Review of Network Power: The Social Dynamics of Globalization. David Singh Grewal. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2008.

The debate over globalization is often portrayed in both the mainstream media and some segments of academia as one that features two extremes. On one side are the “neoliberals” with a positive yet almost deterministic view of globalization. For them, the growth of an interconnected web of business, nonprofit, and governmental relations will ultimately improve living standards all over the world and the reach of this web has become all but inevitable. On the other side are those who see a nefarious side to globalization. They fear the extinction of cultural differences and ways of life for people powerless to resist the domination of forces such as the World Trade Organization, international banks, and the multinational corporations. What is often lacking in the debate is a sober and dispassionate analysis of globalization itself, an analysis that parses the influences of its more coercive aspects as well as those aspects that are the result of free and rational choices of citizens across the globe. It is this analysis that David Singh Grewal’s Network Power: The Social Dynamics of Globalization seeks to provide

FROM GLOBALIZATION TO GLOBALITY - MERGING NON - WESTERN (POST) COLONIAL AND WESTERN SOCIETIES INTO A GLOBAL MODERNITY

Modernity stands as a widely used term for social change as it involves modification in many forms in the society and the way people develop with different ideologies and movements. Standing on the other side of the traditional and historical, modernity brings new forms of development, communication and connectedness. In this paper, it would be discussed whether the globalization processes are leading to merge by the societies and raising a global modernity. Hence the influence of the West and the pilgrimages drawn from the other societies would be examined. Change is just an unavoidable part of the society seen as a reform, reaction or revolution. However, the historical processes of integration, innovation and development bring different questions and theories. In this paper, it would be referred on the integrative inclinations for merging societies, the understanding of modernity and globalization processes that emerge from the historical development and social change

Trade policies and food security: Essays from IFPRI's 2002-2003 Annual Report

Globalization could and should benefit developing countries. But unlike a rising tide that lifts all boats, large and small, globalization is unequal. It has fallen far short of its much-ballyhooed potential to help the world's poorest people out of poverty. Instead, a combination of policies in both rich and poor countries creates conditions for the rich to prosper and many of the poor to fall more deeply into destitution. Agricultural protectionism in rich countries enables them to skew markets in their favor. Tariffs and trade barriers routinely exclude developing-country products. Other non-tariff barriers, such as non-transparent phytosanitary regulations, present additional impediments to poor farmers seeking to enter the global marketplace. Instead of distorting the marketplace, rich nations must pay more than lip service to the ideal of free and fair trade. The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the arena to do so internationally. Public policies in developing countries also harm poor farmers and producers, who often lack the basic conditions for prosperity: health, education, land, capital, information, and the marketing infrastructure needed to take advantage of export opportunities. Developing-country governments can and must change domestic policies on markets, land tenure, research and extension, and credit to enable smallholder farmers to compete. The two feature essays in this year's annual report examine who must do what in order for agricultural globalization to work for the poor. Unilateral measures by one side or the other will help. But only concerted effort by both developed- and developing-country governments and institutions to change trade rules, regulations, and practices will enable the very poor to feed their families and live a better life.Globalization, Equality, tariffs, Protectionism, Land tenure,

The Rise of Non-State Actors in Globalization and Democratization Era: Terrorist Group versus State Actors

Globalization brings together both mobility upheaval and democratization in technology for every state, organization, and people around the world. These phenomena make information, technology, and networking which a long time ago become state domain are today accessible for everyone. It gives a leeway for non-state actors which used to be powerless can speak louder in present day. However, this likely rejoice phenomena sometimes produce another side effect. The leeway also gives relatively easy access for certain non-state actors to achieve power that in the same time endanger world order. These non-state actors are terrorist groups which today possess great power, energized by globalization and democratization of technology, to balance the power of states. They utilize globalization and democratization era to organize, create image, build network, fund, and disseminate their activities around the globe. This study aims to analyze the rise of terrorist groups threats in today globalization and democratization era and in the same time examine the declining of state roles in international stages. This study uses descriptive qualitative method and using Globalization, Soft Power, and Balance of Power theories to dissect and analyze those phenomena. Several recommendations will be drawn from the analysis to contribute in making a robust and comprehensive international cooperation to combat terrorist groups

Liliput oder Leviathan? Der Staat in der globalisierten Wirtschaft

Globalization is often seen to result in a smaller (Lilliput) or larger (Leviathan) state. But future public activity will be more flexible. People have multiple identities. They can be citizens of sub- and supra-national jurisdictions, semi- and non-governmental organizations and private units, even profit-oriented firms. Such attachment may be temporary, multiple or partial. To actively choose strengthens loyalty and identification, which raises the willingness to pay for publicly supplied services (in the sense of quasi-voluntary taxation). On the supply side, Functional, Overlapping and Competing Jurisdictions (FOCJ) will develop. Such flexibility of future European integration will make it successfu

