Globalization And Bangladesh ~ All In One

Globalization And Bangladesh

Abstract:

“Globalization” has become a very familiar term in recent years and almost a byword for both the right and the left in their analyses of the international economy and polity. Globalization as a process introduces competition in the international spectrum and key players of business entities are primarily driven by profit motives. As a result, socio-cultural aspects are often neglected which results exploitation of both people and resources in any way to ensure financial gain. As it was assumed by the dependency theorists, the least developing countries (LDCs) are suffering from these negative consequences and women as backward portion of the entire population of those countries remain as most vulnerable. In these contexts, this paper aims to focus specially on the social and political consequences of globalization for women in the developing countries with special reference to Bangladesh. However, before discussing all these, first of all it is relevant to spotlight the concept of globalization and its different dimensions.

Introduction:

Globalization - the 'big idea' of the late twentieth century - lacks precise definition. More than this, it is in danger of becoming, if it has not already become, the cliché of our times. Nonetheless, the term globalization captures elements of a widespread perception that there is a broadening, deepening and speeding up of world-wide interconnectedness in all aspects of life, from the cultural to the criminal, the financial to the environmental. At issue appears to be 'a global shift'; that is, a world being moulded, by economic and technological forces, into a shared economic and political arena. Behind the rhetoric of globalization - rhetoric found in public as well as academic debate - lie three broad accounts of the nature and meaning of globalization today, referred to here as the hyperglobalist, the sceptical, and the transformationalist views. Hyperglobalists argue that we live in an increasingly global world in which states are being subject to massive economic and political processes of change. These are eroding and fragmenting nation-states and diminishing the power of politicians. In these circumstances, states are increasingly the 'decision- takers' and not the 'decision-makers'. The sceptics strongly resist this view and believe that contemporary global circumstances are not unprecedented. In their account, while there has been an intensification of international and social activity in recent times, this has reinforced and enhanced state powers in many domains. The transformationalists argue that globalization is creating new economic, political and social circumstances which, however unevenly, are serving to transform state powers and the context in which states operate. They do not predict the outcome - indeed, they believe it is uncertain but argue that politics is no longer, and can no longer simply be, based on nation-states.

Objective of the Study :

This study has been undertaken with the following objectives:

To identify the impact of Globalization on our economy, culture & ICT sector
To show the impact of global culture on our young generation.
To frame recommendations to prevent the bad effect of Globalization.

· To know about Globalization

· To know about Globalization factors

· Why Globalization is an important element for development in the whole world

· To know different criteria of Globalization

· Impact on Globalization in third world country

· Starting situation of Globalization in Bangladesh

· To find out negative effects on Globalization

· Relation between proverty and Globalization

· Globalization and terrorism

Methodology :

This study was based on secondary data collected from published sources of various national and international agencies. The main source of data was various publications of the government of Bangladesh UNDP report. Bangladesh Economic Review was one of the important sources.

Definition of Globalization :

“Globalization is a process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by information technology. This process has effects on the environment, on culture, on political systems, on economic development and prosperity, and on human physical well-being in societies around the world”.

Source:- www.wikipedia.com

“Globalization is the process of globalizing something; specif., the expansion of many businesses into markets throughout the world, marked by an increase in international investment, the proliferation of large multinational corporations, worldwide economic integration”.

Source:- Joseph Stiglis [ Globalization in the world ]

“Globalization is the tendency of investment funds and businesses to move beyond domestic and national markets to other markets around the globe, thereby increasing the interconnection of the world. Globalization has had the effect of markedly increasing international trade and cultural exchange”.

Source:- R M Miller [ The Global village, page 210 ]

History of globalization:

Globalization as a term came to prominence in the 1980s. Although many consider this process a relatively new phenomenon, globalization has been happening for millennia. The Roman Empire, for example, spread its economic and governing systems through significant portions of the ancient world for centuries. Similarly, the trade routes of the Silk Road carried merchants, goods and travelers from China through Central Asia and the Middle East to Europe and represented another wave of globalization. European countries had significant investments overseas in the decades prior to World War I, prompting some economists to label the prewar period as an earlier golden age of globalization. Globalization has ebbed and flowed throughout history, with periods of expansion, as well as retrenchment. The 21st century has witnessed both. Global stock markets plummeted after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States, but rebounded in subsequent years. Overall, however, the early 21st century has seen a dramatic increase in the pace of global integration, driven primarily by rapid advances in technology and telecommunications. In general, money, technology and materials flow more swiftly across national boundaries today than they ever have in the past. The flow of knowledge, ideas and cultures are flowing with increasing speed as well, enabled by the near instantaneousness of global internet communications.

