Blog Post 18: Sustainable Globalization: A Possibility or a Fantasy?

Sustainable Globalization: A Possibility or a Fantasy?

Globalization is an attractive concept. Believing that the entire world can work together and benefit from each other, eventually reaching a converging level of economic growth is tentative to the reader. However, globalization poses certain issues that cannot be overlooked if it is to be taken as a serious matter. David Dapice (2002) in “Is Globalization Sustainable” discusses two arguments that surround globalization. First and foremost, Dapice argues that globalization can indeed “create many opportunities to improve the material well-being of poor people” (Dapice, 2002:3), yet he does highlight that it could be politically unsustainable. Additionally, Dapice (2002:3) believes that globalization can be deeply affected by terrorism, which would ultimately upset the benefits of globalization. Although Dapice presents interesting notions regarding globalization, especially his views on the role of terrorism, his abstinence from discussing the role of a circular economy as the driving force of sustainable globalization undoubtedly marks him for criticism.

If globalization is believed to be able to tackle poverty, surely there must be drawbacks as well. Dapice highlights the drawbacks of globalization in tackling poverty rather efficiently. Essentially, Dapice argues that globalization in treating poverty would be effective if nations do not “slavishly follow the Washington consensus or American-style free-market capitalism” (Dapice, 2002:4). However, as Dapice (2002) highlights that globalization would be effective as long as nations divert from free-market capitalism, so does he emphasize that a free-flow of immigration is necessary if globalization is to endure. Dapice argues with fervor for the free-flow of immigration, reaching the ultimate conclusion that “If the argument is freer movement of goods and capital, why not people?” and personally, I couldn’t agree more.

Dapice (2002) continues his critiques of globalization arguing that terrorism can have a drastically negative effect on the implementation of globalization. He argues that the free flow of goods and the free flow of people would be discouraged, that “trade and travel would certainly diminish, and with that incomes and production would drop” (Dapice, 2002:12). Although this does seem like a rather significant blow to globalization, Dapice believes that it is possible to overcome the threat of terrorism. Dapice states that “globalization would have to work better - and be seen to work better - for many more people. There would have to be a widely shared sense that we all had so much to lose from such economic vandalism and criminal terrorism that there would be a real alliance against these people and their activities” (Dapice, 2002:14). Despite terrorism and the lack of free immigration, it seems as if globalization could triumph after all.

Globalization could succeed as a policy if implemented efficiently. However, globalization would be useless if the planet runs out of resources. As a result, the implementation of sustainable globalization becomes of paramount importance. This is one thing that Dapice overlooks. He spends too much time focusing on globalization in its essence and forgets all about the sustainability behind it. If sustainable globalization is ever to be implemented into society, a necessary drastic change must take place: the implementation of a circular economy. A circular economy, as outlined by Ellen McArthur (2012), would essentially entirely eliminate waste within an economy. McArthur (2012) highlights 4 key aspects of a circular economy: returning a product to a useful state in the shortest period of time, maximizing the life cycles of products, interchangeability of materials between industries and the necessity of uncontaminated material streams. If McArthur’s circular economy was to be implemented, along with the policies proposed by Dapice, then sustainable globalization might just be what the world needs. 

The concept of globalization is appealing to the academic advocating for converging levels of economic growth across countries. However, the benefits of globalization would be futile if we 

were to destroy our planet in our route towards globalization. As a result, the idea of sustainable globalization emerges, wherein implemented along with a circular economy could tackle the dilemma of waste as well. Dapice’s arguments regarding the necessity for free-flow of immigration along with the requirement to tackle terrorism provide a convincing platform towards globalization. However, if McArthur’s notions regarding a circular economy are ignored, an attempt to reach sustainable globalization would prove to be impossible.

Reference List: 

Dapice, D. (2002) Is Globalization Sustainable?[online] Available from: https://yaleglobal.yale.edu/content/globalization-sustainable (Accessed 04 March 2019).

McArthur, E. (2013) Towards the Circular Economy. Ellen McArthur Foundation.