The context

You must have found that your city has more labelled clothes than ever before,brand like Nike, Reebok and others which used to be not available in India arenow available. In big cities fashion trends are very similar to other big citiesof the world. Even TV programs have their global imports, which are localized such as Kaun Banega Karore Pati, Indian Idol. The global influences are beingfelt everywhere and all over the world. Bangra and Yoga are popular in theWest, as cheese, pizza and burgers have become part of our eating habits,at least in big cities and among the younger generation. Big corporations nowhave offices in different parts of the globe where they carry on activities, socorporations have gone global and in that sense the production processes.There are people who work in India but who don an American accent and keepAmerican time because they work for international call centre. People aretravelling evermore on work, in search of work, or migrating to seek betterlives. There is definitely lot more movement of people and communicationbetween people. A mother whose son lives in America not only is regularly incontact with her son and daughter-in-law but might travel to stay with hima good part of the year.These changes that we are witnessing is being termed globalisation. Whilethere are many debates on what exactly constitutes globalisation, what are itschief characteristics and where does it stem from, the changes that we arewitnessing are palpable and real.

By the way of ‘globalization’, as a result of the internationalization of commodity flows, migratory movements, pollution and information, and democracy is in a process of dissolution. The pressures of deregulation have forced states to give up protective barriers, and sovereign powers, on a large scale to provide the underlying economy with sufficiently large markets. More and more powers of the nation states are transferred to intergovernmental institutions, providing themselves with tools more powerful than those of the dissolving states, and it seems acting with a never increasing expansionism.

At the end of the 20th century the world in general, and India in particular is presenting itself in this new outlook. The Western model of liberal democratic societies has been victorious over authoritarian systems in Latin America and Europe.

An aspect that many scholars acknowledge that  globalisation involves many dimensions of society. Taking it as a multidimensionalprocess, ‘Globalisation is transforming trade,finance, employment, migration, technology, communications, theenvironment, social systems, ways of living, cultures, and patterns ofgovernance’ It is viewed  as‘the intensification of economic, political, social and cultural relationsacross borders’. A World Bank publication defines globalisation as ‘the growing integration of economies and societies around the world’.  A recent study by the United Nations  conducted byECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Carribbean)specifically highlights the multidimensional nature of globalisation. It isnoted here that the economic dimension of globlisation ‘acts concomitantlywith non-economic processes, which have their own momentum andtherefore are not determined by economic factors’ . One of thenon-economic dimensions include ethical and cultural aspects which ECLACterms as the ‘globalisation of values’ and refers to the gradual spread ofshared ethical principles as manifested in declarations on human rightswhich has two main concerns: a) civil and political rights, and b) economic,social and cultural rights. The ‘globalisation of values’ is increasinglymanifested in the aspirations and formation of a ‘global civil society’whose capacity for mobilisation and the exchange of information hasmultiplied by the new information and communications technologies

Some scholars see globalisation as an essential post-industrial society,where communication technologies are the defining feature. Castells looksat the present global age as essentially a net-worked society.

Globalisation in also sometimes describedas an imperialism of Mcdonald’s Hollywood, Cocacolanisation, MTV generation and CNN. Another aspect, which has been looked at by scholars, identifiesglobalisation as deteritorialisation. Following this interpretation ,globalisation entails a reconfiguration of geography so that social space isno longer wholly mapped in terms of territorial places, territorial distancesand territorial borders.This usage provides new insights and relativelynew conditions whereby globalisation can be referred as supraterritorialrelations between people. Deterritorialisation refers to a far reachingchange in the nature of social space. Further, the proliferation and spreadof supraterritorial – or what we can alternatively term transworld or transborder- connections brings an end to what could be calledterritorialism, that is a situation where social geography is entirelyterritorial. current history has witnessed a proliferation of socialconnections that are at least partly- and often quite substantially- detachedfrom a territorial logic of the kind just described.

Economic globalisation

Global Business

The changing business environment, the changes in communication technology, the political changes, encourage and facilitate the emergence of global business, transnational companies and the emergence of common markets around the world.