Characteistics / Proparties of Globalization:

The main features of globalization are stated below.

Liberalisation:

The freedom of the industrialist/businessman to establish industry, trade or commerce either in his country or abroad; free exchange of capital, goods, service and technologies between countries.

Free Trade:

Free trade between countries; absence of excessive governmental control over trade.

Globalization of Economic Activities:

Control of economic activities by domestic market and international market; coordination of national economy and world economy.

Connectivity:

Localities being connected with the world by breaking national boundaries; forging of links between one society and another, and between one country and another through international transmission of knowledge, literature, technology, culture and information.

Borderless Globe:

Breaking of national barriers and creation of inter- connectedness; the ideal of 'borderless globe' articulated by Kenichi Ohmae.

A Composite Process:

Integration of nation-states across the world by common economic, commercial, political, cultural and technological ties; creation of a new world order with no national boundaries.

A Multi-dimensional Process:

Economically, it means opening up of national market, free trade and commerce among nations, and integration of national economies with the world economy. Politically, it means limited powers and functions of state, more rights and freedoms granted to the individual and empowerment of private sector; culturally, it means exchange of cultural values between societies and between nations; and ideologically, it means the spread of liberalism and capitalism.

A Top-Down process:

Globalization originates from developed countries and the MNCs (multinational corporations) based in them. Technologies, capital, products and services come from them to developing countries. It is for developing countries to accept these things, adapt themselves to them and to be influenced by them. As a result, the values and norms of developed countries are gradually rooted in developing countries. This leads to the growth of a monoculture - the culture of the north (developed countries) being imposed on the South (developing countries). This involves the erosion and loss of the identity and the cultures of developing countries. Globalization is thus a one-way traffic: it flows from the North to the South. But this view of globalization has been contested. Some scholars have argued that globalization tends to provoke backlash at the community, local, regional and ethnic levels when the national government fails to resist or counter the invasion of globalization. In the face of aggression of globalization, the people, in protest against the failure of the national government to defend them, develop or strengthen their allegiance to their community, locality, region or ethnic group. In this process, local identity, regional identity and ethnic identity take root and get strengthened. Thus globalization goes hand in hand with localization, regionalization and multiculturalism.

Global State vs Global Civil Society :

In protest against the harmful effects of globalization on the vast multitude of people all over the world, particularly in developing countries, protest marches, demonstrations and meetings have been organized in different countries. These protests have taken militant forms in the last decade. Protest groups have tried to disturb and paralyse the meetings of WTO, World Bank and IMF. They charge that these UN-based organizations have been the agents of globalization and that they have been used by developed countries as their instruments to exploit and dominate developing countries. These protest groups-environmental groups, human rights groups, women's groups, farmers' groups and peace groups have interlocked themselves at the global level. As a result, a global civil society, though yet not fully developed, has come into being, but a global state is a distant dream. The UN and its affiliated organisations which could have been the foundation of a global state have been weakened by many forces including globalization.

Impact of Globalization :

When I began doing my research on globalization and Bangladesh, I started by looking into Bangladesh’s history. This history consists of struggles; including wars, the battle for independence, storms and natural disasters, over population, water contamination, starvation, unemployment, political and militant corruption, etc… Unfortunately, what I also discovered in my research was that these struggles are not all history. In fact, many of these struggles are still present in Bangladesh today. Based on this information alone, one may deduce that globalization has had no impact either positive or negative on Bangladesh. It could also be deduced that globalization is slowly taking affect in Bangladesh and as long as their struggles are not worsening, then globalization is having a positive impact on the country. Or, it could be argued just the opposite, that globalization has not improved life in Bangladesh, it has only changed it and made Bangladesh more modernized, causing the citizens of Bangladesh to lose parts of their culture. This is not necessarily an answer, but more of a means to spur thinking as I discuss various aspects of globalization and their impacts in greater detail. In order to answer this question, I decided to dissect the impacts of globalization in Bangladesh, by analyzing each piece separately. Then, when finished, I would be able to compile my findings and make an overall evaluation. The pieces I chose to dissect in order to obtain a greater understanding of the impact of globalization on Bangladesh were the economic transformations, social transformations, tradition vs. technology, and dependence on other countries.

