A Review of Writing on Globalization 1990 to 2002

The USNH Study Group on Globalization has been meeting and discussing economic globalization for the last 9 months and is ready at this time to take the steps necessary to share its knowledge with this congregation. . A group of open meetings (probably 4) will be held starting on January 6 . The first , an introduction, will be led by Bruce Weston. Its title is Economic Globalization Promise or Threat? So that people may prepare for this meeting he has written reviews of 13 significant books and articles written over the last 12 years on this topic. They are available on the USNH website and in paper form for those who prefer that. It is assumed that most members of the congregation will want to read some of them although

few will probably want to read the 70 plus pages of the survey. The works on this survey are listed below. The number after each entry is the number of pages of the review.

Of the material available here we most recommend Korten’s When Corporations Rule the World as the single most informative work. It has a clear point of view but is very rational and above board. It is the single work in the group that most makes an ethical rather than merely economic argument. Those seeking balance will find it helpful to read one of the first two which are by business oriented advocates of economic globalization or the 1993 work by Paul Kennedy. For those who are looking for a fair minded and intelligent explanation of the important issue of the free market the review of John McMillan’s is a must.

The first two books were written by enthusiasts for globalization -- a Japanese business consultant, Kenichi Ohmae and an American ---John Naisbitt. Both are very enthusiastic about the newly recognized economic system that had been developing since about 1970, and both share an ethical position that assumes that the sole human good is having an abundance of high quality material possessions. They also share a certainty that the new globalized system will prevail and that the chief thing that we must do to bring about the better world is to keep government from interfering in the operations of the free market. An interesting difference is that the Japanese writer has a much stronger sense that corporations should be held to a high standard of community responsibility and asserts that corporations should always focus on production of goods rather than engaging in making money through financial manipulations.

The First Global Revolution was written in 1991 and is a product of the Club Of Rome, a “think tank” that came into being in 1968, when a number of intellectuals felt that the world leaders seemed incapable of seeing the obvious problems that were coming. and that some guidance should be provided. Almost all of the issues raised in books to come later are found here -- from sustainability to the dissatisfactions of consumerism, to the loss of community and the danger that resentment may lead to terrorism .

Paul Kennedy’s Preparing for the 21st Century appeared in 1993. Kennedy is a historian and his material on globalization is part of a general survey of the problems facing us in the coming century. His central concerns are on two: the rising population, and the fate of the nation-state in the new world of globalized economy.

1995 marks the appearance of the most serious book about what is happening in the global economy -- David Korten’s When Corporations Rule the World. Korten’s book is fair and carefully researched. And while it is free from propaganda, it is also impassioned. It covers all the issues that are part of the debate on economic globalization. And very important Korten puts more stress on the ethical issues involved in this debate. Korten’s book is radical in the sense that it goes to the root of things. He does not limit himself to calls for reforms but asserts that we are not really going to cope with the dangerous trends in our society unless we change our culture’s concern with material possessions. This high seriousness may be Korten’s greatest virtue, but it will put off people who do not trust such ‘idealistic” answers and would rather work with people as they apparently are and limit their action to trying to reform laws and choose better leaders.

Thomas Friedman’s The Lexus and the Olive Tree was published in 1999. Its great virtue is its lively and readable style and its wealth of concrete details especially the author’s meetings with people ordinary and famous. His explanations of the workings of the global economy are both detailed and easily understood . Friedman often sounds like a corporation spokesman when he speaks about globalization; he absolutely believes in the inevitability of the new dispensation and at times seems scornful of those who do not want to live their economic lives in the fast lane. But at the same time he is aware of the dangers in the cultural homogenization that accompanies globalization. He is well aware that it is important for people to maintain their cultural roots. Moreover, although he is totally for globalization he calls for globalization plus a safety net. Friedman has a good sense of the dilemma of globalization’s use of the free market which he describes as whether we can “truly soften the brutality of capitalism and still purse steadily rising standards of living.” Friedman must be credited too for his suggestions of many reforms that could improve things. All of this leads many to see Friedman as a moderate in the debate on globalization.

The two selections from 2001 are by representatives of the environmental watchdog organization Worldwatch. They are brief and are a good up-to-date source of information on this central issue in the globalization debate. Flavin sees potential in globalization and he points out the relationship between environmental and social problems.

The booklet Why Americans are Free . . . published in 2002 by the First Unitarian Church of Portland, Oregon is a one issue work; it is devoted to one of the most glaring dangers in the globalization movement -- the threat to democracy that is embodied in trade agreements such as NAFTA (1994).

The year 2002 also saw important contributions by two Nobel laureates in economics -- Amartya Sen and Joseph Stiglitz. Stiglitz’s article points out the falsity of the conservative’s claim that the successes of the globalized economy, are proof of the virtues of a completely open market since as a rule the big successes have come in countries where there was strong government control.. Sen, who strongly supports globalization which is under control, addresses one of the major issues in the debate -- the issue of growing inequality of income. For the person who has very little time to spare Sen’s article provides a lot in a few pages. The issue of the growing inequality of income in the U.S. is also the subject of Paul Krugman’s article “For Richer”. Mark Weisbrott’s article points out the details of how IMF regulations have often done harm to the countries which it supposedly helped.

A very different book that appeared in 2002 is John McMillan’s Reinventing the Bazaar. Since the issue of free markets is a central one in almost all discussions of globalization, we are fortunate that this intelligent and fair-minded description of the actual workings of the free market appeared at this time.

Included in the works reviewed are two classics -- Adam Smith’s 1776 best seller The Wealth of Nations and John Stuart Mill’s 1847 work on the distinction between market and the moral side of economics “The Principles of Political Economy”.

To read the documents of your choice click on the files listed below.

The Documents (click on each to open)

1 Kenichi Ohmae The Borderless World 1990 (3 pp)

2 John Naisbitt and P. Aburdene Megatrends 2000 1990 (2 pp)

3 Alexander King and Bertrand Scheider The First Global Revolution 1991 (5 pp

4 Paul Kennedy Preparing For the 21st Century 1993 ( 9 pp)

5 David Korten When Corporations Rule the World 1995 (Revised 2001) (17 pp)

6 Thomas Friedman The Lexus and the Olive Tree 1999 (12 pp)

7 Christopher Flavin “Rich Planet Poor Planet “ in State of the World 2001 (3 pp)

8 Lester Brown Eco Economy 2001 (1 p)

9 Margaret Gribskov Why Americans are Free . . . Economic Justice Action Group of First Unitarian Church of Portland ,OR 2002

10 Joseph Stiglitz “ Globalization and its Discontents.” And Mark Weisbrott “The Mirage of Progress” in American Prospect special globalization supplement 2002 (2 pp)

11 Amartya Sen “How to Judge Globalization” “American Prospect (2 pp)

12 Paul Krugman “For Richer” New York Times magazine ) Oct 20, 2002 (

13 John McMillan Reinventing the Bazaar 2002

Classics Relevant to Globalization

14 Adam Smith The Wealth of Nations 1776 (12 pp)

15 John Stuart Mill Principles of Political Economy 1852 (1 p)