Topical Review T3W5

2013

Globalisation 1. List at least 3 characteristics of globalisation. Increase in mobility of goods, services and factors of production such as materials, labour and capital Increase in economic interdependence between countries through trading activities, investments and transfer of technology Enable time-space compression, which is the development of transport and communication technology that allows expedited delivery and rapid exchange of information. 2. What are the positive & negative impacts of globalisation in these areas (please give specific examples of each): Economic Increase in volume of investment The large corporation will use which spurs the domestic predatory pricing to drive small economic activities (China 2012 and medium business to $14.4 billion) bankruptcy (Oil price kept low by MNCs in Nigeria to drive indigenous service providers out of business) Social Increase in income per capita Income inequality worsened as and thus increase in standards of the globalisation deepens the living, especially in developing income gap between those who countries ( First tier NIEs in 1990s benefit from globalisation and including Singapore, Taiwan, those who do not. (Gini Korea and Hong Kong are now coefficient in Singapore is very developed economies) high despite the sustained increase in income per capita) Political Increase in cooperation between Interdependence would also countries for a common goal mean simultaneous failure in the (WTO is the largest economic worst scenario. (Global crisis that organisation with 159 members) leads to global increase in unemployment rate in the period 2010-now) Cultural Increase in cultural diversity in a Spreading of Westernised place (Cosmopolitan culture culture has diminished the characterises globalised cities distinctiveness of national culture such as Singapore, New York, Rio,..etc) 3. Define these terms: a. Americanization (you can also look at Mcdonaldization) The increase in influence of America (the U.S) in other countries in terms of economics, culture, political practices and even cuisine b. Cultural Imperialism The promotion, imposition and subsequent domination of the culture of powerful countries on the smaller and weaker countries c. Diaspora A scattered population with a common origin in a smaller geographic area or the movement of the population from its original homeland. d. UN Millennium Goals Inclusive of 8 international development goals: 1. Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger,

2. Achieving universal primary education, 3. Promoting gender equality and empowering women, 4. Reducing child mortality rates,

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5. Improving maternal health, 6. Combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases, 7. Ensuring environmental sustainability, and 8. Developing a global partnership for development 4. Describe what these international organisations do in 2 sentences: a. Grameen Bank The Grameen Bank is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning microfinance organization and community development bank founded in Bangladesh. It makes small loans to the impoverished without requiring collateral. b. United Nations (UN) The UnitedNations is aninternational organization whose stated aims include promoting and facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, civil rights, civil liberties, political freedoms, democracy, and the achievement of lasting world peace. It is a more successful replacement for the infamous and powerless League of Nations in maintaining peaceful relationship between countries after WWII. G7 The G7 is a group consisting of the finance ministers of seven industrialized nations: the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan. G7 is not a very active group in assisting poorer countries despite their highly developed economies. ( Giving on ly 0.19% GDP on international aids, far below the target of 0.7%) World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programs. While the World Bank represents 188 countries, it is run by a small number of economically powerful countries who prioritises their interests over the greater good for other countries. World Health Organisation (WHO) The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that is concerned with international public health. WHO is often criticised for exaggerating the danger of pandemic diseases that cause fear and confusion. World Trade Organisation (WTO) The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trader. It is often criticised for widening the social and economic gap between countries.

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g. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an international economic organisation of 34 countries founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade. It is often criticised for the limited membership of only rich nations and lack of attention paid to labour and environmental standards.

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United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) UNESCO is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) whose purpose is to contribute to peace and security by promoting international collaboration through education, science, and culture in order to further universal respect for justice, the rule of law, and human rights along with fundamental freedom proclaimed in the UN Charter. Amnesty International Amnesty International is a non-governmental organisation focused on human rights with over 3 million members and supporters around the world. The objective of the organisation is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated. International Criminal Court The International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression. It is often criticised for avoiding difficult cases, having racist agenda and flawed investigation process. Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a scientific intergovernmental body, set up at the request of member governments. Its mission is to provide comprehensive scientific assessments of current scientific, technical and socio-economic information worldwide about the risk of climate change caused by human activity, its potential environmental and socio-economic consequences, and possible options for adapting to these consequences or mitigating the effects. World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization, working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment. It is often criticised for being too close to businesses to campaign and act objectively.

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m. Oxfam Oxfam is an international confederation of 17 organizations working in approximately 90 countries worldwide to find solutions to poverty and related injustice around the world. It is praised for its effort in honouring transparency by publishing even the unfavourable results in its various campaigns. Geography After reading the Geography notes, try to do the following questions from memory: 5. List 3 advantages and 3 disadvantages of migration for Singapore. Give specific evidence to support your points. Advantages: Higher income for migrant workers from the home country while the host country enjoys increase in tax revenue (Immigrants in UK pay 2.5bn more in taxes than they take in benefits) International migration bring about the transfer of knowledge and technology to less developed countries th (The migration from Europe to America in 19 century boost economic performance in this period) It can help solve the problem of limited labour of small countries such as Singapore, Japan, etc. Disadvantages: Worsen the income inequality between the more developed countries and the less developed ones as the direction of migration is often from the latter to the former. (Brain drain from countries like Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia to more developed countries like U.S., U.K., Singapore,etc) Immigration of unskilled labour into the host country will worsen the unemployment situation by further reducing the wage of workers there. (Singapore situation: the increase in the labour pool by immigration of

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foreign workers from China and India has kept the wage of blue-collar works such as bus driving, construction work,.. too low for Singaporeans to take up) Permanent stay of the immigrants together with their families may cause heavy strain on the society of the host country (Expectation of increase in Singapores population to the point of 6.9 mil, of which only 65% are Singaporeans)

6.

