Globalisation Test - 3

The patenting of certain plants like Neem by American and European firms has also generated considerable opposition.

Economically, they want a return to self-reliance and protectionism, at least in certain areas of the economy. Culturally, they are worried that traditional culture will be harmed and people will lose their age-old values and ways.

Examples of the use of the term ‘globalisation’ in real life, we will realise that it is used in various contexts. Let us look at some examples, different from the ones that we have looked above: 

• Some farmers committed suicide because their crops failed. They had bought very expensive seeds supplied by a multinational company (MNC). 
• An Indian company bought a major rival company based in Europe, despite protests by some of the current owners. 
• Many retail shopkeepers fear that they would lose their livelihoods if some major international companies open retail chains in the country. 
• A film producer in Mumbai was accused of lifting the story of his film from another film made in Hollywood. 
• A militant group issued a statement threatening college girls who wear Western clothes.

In 1999, at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ministerial Meeting there were widespread protests at Seattle alleging unfair trading practices by the economically powerful states.

During the colonial period, as a consequence of Britain’s imperial ambitions, India became an exporter of primary goods and raw materials and a consumer of finished goods. 

Globalisation is a multi-dimensional phenomenon whereby goods, capital, people, knowledge, ideas and culture readily flow across boundaries. It has economic, material, political, social and cultural manifestations.

Globalisation has occurred in earlier periods in history in different parts of the world. Flows pertaining to the movement of capital, commodities, ideas and people go back several centuries in Indian history.

While globalisation is not caused by any single factor, technology remains a critical element. There is no doubt that the invention of the telegraph, the telephone, and the microchip in more recent times has revolutionised communication between different parts of the world. 

Resistance to globalisation has also come from the political right.

They point out that it is likely to benefit only a small section of the population while impoverishing those who were dependent on the government for jobs and welfare (education, health, sanitation, etc.). They have emphasised the need to ensure institutional safeguards or creating ‘social safety nets’ to minimise the negative effects of globalization on those who are economically weak.