Class 12: Globalization and Governance & Intro to Theories Sociology 2 Copyright © 2008 by Evan Schofer Do not copy or distribute without permission

Announcements Intro to “theories of globalization” Readings for next week Topic: Globalization and Governance Looking at the politics of globalization; and global politics!

Upcoming Readings Readings for next week address theories of globalization Note: readings are dense/hard. They are written by academics and for academics. I’ll help you get through them Issue: What is a “theory”? Type #1: A specific claim or argument that leads to empirical predictions Example: Economic law of “supply and demand” A theory… (“laws” are just theories that work well) Claim: prices reflect equilibrium of supply and demand We can “test” this theory with experiments…

Theories Type #2: A theory is a set of general imageries about how the world works “Big ideas” that guide researchers and help to generate specific (Type 1) theories Example: Marxist theory: not just a single prediction Marxism combines: 1. Observations about the nature of capitalism e.g., base/superstructure; exploitation of labor 2. Identification of important dynamics e.g., dialectics, shift from feudalism to capitalism, etc.

Theories Marxism combined: 3. Development of new concepts e.g., Alienation, false consciousness 4. Complex predictions about the future e.g., capitalist revolution, socialism 5. Normative evaluations This broader kind of “theory” is useful because it generates a rich description of the world And produces many specific claims to be tested But, it isn’t easy to prove “right” or “wrong”.

Theories of Globalization Some major views on the international system: 1. Modernization theory 2. World Systems Theory And “dependency theory”, a common variant 3. “World Polity Theory” Also called “neo-institutional theory” 4. Realism 5. Various responses to Realism “Complex Interdependence”, others…

Background: Modernization Theory An evolutionary theory predicting how societies develop See Chirot and Hall article on WST… Argument: All societies naturally pass through certain stages of development All societies start out as “traditional” hunter-gatherers Then, they develop agriculture; towns & cities grow Eventually, they become “modern” industrial societies Movement from one stage to the next is driven by things like population growth & new technologies Society becomes more complex; greater division of labor.

Responses to Modernization Theory Chirot, Daniel and Thomas D. Hall. 1982. “World-System Theory.” Frank, Andre G. 1969. “The Development of Underdevelopment.” World-system theory: Seeks to explain why many countries have failed to modernize (Oversimplified) argument: Wealthy countries in the global economy are exploiting poor ones Poor countries are trapped in a state of “underdevelopment” Readings: Chirot, Frank

Responses to Modernization Theory Meyer, J., J. Boli, G. Thomas, and F. Ramirez. 1997. “World Society and the Nation-State.” Jepperson, R. 2002. “The Development and Application of Sociological Neoinstitutionalism.” World Polity Theory: Seeks to explain why poor countries look surprisingly similar to rich ones Similar governments, education systems, etc. (oversimplified) Argument: Part of globalization is the rise of a global culture Global culture shapes the actions of people & governments… leading to surprising amounts of global conformity.

Globalization and Governance Definitions: Governance: Ruling, governing, or managing Sovereignty: Supreme power over a body politic; freedom from external control (Webster) Related term: autonomy

Globalization and Governance Issue #1. Economic globalization poses new challenges for national governance: Due to globalization, it may be harder for states to control markets, multi-national corporations, etc. And, states may be constrained in policy choices Ex: The golden straightjacket Issues to reflect on: Is state sovereignty in decline? Is the state becoming irrelevant?

Globalization and Governance 2. Economic globalization may shift the balance of power within countries Issue: Will free markets result in the dominance of conservative parties? Or, will globalization eventually spur a strong response from the left? Related issue: Who supports globalization and who opposes it? Will globalization generate strong counter-movements?

Globalization and Governance 3. In addition to economic globalization, there has also been globalization of governance International treaties and organizations (e.g. the WTO) increasingly govern what goes on in the world Issue to reflect on: Is this good or bad? Some argue that globalized governance is the only way to control a global economy Others fear the concentration of power in global institutions, and the demise of the nation-state. Issue to reflect on: Who should be involved in global governance? Citizens? Government leaders? MNCs? Protest groups?

Globalization and Governance 4. In addition to globalization of economy and governance, there is also globalization of citizen organizations, protest, and social movements This is often referred to as global civil society Questions: Does global civil society wield much power? Can it counteract the power of global capital?

Key Players in Global Governance

Video: Commanding Heights Issue: Who “writes the rules” of global governance? Episode 3, Chapters 15-end