globalization

(noun)

A common term for processes of international integration arising from increasing human connectivity and interchange of worldviews, products, ideas, and other cultural phenomena. In particular, advances in transportation and telecommunications infrastructure, including the rise of the Internet, represent major driving factors in globalization and precipitate the further interdependence of economic and cultural activities.

Related Terms

Examples of globalization in the following topics:

  • New State Spaces

    • One of the most prominent theories in this field is that of global cities.
    • A global city is a city that is central to the global economic system, such as New York or London.
    • According to global cities theory, globalization is not a process that affects all places evenly.
    • The most complex and central cities are known as global cities.
    • In some ways, global cities are more intimately connected to the global economic system and to other global cities than they are to surrounding regions or national settings.

  • Capitalism in a Global Economy

    • Some thinkers argue that in the last few decades trends associated with globalization have increased the mobility of people and capital.
    • This is an example of globalization.
    • Globalization refers to the increasing global relationships of culture, people, and economic activity.
    • It is generally used to refer to economic globalization: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import quotas; and the reduction of restrictions on the movement of capital and on investment.
    • Analyze the shift in the job market and increase in international trade due to an increase in globalization

  • Thinking Globally

    • Thinking globally in sociology could entail a variety of different approaches.
    • Others study global patterns of consumption, migration, and travel.
    • Still others study local responses to globalization.
    • It refers to the ability to make a global product fit a local market.
    • The possibilities for thinking globally in sociology are as varied as the world we live in: global finance, global technology, global cities, global medicine, global food.

  • Global Aging

    • On average, global life expectancies have been increasing and birth rates declining, resulting in global aging.
    • Globally, most countries are seeing the average life expectancy of their populations increase.
    • Growing life expectancy is not the only factor contributing to global aging.
    • These two trends, stemming from the growing global economy, cause global aging.
    • This map illustrates global trends in aging by depicting the percentage of each country's population that is over the age of 65.

  • Multinational Corporations

    • Multinational corporations have played a leading role in this globalization, establishing multiple links between the economies of various countries.
    • Proponents of economic globalization argue that the economic benefits are widely shared between different parts of society, discounting critics who point to rising inequality between the rich and poor within nations who have joined the global market.
    • Those in favour of globalization also cite evidence of overall improvement of living standards and poverty reduction in globalizing countries.
    • Not all observers of economic globalization have a positive evaluation.
    • Finally, economic globalization may result in unequal economic relations of dependency between developing and developed countries.

  • The Future of Culture

    • Examine how the process of globalization is predicted to influence the future of culture.

  • Global Aging Trends

    • Globally, most countries are seeing the average life expectancy of their populations increase.
    • This map illustrates global trends in aging by depicting the median age of each country's population.

  • Examples of Social Movements

  • Evaluating Global Theories of Inequality

    • Social theorists think differently about global inequality based on their sociological perspective.
    • There is significant debate among sociologists, other social scientists, and policy makers over the best approach to global inequality.
    • Marxists, by contrast, see global inequality as indicative of exploitation and consider it a detriment to society.
    • Interactionists recognize global inequality, but consider it only in the context of individual relations and, therefore, see no role for state intervention.
    • Those who evaluate global inequality and consider it to violate human rights may advocate for solutions to inequality using the language of social justice.

  • World Health Trends

    • The main diseases and health conditions prioritized by global health initiatives are sometimes classified under the terms diseases of affluence and diseases of poverty, although the impacts of globalization are increasingly blurring any such distinction.
    • At the global level, the three primary poverty-related diseases are AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis.
    • Developing countries account for 95% of the global AIDS prevalence and 98% of active tuberculosis infections.
    • Together, these three diseases account for 10% of global mortality.
    • Maternal health is one of the priorities of global health organizations, such as the World Health Organization.