Making Ends Meet: How Should We Spread Prosperity and Improve Opportunity

For many Americans, the recovery from the 2007 recession, a recovery that officially began in 2009, feels very remote, or nonexistent. Even as the stock market surges and millions of jobs have been created, they see a very different picture. Many Americans still believe in the basic notion that anyone who works hard should be able to support a family and get ahead. What can we do to make that happen?This issue guide presents three options for deliberation:Create New OpportunitiesWe should make it easier for people to start new enterprises that will improve their circumstances. Whether it's starting a house painting business on the side or opening a restaurant, when individuals start new firms, it helps spur economic growth. More skilled tradespeople are needed, for example, as construction bounces back. Half of all private-sector jobs in the US are at small businesses, and in recent years small businesses have supplied two-thirds of all new jobs.Strengthen the Safety NetWe should secure and expand safeguards so that changes in the economy don't push people into poverty or leave families with children homeless or hungry. In the last decade, millions of people found themselves unemployed or underemployed with few or no benefits, sometimes indefinitely. Fewer people work with one company for decades, employee benefits have shrunk, technology and globalization have eliminated jobs, and more people are employed in freelance work. We need to make sure people will not face catastrophic losses as they adapt to these changes. To do this, we should strengthen the unemployment insurance program, protect workers' retirement, and make benefits more portable.Reduce InequalityWe should shrink the income gap. Today, the richest 10 percent of the country's population earn more than half of its total income. It is not right that CEOs make hundreds of times more than their employees, even as their companies cut workers' hours to avoid paying overtime and offering benefits. Some inequality helps drive people to succeed and become wealthier, but if people can't move into or stay in the middle class, or if the wealthy manipulate the system to their benefit, then we all lose. To reduce the large gaps between the very rich and the rest of society, schools should be funded more equally, we should do more to control college costs, and people who don't go to college should be able to get decent-paying jobs that allow them to stay in the middle class

Analysis of the impact of globalization on performance of Ethiopian Airlines

Globalization drives people to change their ways of living and caused dramatic change to changes to business practise. As part of the global community various organizations in our country Ethiopia has also been affected positively as well in the negative aspect. Among the best organizations Ethiopian Airlines one of the well knows airlines in Africa. Despite the escalation of fuel cost and intensive competition from neighbouring airlines and the international aviation industry it has maintained its reputation in the business. It has been growing each year in its capacity to compete in the aviation industry since its establishment. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to investigate the impacts of globalization on the performance of Ethiopian Airlines. The qualitative data were collected by using questionnaires which were administered to the management, international flight customers and non-management staff of the airlines within the population of above 6000 Ethiopian airlines employees 200 employees were selected by judgment sampling method. The quantitative data for 10 years were collected from the airlines annual report. After critically examining both the qualitative and quantitative data, the researcher found that, the impact of globalization is enormous in the different aspects of the organizations performance. The positive impacts include increased customers and income, increased technology leading to more comfort and increased destination of flight worldwide. The negative side is basically related to competitors and factors associated with Ethiopia’s economic status that can make the organization of lesser preference by its customers due to the fact that competing giant organizations present better service by investing more. That is, as different literatures show globalization has a significant role in promoting as well challenging organizational performance. In general, the research led to the conclusion that more of the positive effects of globalization prevail than the side effects. This being said, it also showed that even the challenges posed by this process of globalization can be used as an opportunity that will enhance the organizational performance through fierce competition. As a recommendation the researcher mentioned that the organization should be alert in assessing its surrounding business environment and plan accordingly. The management in particular should make decisions affecting the organizational performance by taking the international aviation industry in to consideration. It is a good opportunity despite some of the hazards presented hence Ethiopian airlines should make use of it at its maximum ability

Globalization and Reorientation of Pesantren Education

Islamic boarding schools are one of the important pillars in the world of education, therefore they are called the oldest educational institutions in Indonesia. The roles and contributions given to society are numerous. Among them as a place for learning, a place for discussion and so on. Not only religious lessons but even general lessons are given by pesantren today. So it cannot be denied that there are many great people who were born from Islamic boarding schools. In facing the era of globalization, pesantren still exist with their Islamic traditional values. At this time it has been seen that many pesantren have not only implemented the typical pesantren learning system, namely the sorogan, wetonan, and bandongan systems, but learning through formal schools is also provided at the pesantren. Various kinds of formal education are given starting from kindergarten to college though. To see this phenomenon, this study uses qualitative data with phenomenological theory. Pesantren will continue to exist if they adopt changes without having to lose their identity. The challenge of facing the current of globalization which is increasingly growing, pesantren persistently maintains the side of the social tradition of education, even though the pesantren side reduces the government education system. This happens because pesantren want to create new innovations, besides that, because pesantren try to eliminate the thinking of the people who think that pesantren are educational institutions that are still traditional and conservative because they miss information from the outside world. Therefore, taking steps in adopting education systems and patterns from outside is the right step for pesantren which has such problems

Why is Globalization a Threat to Africa? A Study of the Thought of Claude Ake on African Migration to the City and Some of Its Consequences

Globalization is seen positively by those to whose societies it brings measurable benefits. Claude Ake, one of the most outstanding African thinkers of the second half of the 20th century and a great advocate for constructing democracy in Africa, primarily viewed the progress of globalization in terms of its numerous dangers. In Ake's opinion, globalization negatively affects the condition of contemporary societies, whose members place increasing importance on market values and principles. He thought that when consumer identity finally triumphs over civic identity, the culture of democracy will be at an end. Democracy, after all, is connected with the common good and consumption with particularism and egoism. Consumerism kills the sense of civic duty and political engagement. Even though the members of poorer societies, including African ones, are not significant consumers, the global consumer culture has an effect on their lives as well, destroying traditional ties of solidarity and transforming local cultures. In many such societies, this state of affairs produces a rise in frustration and stress, and often a desire to return to the society's origins and a strengthening of antipathy towards outsiders or 'others'. Although Ake's works contain finely-wrought arguments, his theories raise important questions and are very debatable in their trend. In this article, I consider the main underlying assumptions of Ake's ideas and analyze selected aspects