources to examine the major issues and
events in the history of globalization.
Globalization: A Basic Text is a substantial introductory
textbook, designed to work either on its own or
alongside Readings in Globalization. The books are
cross-referenced and are both structured around the
core concepts of globalization.
2009 (cid:129) 608 pages (cid:129) 978-1-4051-3271-8 (cid:129) paperback
www.wiley.com/go/globalization
Readings in Globalization
Key Readings and Major Debates
Edited by George Ritzer and
Zeynep Atalay
This unique and engaging anthology introduces
students to the major concepts of globalization within
the context of the key debates and disputes.
Readings in Globalization illustrates that major debates
in the fi eld are not only useful to examine for their
own merit but can extend our knowledge of
globalization. The volume explores both the political
economy of globalization and the relationship of culture
to globalization.
The volume is designed so it may be used
independently, or alongside George Ritzer’s
Globalization: A Basic Text for a complete student
resource.
2010 (cid:129) 560 pages (cid:129) 978-1-4051-3273-2 (cid:129) paperback
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ISBN 978-1-4443-2371-9
GLOBALIZATION THE ESSENTIALS

GEORGE RITZER
A John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Publication
This edition fi rst published 2011
© 2011 John Wiley & Sons Ltd
Edition history: portions of this text appeared in Globalization: A Basic Text
(Wiley-Blackwell, 2010)
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ritzer, George.
Globalization : the essentials / George Ritzer.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-470-65560-3 (hardcover : alk. paper) – ISBN 978-0-470-65561-0
(pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Globalization. I. Title.
JZ1318.R5835 2011
303.48'2–dc22
2010042203
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
This book is published in the following electronic formats: ePDFs 978-1-4443-9356-9;
ePub 978-1-4443-9357-6
Set in 10.5/13pt Minion by Toppan Best-set Premedia Limited
1 2011
CONTENTS
Preface xi
1 Globalization 1
Conceptualization, Origins, and History
Conceptualizing Globalization 3
From “Solids” to “Liquids” 3
“Flows” 7
“Heavy” and “Light” 8
“Heavy” Structures that Expedite “Flows” 10
“Heavy” Structures as Barriers to “Flows” 12
Subtler Structural Barriers 16
Origins and History of Globalization 17
Hardwired 17
Cycles 18
Epochs 18
Events 18
Broader, More Recent Changes 20
Chapter Summary 22
2 Theorizing Globalization 28
Imperialism 29
Colonialism 31
Development 32
Americanization 34
Anti-Americanism as a Global Process 36
Neo-Liberalism 37
Neo-Liberalism: Basic Ideas 40
The Neo-Liberal State 41
Critiquing Neo-Liberalism: Karl Polanyi 42
Contemporary Criticisms of Neo-Liberalism 44
Neo-Marxian Theories 45
Transnational Capitalism 45
Empire 47
Chapter Summary 49
3 Structuring the Global Economy 55
Before Bretton Woods 56
A Prior Epoch of Globalization 56
vi Contents
Economic Development during and after WW II 57
Bretton Woods and the Bretton Woods System 58
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 60
World Trade Organization (WTO) 61
International Monetary Fund (IMF) 61
World Bank 64
The End of Bretton Woods 66
Changes in, and Critiques of, Bretton-Woods-Era Organizations 67
Other Important Economic Organizations 72
The Multinational Corporation (MNC) 72
The Myth of Economic Globalization? 75
Chapter Summary 76
4 Global Economic Flows 81
Trade 82
Trade Surpluses and Defi cits 82
Global Trade: Economic Chains and Networks 82
Global Value Chains: China and the US 84
Scrap metal 84
Waste paper 85
T-shirts 86
iPhones 87
Increasing Competition for Commodities 88
The Economic Impact of the Flow of Oil 89
Oil Wealth 90
Race to the Bottom and Upgrading 91
Upgrading in the Less Developed World? 92
Outsourcing 93
Financial Globalization 95
The Great Recession 95
Consumption 98
Consumer Objects and Services 100
Consumers 100
Consumption Processes 101
Consumption Sites 101
Global Resistance 101
Chapter Summary 102
5 Global Political Structures and Processes 106
On Political Flows 107
The Nation-State 108
Threats to the Nation-State 109
Global fl ows 109
Contents vii
International human rights 110
“Shadows of war” 111
In Defense of the Nation-State 111
“Imagined Community” 112
Changes in Global Nation-State Relations 114
United Nations (UN) 117
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) 118
United Nations Educational, Scientifi c, and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) 118
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) 118
Global Governance 119
Civil Society 121
International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) 124
Chapter Summary 128
6 High-Tech Global Flows and Structures 133
Technology, Media, and the Internet
Technology 134
Medical Technologies 135
Space-Based Technologies 136
Leapfrogging 136
India’s “One Lakh Car” (or NANO) 138
Problematic Technological Flows 139
Media 139
Media Imperialism 139
“Media Were American” 140
New Global Media 141
Indymedia 142
Thinking about the Global Media 143
The Internet 145
Online Social Networking 146
Spam 147
Computer Viruses 147
The Internet in China 148
Chapter Summary 149
7 Global Culture and Cultural Flows 153
Cultural Differentialism 155
Civilizations 155
Cultural Hybridization 159
Muslim Girl Scouts 160
Appadurai’s “Landscapes” 161
Cultural Convergence 163