Is Globalization a Good Thing?

There is a heated debate about the true effects of globalization and if it really is such a good thing. Good or bad, though, there isn't much argument as to whether or not it is happening. Let's look at the positives and negatives of globalization, and you can decide for yourself whether or not it is the best thing for our world.

Positive Aspects of Globalization

• As more money is poured in to developing countries, there is a greater chance for the people in those countries to economically succeed and increase their standard of living.

• Global competition encourages creativity and innovation and keeps prices for commodities/services in check.

• Developing countries are able to reap the benefits of current technology without undergoing many of the growing pains associated with development of these technologies.

• Governments are able to better work together towards common goals now that there is an advantage in cooperation, an improved ability to interact and coordinate, and a global awareness of issues.

• There is a greater access to foreign culture in the form of movies, music, food, clothing, and more. In short, the world has more choices.

Negative Aspects of Globalization

• Outsourcing, while it provides jobs to a population in one country, takes away those jobs from another country, leaving many without opportunities.

• Although different cultures from around the world are able to interact, they begin to meld, and the contours and individuality of each begin to fade.

• There may be a greater chance of disease spreading worldwide, as well as invasive species that could prove devastating in non-native ecosystems.

• There is little international regulation, an unfortunate fact that could have dire consequences for the safety of people and the environment.

• Large Western-driven organizations such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank make it easy for a developing country to obtain a loan. However, a Western-focus is often applied to a non-Western situation, resulting in failed progress.

10. Conflict and cooperation in politics.

Strategic interaction within and across nations involves conflict and cooperation. Disagreement between a country’s population and its leadership can cause internal conflict, oppression and terrorism. War (whether it occurs across nations or in the form of civil violence) is not only a fundamental and recurring cause of human suffering but also one of the main impediments of economic development. This research area focuses on the fundamental causes of conflict and cooperation using a rigorous methodological approach that combines empirical research and formal modeling and brings together economists and political scientists.

One of the important insights generated by this research is that conflict often arises even though there is some cooperative solution that would have satisfied all the relevant actors. For example, mutual fear can trigger conflict as a defensive strategy to forestall attack by an opponent. On the one hand, communication of motives or confidence-building measures, such as allowing arms inspections, may diffuse tension. On the other hand, they may increase the chances of conflict by exposing the strength or weakness of a country’s arms capabilities. Similarly, desire for political survival will force a country’s leader to appease supporters. Will this increase or decrease the chances of conflict or cooperation? Does the domestic political system play an important role in influencing the probability of conflict? For example, are democracies indeed more likely to be peaceful than other political systems? These and other issues will be the focus of this research enterprise. It will also offer policy prescriptions towards arms inspections, counterterrorism and sponsorship of democracy.

While violent conflict constitutes a paradigmatic case to analyze the drivers of conflict and its resolution, the ensuing lessons can also be applied in various other contexts. Importantly, similar conflict dynamics exist within business settings. Disagreement between workers and owners can lead to costly delays due to strikes and other forms of labor strife. Firms can trigger price wars that destroy value and drive them into bankruptcy. Activists can target firms or industries to change their business practices. The general goal of the research group is to study conflict features in these various domains and propose policies to avoid such conflict.

11. Concept of political regime.

 political regime is a set of political structures that make up a state. These political systems range from direct democracies to totalitarian regimes, such as military dictatorships. Common systems in the modern world include democratic republics, monarchies, and representative democracies. There are also primarily theoretical types of governments, like a strictmeritocracy.