Free Trade and Common Markets

Free-trade agreements, such as NAFTA or more dynamic organizations such as the European Union, have given rise to enormous possible markets for a large amount of companies. The premise of ‘globalization’ is in fact the most important single concept emerging in today’s market economies. With the emergence of a global economy, the export of business culture and business interests is evident. Today most bigger companies are run no longer in a ‘national’ way, but are strongly influenced by one management style or another; a massive export of Anglo-Saxon or Asian business culture, and their respective values.

Foreign Direct Investment , TNCs, Oligopolization

While the number of TNCs has increased immensely, the markets also experience an enormous oligopolization, as competitors are going out of business or are merged into existing operations.

From Annals

Globalisation is viewed as a century’s long process, tackling the expansion of human population and growth of civilisation that has accelerated dramatically in the past 50 years. Global integration continued through the expansion of European trade as in the 16th and 17th centuries, when the Portuguese and Spanish empires reached to all corners of the world after expanding to America. Globalisation became a business phenomenon in the 17th century when Dutch East India Company, the first Multi-National Corporationwas established. Liberation in the 19th century is sometimes called the “First Era of Globalisation”, a period characterized by rapid growth in international trade and investment between European imperial powers, their colonies and later the United States. The First Era began to breakdown at the beginning with the First World War and later collapsed in 1920’s. The current wave of Globalisation began in era since World War II and was the first result of planning by Economist, business interests and politicians who recognized the cost associated with protectionism and declining international economic integration. This work led to the Bretton Woods Conference and founding of several international institutions intended to oversee the renewed processes of globalization promoting growth and managing adverse consequences. These were the introduction of New Economic Policy, liberalisation programmes, international Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It has been facilitated by advances in technology which have reduced the costs of trade and trade negotiations rounds originally under the auspices of GAT (General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs) which led to a series of agreement to remove restrictions on free trade. The creation of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) helped to settle trade disputes and set up a platform of trading. In the name of SAP (Structural Adjustment Programmes), these institutions forced many countries that were facing debt crisis in 1980’s to create conditions for liberalisation in the developing countries.

During the time of Information Technology (IT) particularly theInternet, computer chip has added the intensity of global contacts. Peoplebegan to migrate to different geographical regions looking for betterprospects. All these brought a new global situation seeking a fundamentalrestructuring of the economy and political arrangements since theindustrial revolution giving rise to a kind of global integration beyond theboundaries of nation-state.

India’s Economic Senario 1991

Till 1980’s, India had Economic Performance in 1990-91 a fairly good economic performance. But in 1990-91, the Indian economy entered an unprecedented liquidity crisis. This was due to the combined effect of many factors. Thus the new Industrial Policy of 1991 led to opening up of the economies to foreign investment. Today we notice that a large number of international products in automobiles, consumer goods, personal products are available in domestic market. Globalisation takes the whole world as a single economic unit and market as its instrument. Thus globalisation also produces new understanding of culture, nationality, environmental relations and many other aspects of social life. The difference aspect of Globalization such as economic social, political and cultural has important implications for human life. Economic Globalization means that the monetary and fiscal policies of national government are dominated by movements in the international financial markets reducing the economic autonomy of nation – states.Globalization takes the whole world as a single economic unit & the market as its instruments.

Situation in India

In India the people who are in the immediate cloth of economic hardships are trying to modalize there rank and life, and pressurizing the political parties to after the pace and intensity of liberalization and globalization. The dominant trend seems to lee that the state would attempt to neutrealise the labour unrest and resistance through diffused mechanisms like the deteraiming, micro fiancé micro accommodation in source sectors etc whether Indian state could succeed in helping the large mass of people to come account of others personal predicament are mat, one cannot we too serve given the existing evidence of governmental indifference and diffidence on welfare front. In other countries in Southeast Asia and Latin America, the impact of globalization is no less server. The affected peoples and there organizations in these countries have also become alive to the need of organization and modernization on Massline for countering the effectson their consumption basket.

