Imagine a sudden increase in economic activity, investments and trade. Imagine economic integration and the rapid development of cities. This is globalization. Globalization is used to describe the increased integration and internationalization of economic affairs and relations which are facilitated and transitioned by rapid development in technology in the fields of information gathering, communication and processing. Globalization has a very big influence and impact on the economies of the world. We see many countries developing at rapid paces and are emerging as world super powers in a very short span of time.
Two examples of this rapid development due to globalization can be seen in India and China, where the economy is changing at a rapid pace. This rapid pace and rapid development has impacts on various aspects of a country. Impacts in various sectors such as labour, job markets, housing and politics just to name a few. The aspect which globalization has a major impact in is citizenship. How is globalization impacting citizenship? Globalization is impacting citizenship in the labour sector in a big way. The impact on this sector has both a positive and a negative effect.
This sector has realised significant growth and thus it is the main area of impact because of globalization. The sector in which globalization has impacted citizenship is in the labour sector. As countries like India and China continue to globalize more and more job opportunities are going to be created. Matthew J. Slaughter and Phillip Swagel, authors of “Does Globalization Lower Wages and Export Jobs? ”, state that over the past twenty years, foreign trade and the cross-border movement of technology, labour, and capital have been massive and irresistible. This means that so many opportunities of growth and prosperity are hard to resist.
They also state that during the same period, in the advanced industrial countries, the demand for more-skilled workers has increased at the expense of less-skilled workers, and the income gap between the two groups has grown. Not only does this have a positive effect in the labour sector but also a negative one. The positive effect is that it increases the demand of more-skilled workers and this means that more jobs are going to be created. The negative effect that it has is that it decreases the demand for less-skilled workers and thus this is evident in the income gap between the two skill set of workers.
The demand for more-skilled workers creates a new opening for immigration and citizenship into the country. Many skilled workers in different countries have the opportunity to apply for work visas and have the opportunity to work in different countries. Slaughter and Swagel also state that immigration also leads to increased growth and helps in the globalization effort. Demand for more-skilled workers such as engineers, scientists, and doctors allows for more people to come to the country and ultimately stay here for good.
This is when immigrants receive citizenship for the country they live in. In conclusion, we can see that globalization does have a positive impact on citizenship as it increases demand for highly skilled workers and allows for more human capital to come into the country which ultimately helps the economy. But, we can never forget about the negative effects of globalization on citizenship. What about the less-skilled workers? We cannot forget about them. There are fewer chances of them to shift to different countries since they are not as skilled as the highly skilled work force.
This shows us the disparity between the two groups. We can see differences in terms of income, demand for each group, citizenship rates and opportunities, and gender relations as well. Some may view globalization as a new era of economic and technological advancement and some view it as an unfair issue in which not everyone is advantageous and where inequality is highly present. One thing we can see say is that for globalization to be even more successful, it is important for all groups to profit from this increasingly popular phenomena known as globalization.
Everyone should be able to share the wealth regardless of the skill set. This may seem an idea of communism but it is not. Sharing the wealth should be based on skill set and other factors but everyone should benefit, doesn’t matter if it is a large amount of benefit or a small amount. After all, we are all living in the same world on the same planet, why not prosper together and eliminate poverty and other bad issues in the world. That’s a question to ponder as we continue with globalization into the future. BIBLIOGRAPHY
