Relationship Between Global and Local in Globalization Essay

Globalization is the process by which different individuals, states, regions, societies and cultures have become integrated through a global network. This can be categorized as either political which includes global leadership, formation of regional bodies, Economic globalization which includes trade, communication, transportation and social globalization which includes religion, education among others. Due to the dynamic nature of globalization, states and individuals have found it necessary to adapt to the different changes in order to survive. Thus it has become evident that globalization has affected the society both at global level and at local level. This paper will focus on the relationship between the global and the local in globalization with examples in the political, economic and social areas. At global level, globalization is evident in almost all areas of life as no one state can survive without interacting with other states. It has led to the co-operation of states in many different areas. For example, in the political arena, states have to ensure that laws that govern them conform to the norms in the international community and more specifically international law. Member states have had to form regional bodies and international organizations that deal with issues that affect them for example, war, food security, environmental problem, poverty among others. Furthermore, political globalization has created a form of hierarchy in the international community where as the developed countries e. g. U. S. A and Britain dominate the less developed countries e. . African states. In terms of economic globalization, we have seen the emergence of common markets based on the ability to exchange goods and services from one country to another depending on the availability of resources and labor. For example globalization has greatly contributed to the migration of people from countries with less developed markets to those that have greater opportunities and large amounts of wealth. In terms of social globalization, we have seen the rise of interaction at global level on the basis of religion, culture, technology and education. The most significant of these areas has been technology as it has greatly facilitated the interaction of people from all parts of the world not only through social networks like facebook, yahoo and twitter but also through business and education forums. We can say technological advancement has been the greatest contributor to globalization. Globalization is also evident at local level and can been seen through the way that both individuals and even governments try to keep with the changing times. This can also be categorized as above in the global level in terms of political, social and economic areas. In the political arena, we see our local leaders changing in order to identify themselves with a specific target group, in economics, we see people moving from rural to urban areas in search of a better way of life while in the social context, this can be seen through education for example where students are encouraged to learn additional languages to make them more marketable in job market, religion for example people of different religious backgrounds working together for the better good of the country and most of all through technology that facilitates the interaction of people from all parts of the country. It is clear to see in both areas- global and local globalization has had its impact on all areas of life. The relationship between the two therefore comes about when the locals or governments have no other choice than to adopt to whatever trends come up in their day to day lives. In terms of politics, due to the fact that states have formed alliances and organizations within the international community, it is inevitable that whatever actions they perform conform to the norms and rules that have been set out by the groups they belong to. For example in terms of laws, countries have to ensure that the laws that govern them go hand in hand with the treaties or agreements that they have entered to. This is to say that a country cannot pass a law at the local level that is against a law that they agree to abide to at the international level. In economic terms, we see how both local and global globalization intertwines especially with the rise of regional and international common markets. One good example is the formation of the European Union which led to all countries within the union adopting one common currency- the euro which has from that time on become the official currency of the region both within the individual countries and in the region at large. On the social front, we see how people of different countries each with different cultures have come together in one aspect of the other. For example looking at education, local schools and varsities have to get accreditation from different organizations both locally and internationally to ensure that students who got throw their system are recognized both within the country and also in the international community. In terms of religion we see the relationship through the fact that local churches, mosques, temples follow the same teaching under one leadership for example the Catholic Church elects archbishops who have to be approved by the pope-the leader of the Catholic Church who is not even necessarily a citizen of that country. From the above, it is clear to see that theirs is a very strong relation between the global and the local in globalization. This is mainly because the world is a global village and interaction between states and individuals is inevitable and people therefore have to do whatever is necessary to keep up with the changing times. This is further enforced by the fact that states (which represent the local population) have to participate in the international community. No man is an island therefore interactions between entities are inevitable.