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    Chapter 3 Theories

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    Asad Asif
    This document outlines four major theories of globalization: 1. World system theory sees the global economy as consisting of core, periphery, and semi-periphery states with asymmetrical trade relations that perpetuate inequality. 2. Neorealism and neoliberal institutionalism view states as dominant actors competing for power, though neoliberalism sees more complex interdependence and the rise of international organizations. 3. World polity theory argues that states are becoming more similar through the spread of global norms and models transmitted by international associations. 4. World culture theory sees globalization compressing the world into a single entity through increased awareness of diversity, rather than homogenization.

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    Chapter 3 Theories

    Uploaded by

    Asad Asif
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    This document outlines four major theories of globalization: 1. World system theory sees the global economy as consisting of core, periphery, and semi-periphery states with asymmetrical trade relations that perpetuate inequality. 2. Neorealism and neoliberal institutionalism view states as dominant actors competing for power, though neoliberalism sees more complex interdependence and the rise of international organizations. 3. World polity theory argues that states are becoming more similar through the spread of global norms and models transmitted by international associations. 4. World culture theory sees globalization compressing the world into a single entity through increased awareness of diversity, rather than homogenization.

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    lecture 3 of thinking globally, university lecture

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    chapter 3 Theories

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    This document outlines four major theories of globalization: 1. World system theory sees the global economy as consisting of core, periphery, and semi-periphery states with asymmetrical trade relations that perpetuate inequality. 2. Neorealism and neoliberal institutionalism view states as dominant actors competing for power, though neoliberalism sees more complex interdependence and the rise of international organizations. 3. World polity theory argues that states are becoming more similar through the spread of global norms and models transmitted by international associations. 4. World culture theory sees globalization compressing the world into a single entity through increased awareness of diversity, rather than homogenization.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    15 views14 pages

    Chapter 3 Theories

    Uploaded by

    Asad Asif
    This document outlines four major theories of globalization: 1. World system theory sees the global economy as consisting of core, periphery, and semi-periphery states with asymmetrical trade relations that perpetuate inequality. 2. Neorealism and neoliberal institutionalism view states as dominant actors competing for power, though neoliberalism sees more complex interdependence and the rise of international organizations. 3. World polity theory argues that states are becoming more similar through the spread of global norms and models transmitted by international associations. 4. World culture theory sees globalization compressing the world into a single entity through increased awareness of diversity, rather than homogenization.

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    of 14

    THEORIES OF GLOBALISATION

    Chapter 3
    Theories of Globalization
    (Lechner & Boli, 2005)

    • 1. World system theory


    • 2. Neorealism/neoliberal institutionalism
    • 3. World polity theory
    • 4. World culture theory
    1. World System Theory
    • Reflected in readings from Immanuel Wallerstein, Leslie Sklair
    • In the 1950s, the dominant theory was modernisation theory; its problem
    was that some countries were not developing/ modernising as predicted
    – evidence did not fit theory  hence...
    • WST developed out of attempt to explain the failure of certain states to
    develop
    • Looking at Latin America, their economies could not compete, global
    capitalism forced certain countries into under-development
    • Trade is asymmetrical
    • Poor countries are dependent on rich states
    • Key concepts:

    • CORE: rich & developed states

    • PERIPHERY: poor & dependent states

    • SEMI-PERIPHERY: the ‘in-between’ tampon zone; semi-industrialised states

    • Semi periphery keeps the system stable

    • Trade & investment concentration

    • The core dictates the terms of trade

    • Dependency makes the situation of peripheral states even worse (they may
    even lose their political autonomy)
    • The world system perpetuates dominance by the core & dependency of the
    periphery

    • G perpetuates inequality – global economic system is inherently unfair

    • International organisations do not influence the fundamental position of core


    and periphery because most NGOs and IGOs are created by core countries

    • The idea that governments and international institutions can make the system
    ‘fair’ is an illusion (because they always reflect interests of capitalists)
    2. Neorealism
    • Realism and Neorealism dominant in IR theory for several decades

    • Realism’s central claim: states are dominant actors in world


    politics; driven by desire to survive and become more powerful
    (war, military competition)

    • Critique of R: states no longer in constant struggle for survival;


    economic and social issues matter; Realism better suited to explain
    18th and 19th c. situation
    2. Neoliberal institutionalism

    • Reflected in Robert Keohane & Joseph Nye: complex


    interdependence
    • Critical response to realism:

    • Globalization produces a more complex system of


    interdependent states; societies are interconnected in many
    ways; power and security are not the only thing that matters –
    states interact over many different kinds of issues
    2. Neoliberal institutionalism
    • Military force is no longer seen as being central to inter-state
    relations; international organisations are the centre of global politics

    • To understand global politics, we have to study what goes on in


    international organisations (e.g. WTO)

    • World society contains many centres of power; there is no one, single


    power hierarchy

    • Transnational rules and organisations now have much more influence


    • States are still important but the system is one of
    interdependence - other organisations also influence
    world politics in critical ways

    • The use of force is less effective; no hierarchy of issues


    exists that would be the same for all states
    3. World polity theory
    • Developed in response to modernisation theory, WST and
    Realism

    • Reflected in John W. Meyer et.al.

    • Polity = activities and associations of the public, political sphere

    • World polity = political structures, associations and culture in


    the international sphere
    • Contrary to observations of other theories, WPT is focused on
    the fact that societies have been becoming more similar in terms
    of their government and state policies

    • Isomorphism:

    • “trying to account for a world whose societies ... are structurally


    similar in many unexpected dimensions and change in
    unexpectedly similar ways”
    • States govern on the basis of cognitive models (which come from the culture and society)
    – associations, IGOs and NGOs and other states transmit models of how to govern

    • Worldwide models are constructed and reproduced through global cultural and
    associational processes – “models embedded in an overarching world culture”

    • States modify their ‘traditions’ in the direction of “world-cultural


    forms/prescriptions/principles”

    • WPT is based on a totally different theory of action: it emphasises the influence of norms
    and culture – not power
    4. World culture theory
    • A response to world polity theory

    • Reflected in Roland Robertson, Arjun Appadurai, Ulf Hannerz

    • World culture is new and important BUT it is not as homogeneous as WPT


    claims

    • World society is a complex set of relations among many different units in the
    “global field”

    • People are becoming aware of the new global reality – the problem of how to live
    together in one global system
    4. World culture theory
    • Globalization compresses the world into a single entity; the
    emphasis is on cultural compression – all cultures are becoming
    subcultures within a larger entity = “global acumene”

    • This does not mean homogenisation but “organisation of


    diversity”

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