List 3 advantages and 3 drawbacks of tourism. Give specific evidence to support your points. Advantages: Provides additional income to the countries GDP, which can accelerates development through the multiplier effect. (Tourism revenue makes up approximately 10% of the global GDP) Provides more job opportunities for the visited countries especially in developing countries where more hotels, restaurants and travel agencies are set up to accommodate the tourists. (Tourism accounts for 101 million jobs globally) Assists conservation programmes while at the same time benefit the local communities (Eco-tourism in Malaysia, Vietnam, African countries)

Disadvantages: Undermines the privacy of communities in visited countries as the tour company attempt to present a controlled experience not a realistic social situation for the tourists. Damages the local eco-system and archaeological sites as well as historical and monumental structures. (A Chinese tourist damaged a 3,000-year-old site in Luxor, Egypt) Spurs illegal activities in the visited countries, especially in developing countries where tourists are viewed as a source of quick cash. ( The infamous red-light districts in Thailand is ironically an appealing destination for tourists)

7.

What is soft power and hard power? Soft power is a concept developed by Joseph Nye of Harvard University to describe the ability to attract and coopt rather than coerce while hard power is the use of military and economic means to influence the behaviour or interests of other political bodies (most of the time refers to aggressive policies) List 2 reasons why China is gaining power in todays world and 2 reasons why her position may not be secure. Why she is gaining power Why her position is not secure Her large population presents a potential middle-class Her development and growth depend largely on the market that is attractive enough to lure in large amount external factors, more specifically, on the countries of investment from other countries, which is who invest in her economy. This would not guarantee a channelled into her development plan. sustained growth as the investors may switch to another place with lower cost (India) to invest, leaving China with all the empty factories and a pool of partially skilled labour. The standards of living and subsequently the labour One of her advantage is due to the purposefully policy costs in China remain relatively low compared to the to keep the Yuans value low in order to gain unfair developed countries so China is treated as the advantage in exporting goods. However, as the manufacturing hubs for MNCs around the world. The international economy is stagnating and people putting increasing in number of factory plants in China helps pressure on China to make the Yuan appreciate, the increase the overall GDP per capita. advantage may not be with China any longer.

8.

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List 3 reasons for and 3 reasons against the importance of the nation-state in an interconnected world. Give specific examples. For Against It is a tradition, which gives people self-identity and The system of nation-states is obsolete and not pride and encourages them to protect their own effective in resolving conflicts over territory or culture, language and history. (Singapore policy to resources. Nationalism is the very cause of the first and increase sense of belonging through common second world war, which should be prevented by practices) eliminating the system of nation-state. It is the most natural form of political institution as the The system of nation-states is not effective for government reflects the unique character of the nation democracy and equality. The state that is characterised and the people have loyalty for the institution that by a particular culture will inevitably place more rules their own country. importance on those of that identity. The reason why there is discrimination against the Tamil in Sri Lanka is that the government is made up of mostly Sinhalese and thus will doubtlessly favour the Sinhalese over the Tamil. It is an effective way to provide appropriate solution The international organisations and groupings of for localised problems since the local government has countries prove to be efficient alternative for the the best understanding of these problems. system of nation-states in managing economic development and maintain political stability. European Union and ASEAN are important multinational associations that benefits many million people through their economic agreements which help the less developed countries in the group catch up with those more developed ones.

Language & Reading 10. Give 3 reasons why reading is still important in todays world and 3 reasons why it is no longer important. Give specific examples to support your point. Important A beneficial form of entertainment (45000 English fictions are published annually) Reading is an effective way to learn language as it displays the correct expression of vocabulary and grammar in the context. Reading stimulates the mind and thus can 1) keep it active and 2) enhance its ability. No longer important It takes longer time to read the same content that can be expressed in different forms (interactive media or video or games). Not all books are beneficial and appropriate for people as it can carry hidden agenda, propaganda or offensive content. Reading can put a lot of strain on the body: on the eyes as they are forced to focus on the same piece of paper or worse, a screen for a long period; on the back and the neck as we sit or lie down to read books for long period.

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Essay Questions a) b) c) d) e) Foreign talent is a necessary evil in this globalised world. How far is this true in your society? Geography is destiny. How far is this true? Do you believe that the world has become too interconnected? Will restricting the growth of cities improve the quality of life? The tourist does not see the country the inhabitants know. How far is this true of Singapore?