Globalization as it functions today has compelled many to thinkbeyond the conventional paradigm, and come up with new and moreradical ways of addressing the onslaught of their fundamental rights tosurvival and development. But one thing is certain that this new leadershipand their new ideas and imagination will raise definite questions to thosewho believe in pursuit of globalization in disregarded to needs andinterest of the failing masses.The elite play critical role in social change and transformation everin the present struggle against negative impact of globalization, the eliteswill play a significant role, as D. Bandopadhay, thinker, has put it:” It isnot so much the north versus the south, in would say that it is the North ofthe North and the South of the south.”

VARIOUS DIMENSIONS

Economic Dimension: The economic dimension relates globalisation to the model of a free world market without restrictions, of competition and mobility, a global mass culture and a world encompassing informational society. Prior to 1991, state played an important role and controlled some of the key industries, adopted the policy of import substitution and economic self-sufficiency. The interdependence of enterprise results from world trade, foreign and joint venture investments, worldwide consumer markets, processes of concentration, international labour migration, international financial speculation, computer networks etc. The aim of globalization is to encroach all the arenas of the society i.e. bank, power, insurance industries, airlines, railways, education, agriculture etc. and to make it part of global economy so that imperial capitalist can easily flow in these areas and maintain their hegemony on developing countries. In these business centres, jobs that are particularly valuable for the global economy receive top incomes. But the workforce in the organized industry is declining. The permanent workers are losing jobs to machine but equally to cheap labour and contract labour. In 1997, the public sector got rid of 2.17 lakh workers and paid them 2373 crores as compensation. Globalization has brought much larger impact on domestic industries. Under the WTO tariffs on imported goods is lowered so that they may have accessibility in the domestic market. This has lead to competition and benefit the consumer.

The domestic industries find it difficult to face the competition with regardto the design of the product and the price. The developed nation havehigh volume of production of industrial and non-industrial items, theyhave large market ready available for dumping these goods. Industrialunits like Bharat Heavy Electricals and machine tools industry in India isaffected as their products are costlier to the imported ones. Chineseimports have affected a wide range of industries like household items,electronic accessories, bulbs, batteries, locks, silk yarn and so on. Theonly industries which are prospering now are the IT (Information

Technology), Telecommunication and entertainment industry. The other potential sunrise sector industries are pharmaceutical, biotechnology industry.

The agriculture sector has also come under negative dimension.The Indian consumers are receiving imported milk, vegetables, fruits.This has direct bearing on small farmers who have no option but to sell their land to private ventures. Stiff competition, lower prices, quality hasbeen hurdles for Indian farmers to compete with new production system.The privatization of power, roads, hospitals, transport andcommunication will affect the common masses and would be out of reachfor them.

Inspite of growing poverty and starvation, the better of classessupport globalization because they see a definite advantage forthemselves a globalization which effectively improves their livingstandards even as it leaves the rnass of the population without anyobvious benefit and in some case may even worsen their condition.

Technological Dimension:The Micro-Electronic Revolution of the 1980’s brought sudden improvement in the field of information technology and telecommunication. The future post-industrial firm is virtual, no more localized physical entity, but a flexible network of temporary contracts and co-operative relations that function via computer, net and mobile phone, often on a world scale. Information technological paradigm has fundamentally changed society with material basis. The new technological paradigm engenders an increased flexibility of organisation in production, consumption and management and thus, minimizing the distance between economy and society. Information Technology through electronic mail, the Internet and instant communication by mass media across the world, has eloquent and powerful manifestation of globalization. IT industry commonly associated with Silicon Valley (USA) where a reverse brain drain and technology transfer is becoming evident.

The Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and the KnowledgeProcess Outsourcing (KPO) are illustrations of the large bank of Indiantechnological talent that is being utilised by the so called hi-tech countries.The KPO industry is expected to reach US $17 billion, out of which $12billion (Rs.52, 000 crores or 70%) would be outsourced to India in thenext 5 years and generate 2, 50, 000 high paying jobs.Technological parks in Bangalore and Hyderabad are the newcentres of excellence. The new visible heroes of the IT revolution are BillGates, Narayan Murthy, Azim Premji, Sam Pitroda and so forth. Thereis qualitative exchange of information by Internet on a daily basis. Anormal computerised scientific worker sends 50-100 e-mails, holds liveseminars, discussion etc. just to keep up with project that she or he isdoing. One can find information on history, geography, culture, religions, population, tourism etc. by linking various sites like google.com.

