Introduction
It is hard to disagree that there is probably nothing universally positive or negative in this world. Everything has a price, and many processes that allow countries to develop also require people to pay for this development. Globalization is a unique and significant process that erases the borders between states to some extent and makes it easier for people and businesses to integrate worldwide. However, even this concept is not entirely beneficial and may provide persons with new disadvantages and issues. Overall, this paper will try to answer the question of whether the benefits of globalization outweigh its costs.
Is Globalization More Good Than Bad?
It is undoubtful that globalization is a major part of the modern world, and if not for this concept, people would not receive some valuable goods and services from other countries easily. Globalization allows spreading information, sharing knowledge, and disseminating various cultural traits and artifacts. According to Blanton and Kegley, there is also a free flow of resources, technologies, and items among countries, and the fact that businesses can become international and win the market in another state is priceless for both companies and consumers (355). Nevertheless, since globalization also brings disadvantages, one may doubt whether they are more severe than the pros.
Before evaluating the impact of benefits and costs of this concept, it is essential to list the latter and assess them. First of all, some economists believe that globalization promotes and strengthens inequality between countries. While developed states sponsor the development of some other, weaker countries in order to get their own benefits, there are many more developing areas that do not receive any help and become even poorer (Blanton and Kegley 359). Second, stronger countries can also feel a disadvantage of this concept because its most influential employers may want to move abroad where labor costs are lower and take away jobs and profits (Blanton and Kegley 360). Third, local and national economies may suffer from companies coming from abroad and insisting on the adoption of their cultures, practices, and views on business. Finally, since globalization leads to higher industrialization of some cities, they also become overpopulated, lose access to natural resources, and experience the negative effects of climate change, fostering this threat.
At the same time, as mentioned above, there are also numerous valuable benefits of globalization. For example, it allows for the integration and exchange of cultures, information, and technologies, and this is something that modern people cannot live without (Blanton and Kegley 421). Further, globalization provides businesses with a competitive advantage and also fosters competition in and development of various markets. It also shows underdeveloped countries what they can reach soon, provides more employment possibilities, and makes many goods and services more affordable (Blanton and Kegley 438). Nevertheless, the benefit that alone outweighs all the costs of globalization is the connection it makes between people and countries. In the modern world, societies need to be connected, have an opportunity to share information, and be united by similar ideas and traits. Therefore, it is possible to say that this benefit is more significant than any costs of globalization, and people are ready to pay their prices to stay connected with each other.
Conclusion
To draw a conclusion, one may say that globalization’s advantages indeed are more valuable and impactful than its disadvantages. It is possible for both developed and developing countries to accept the potential drawbacks of globalization in order to enjoy the valuable benefits. Indeed, even though this concept may weaken a state’s economy, deprive of jobs, and introduce new unnecessary traits, it is much more challenging to live without globalization than be able to address the costs in a timely manner.
Work Cited
Blanton, Shannon, L. and Charles W. Kegley. World Politics: Trends & Transformation. Cengage Learning, 2020.