Development and Globalization What is Globalization? Development and Globalization Photo: © TheSupe87, shutterstock.com 1
Human Development Index and GDP 2
Pros and cons of globalization Teacher’s note: Globalization has both advantages and disadvantages for countries in the developed world and the developing world. However, students should understand that the nature of globalization and the way that countries are interdependent means that the advantages and disadvantages of globalization are not straightforward. What may be an advantage for one country or area may have a knock-on effect that is to the detriment of another. Photos: Times Square, New York © Sam67fr. This image is reproduced under the terms of the Creative Commons License. A copy of the license can be read at this address: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/; old industrial complex © joyfull, shutterstock.com; businessman © zhu difeng, shutterstock.com; sweatshop workers © marissaorton. This image is reproduced under the terms of the Creative Commons License. A copy of the license can be read at this address: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/ 3
Global economic cooperation Teacher’s note: The G20 summit in April 2009 was a high profile meeting when leaders of 19 of the largest economies in the world, plus the European Union, got together in London. Their aims were to try and get international agreement on how to regulate and support the global economy, to avoid severe economic downturns and to try to solve the global economic crisis that started in 2007. The cartoon shows the G20 trying to pull the economy, depicted as a sinking ship, back to the surface. The oil and money are symbols of wealth that are being washed away in the economic crisis. The G20 countries are depicted as one man to show that it is supposed to be a collaborative effort to solve the problems, but the fraying of the suit suggests that possible strains may exist between countries. Global economic cooperation can be difficult when individual economies are in recession and the risk of protectionism is quite high. An example of this is British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s statement that he wants to create ‘British jobs for British workers’. Students should be able to point out that this goes against the idea of global economic cooperation. Some students may point out that because of globalization and trade, countries are often interdependent, making global economic cooperation a necessity, whatever its difficulties. Work with a partner to explain the thinking behind this cartoon. Is global economic cooperation a reality? 4