The Ideological Dimension: The ideological dimension of globalisation is what has been called triumph of liberalism or capitalism or about the ‘end of history’. Lack of an alternative to liberalism gives rise to the view that capitalism is aninevitable world wide phenomenon. During the cold war era, socialism provided a promising alternative modernisation path contrary to the leading capitalist countries. Socialism itself was considered to be atransgression to communism with a dictatorship of workers that legitimized authoritarian governance and failures, that the socialist block provided a counter power to the capitalist world. With the collapse of socialism as a serious alternative to capitalism, the opportunity of the non-western world to take advantages from the cold war by getting military and financial support from either of both sides has also ceased. Instead, in the beginning, international organisations like World Bank and IMF, force national governance into structural adjustments and deregulation, opening of these countries for western products and capital. With this anti-western rhetoric grows, because this is seen as an expression of neo-imperialism.

Political Dimension:The political dimension of globalisation is closely connected to the discipline's historical points of reference: society and nation-state in early modernity. With the coming of a 'world society', it is being represented by super-national political structures. The government has become much more dependent on international organisations, bilateral and multilateral contracts, so that sovereignty has decreased. Also inspite of globalization processes, governance is represented and expressed in the inter-state system, while transactional forms of political organisations have been comparatively less successful. The reason is that international organizations, such as the UN are made up by nation-state representatives and quota, while non-state organisations and associations such as citizen group and NGOs are excluded from participation. An important source of legitimacy of a state in the international arena is its recognition by other states. The internationalization of this interstate system was related to the spread of standard rites of representation according to the nation-state model as an offspring of western modernity. Like national identities, ethnic identities are a construct, which not only determines action but also becomes important as a means of inclusion and exclusion. On one side, the boundaries of nation-state, national economies and national identities become permeable and a world economy, world society, world political system and world culture develop. There is a global responsibility for global issues like trade, terrorism, drug trafficking, etc.. continue to be dependent on a nation-state as its vehicles. The nation is still a point of contact and communication and the basis of identity. On the other hand, we may observe a process of fragmentation, renaissance of nationalism, splitting up of nation-state and retribalisation, re-fundamentalism, cultural relativism and regression of civility. The role and reach of the state in our lives is declining. Smaller states and lesser government is the norm of liberal capitalism. The recent formation of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Uttaranchal states are clearly a case in point. Thus Globalisation has engendered unification and fragmentation, common identity and awareness of political differences. It has reinforced both subnational regionalisms.

Cultural Dimension:Globalisation enriches the world culturally. It leads to multi-cultural ‘global village’. The concept of globalisation assumes that cultures are becoming the same -the world over. Most commonly it is assumed that it is spreading from the West and thus produces uniformity and standardization through technological, commercial and cultural synchronization. Not only non-western societies were infiltrated by an American way of life being supposed to cause a loss of cultural values, customs and manners, but also America and Europe adapted elements of foreign civilizations, Eastern philosophers and management styles,music or food and the cuisine. Globalisation increases the expansion of trade in cultural products to foreign goods. This often leads to change in local cultures, values and traditions. While globalisation does affect local cultures, it can also strengthen local cultures. Example, in India, due to satellite T.V., the number of regional channels has increased. Many of these channels telecast regional Indian context. This gives an Indian citizen opportunity to identify with his/her regional ties.

Eith McDonald, CocaCola and American fast food culture; the tasteof the product is culturally adapted but the target of these products aredifferent. In America and Europe McDonald is a lower-middle class andlower class phenomena, where as in a number of non-western countriesthe visitors are upper-middle class families and youth who considerthemselves to be modem and perhaps also western and many youngpeople use these places as meeting points.With, the process of globalisation, the new changes have beennoticed in the life-style, consumption patterns, production of cultural expressions, use of language and communication, media at the local,regional and national levels. The changes are more remarkable in thelife-style of youths and adolescents who are driven by consumerism. Consumerism has led to sale of fancy mobiles, i-pods, laptops, costly items of birthdays or Valentines Day gifts.

