What is Globalisation?
Think about your morning routine - your phone made in China, breakfast ingredients from around the world, and music streaming from global artists. This interconnected world is globalisation in action.
Globalisation creates deeper connections between countries through five main areas. Economic globalisation means transnational corporations (TNCs) operate worldwide, investment flows between countries, and world trade grows rapidly. Cultural globalisation spreads similar foods, clothes, music and values globally - often Western ones from North America and Europe.
Political globalisation involves shared ideologies, global organisations like the UN, and the dominance of Western democracies in major decisions. Meanwhile, environmental globalisation includes international agreements like the Paris Climate Accord and shared challenges like global warming. Finally, demographic globalisation increases migration and tourism, making populations more mixed and mobile.
Key Concept: Globalisation both widens connections (linking to new, distant places) and deepens them (increasing the number, types and volume of connections).