Globalisation of markets has led to conversion of traditional objectsof arts and aesthetics having mostly ritual uses in the local communitiesand in marketable commodities. This has disrupted the autonomy offolk cultures but also destablished the life of artisians by creating newnetworks of competitions and price-wars.

The Environmental Dimension:The environmental dimension of globalisation refers to the world being a highly fragile ecological system. An imbalance has cause effects on both local and global level. This dimension is an outcome of reflexivity of late modernity. People have realised that technical progress andproduction of risks for the environment are closely related. In pre-modem times, all What happened was, explained by fortune and destiny- the will of the supernatural powers but not cause by mankind. The dangers of the middle ages were external in nature-enemies, weather, animals, gods and demons. Enlightenment (Scientific Age) has replaced Gods by reasons engenders a self- responsibility of man. The world became man-made and future could be planned, formed and aimed to be better than past. In addition to wars, the industrial-scientific age engenders risks that are related to people’s occupation and lack of work and environmental protection.

Western people and educated rich people are aware of globalrisks due to reflexivity of modernity, spread of information by means ofnews, scientific warning, ecological movements, and weather conditions.

In the name of economic development and current development (infrastructure) and projects and ‘policies, have brought the tremendous loss of resources such as forest, land, money and government. On the other side Indian government facilitated the national/multinational corporates to take control of the common resources like land, water and forests.

POSITIVE EFFECTS

Globalisation is a process of change that affects all religions of the world in a variety of areas, including the economy, politics, education, culture and environment, it is giving rise to new markets linked globally,

new tools like internet links, cellular phones, media network, new actors like the World Trade Organisation (WTO) with authority over national governments, the Multinational Corporations with more economic power than many states, Intellectual Property Rights and Multi-lateral agreements on Trade.

Education

The key measures of progress have been found to be declined globally. Meanwhile, globalisation is expected to have a positive influence of the quantity as well as quality of knowledge through interactions amongthe states In a globalised world as technology becomes its main motor, knowledge assumes its powerful role in production, making its possessions essential for nations, as they are successful to pursue economic growth and competitiveness. education assumes a central role in globalisation process, as it is most potential instrument of creation. The impact of globalization on education start materialising through the cut in expenditure of the centre as well as the States” from 1992-93 and freezing the funding of higher education by the UCg. Government proposed vocational programmes to meet the varying needs of the socially disadvantaged groups. Vocational courses are offering marketable self-financing courses such as hotel management, agriculture related courses, training and handling computer packages, fashion designing, interior decoration etc. would help them acquire suitable productive skills. It will make their lives more meaningful as they will be economically independent and self-reliant. The modern advance in information technology has revolutionised, among others, the content of knowledge and the processes of educational transaction. The increasing use of electronic media has brought education on the doorstep of the common man. Earlier Indian youth were migrating abroad to gain knowledge (higher education) but with Govt. policy and help of private sectors, many foreigners are coming to India for higher studies.

Health

With the overall changes in the global political economy, health policy began to be looked through the prism of economies. Technological interventions are considered, both, crucial and cost effective for prevention and creative health care and improving health outcomes. Globalised health programming also increases the number of stakeholders which include World Bank, WTO, WIPO, etc. Thus, a number of ‘Global Health Partnership’ have come up, with World Health Organisation facilitating-collaboration between corporate agencies and inter government organizations to achieve health goals. These partnerships mainly target single communicable diseases or focus of intervention such as TB control, drug development, elimination of leprosy, HIV-AIDS, immunization, etc More than 80 such initiatives have so far been identified which have emerged into independent organizations each with its own goals, structures, methods of functioning, funding mechanisms, etc..

Movements

In almost every sphere of activity there are growing number of transnational including social movements like Greenpeace. Women’s movement, concern for Empowerment etc. They are becoming even more relevant, linking people in transnational relations. The widespread network of Human Rights, international Governmental organization combined with UGO provides the condition for global governance. In case of India Dalits could challenge the state for violation for human rights in the international forums such as World Conference Against Racism From 1980s, various movements and groups in India have raised several issues in which the issues of democratic and human rights equality, justice, and environmental sustainability have been integral to world.

Globalization and India’s trade in service

The future of economic globalization in India depends to a large extent on the intemationalization of trade in service. According to a forecast by NASSCOM, India’s service sector exports are likely to touch $ 35 billionby 2007. China is considered as a manufacturing power-house, the same status is given to India in the service sector. India has 49 % of its GDP accounted for by the service sector. India has set the target ofachieving 1 % of the global merchandise trade by 2007. The sector on importance to audio-visual services, construction and engineering services, educational services and tourism and travel related services. Growth in trade in services promotes employment within the country and, to a larger extent, growth in abroad. Liberalisation of services leads to lower prices, better quality and wider choices for consumers.

NEGATIVE EFFECTS

Along with globalisation, key measures of progress have been found to be declined globally. Economic growth and rates of improvement in life expectancy, child mortality, education levels and literacy, all have been declined in the era of Global corporation compared to the years 1960-80. Many of the middle and poor income countries experienced unprecedented levels of foreign debt and loss of the jrjvgalth to interest on loans during the period.

Globalization intensifies economic processes and fgves them a new form. Employment is one such component. During the 1990s, in India as a whole, the GNP grew by 6 to 8 % per year but according to ILO, India lost 12 million jobs in the first half of the 1990s. An estimated 1 million jobs were lost after agricultural imports were liberalized in April 2001 and more because of other imports. Rural employment grew by only 0.58 % during the 1990s, which is lower than what it was in 1980s. Poverty too grew proportionally. Against the official claim of 34 % of the country’s families being below poverty line, the reality seems to be more than 40 %. It is not surprising because intrinsic to globalization in the middle class is getting its benefits at the cost of the poor. The exclusion of the poor goes beyond the sphere to the services which have been turned into sources of profit. Health care, for example, has become an industry. Hospitals are being run by companies registered in the stock exchange but public that are already efficient, are neglected further. So, only those, who have money can buy good health care. 50% villages are without drinking water and urban supply-is-polluted but the middle class can afford ‘Bottled mineral water and colas. Public transport is neglected to the individual vehicles. To earn foreign exchange for petroleum imports, have grown by 15 % a year, but other imports are neglected and exports, even of staple food, get priority. As a consequence, rural poverty grows, so does migration to the urban slums. More urban poverty is another outcome. For example, Mumbai slums population is estimated top grown from 35 % to 50 % of its total in recent decades, since growing poverty has pushed the floor towards town and cities. With globalization, the culture of consumerism is growing; it is based on created needs and the ethics of profit at any cost. New goods are produced to suit these needs and human status is linked to them. While the poor are dying of hunger, India exported 5 million tons of wheat in 2002 and declared loss mainly because of reduction to the PDS (Public Distribution System).

Inspite of growing poverty and starvation death, the better classessupport globalization because they see a definite advantage forthemselves in globalization which effectively improves their livingstandards.

Conclusion

Globalization is a complex place by which the world is becoming economically, politically, socially and culturally. Globalisation symbolizes a world in motion providing ways to new way of life. Globalisation hasimportant implications for individuals and society.A study of the history of globalisation shows that it is not a newprocess but has a history of about 300 years. The beginning of thisprocess can be traced to the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th centuryin Europe. The need for new markets and expanse of trade resulted incolonisation of countries in different parts of the world. The advancementin science and technology gave the impetus necessary for globalinterconnectedness.Globalization has impacted all areas of society. Economicdimensions of globalization refers to free world market. Technologicaldimension of globalization saw the development in the field of informationtechnology and telecommunications. The political dimension ofglobalization saw the emergence of a world society represented by thesuper national political structure. The cultural dimension of globalizationhas resulted in the emergence of new global hybrid culture. Theenvironmental dimensions refer to the very fragile eco system and theeffects of global risks. These various dimensions take place more orless at the sometime but the impact has been varying.