The Territorial State and Global Politics :

Conventional maps of the political world disclose a very particular conception of the geography of political power. With their clear-cut boundary lines and unambiguous colour patches, they demarcate territorial areas within which there is assumed to be an indivisible, illimitable and exclusive sovereign state with internationally recognized borders. At the beginning of the second millennium, this cartography would have appeared practically incomprehensible; even the most well-travelled civilisations would have been able to make little sense of the details of the known world today.
Two fundamental transformations have affected the shape and form of modern politics. The first of these involved the development of territorially based political communities. The second has led to an era of emerging multilayered regional and global governance.
The first transformation was marked by the growing centralization of political power within Europe, the sedimentation of political rule into state structures, the territorialization of politics, the spread of the interstate order, the development of forms of accountability within certain states and, at the same time, the denial of such accountability to others through colonial expansion, the creation of empires and war.
The second transformation by no means replaced the first in all respects, although it was correlated with the final demise of empires. It has involved the spread of layers of governance both within and across political boundaries. It has been marked by the internationalization and transnationalization of politics, the deterritorialization of aspects of political decision-making, the development of regional and global organizations and institutions, the emergence of regional and global law and a multilayered system of global governance, formal and informal.
This second transformation can be illustrated by a number of developments including the rapid emergence of international agencies and organizations. New forms of multilateral and global politics have been established involving governments, intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) and a wide variety of transnational pressure groups and international non-governmental organizations (INGOs). In 1909 there were 37 IGOs and 176 INGOs, while in 1996 there were nearly 260 IGOs and nearly five and a half thousand INGOs. In addition, there has been an explosive development in the number of international treaties in force, as well as in the number of international regimes, such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation regime.
To this pattern of extensive political interconnectedness can be added the dense web of activity of the key international policy-making fora, including the UN, G7, IMF, WTO, EU, APEC, ARF and MERCOUSUR summits and many other official and unofficial meetings. In the middle of the nineteenth century there were two or three interstate conferences or congresses per annum; today the number totals over four thousand annually. National government is increasingly locked into an array of global, regional and multilayered systems of governance - and can barely monitor it all, let alone stay in command.
The substantial growth of major global and regional institutions should be highlighted. In the context of state history the latter are remarkable political innovations. While the UN remains a creature of the interstate system, it has, despite all its limitations, developed an innovative system of global governance which delivers significant international public goods - from air traffic control and the management of telecommunications to the control of contagious diseases, humanitarian relief for refugees and some protection of the environmental commons.
At the regional level the EU, in remarkably little time, has taken Europe from the disarray of the post Second World War era to a world in which sovereignty is pooled across a growing number of areas of common concern. Despite its contested nature, the EU represents a highly innovative form of governance which creates a framework of collaboration for addressing transborder issues. There has also been an acceleration in regional relations beyond Europe: in the Americas, Asia-Pacific and, to a lesser degree, in Africa. While the form taken by this type of regionalism is very different from the model of the EU, it has nonetheless had significant consequences for political power, particularly in the Asia-Pacific (ASEAN, APEC, ARF, PBEC, and many other groupings). Furthermore, there has been a growth in interregional diplomacy as old and new regional groupings seek to consolidate their relationships with each other. In this respect, regionalism has not been a barrier to changing forms of political globalization - involving the shifting reach of political power, authority and forms of rule - but, on the contrary, has been compatible with it.
There has, moreover, been an important change in the scope and content of international law. Twentieth century forms of international law - from the law governing war, to that concerning crimes against humanity, environmental issues and human rights - have created the basis of what can be thought of as an emerging framework of 'cosmopolitan law', law which circumscribes and delimits the political power of individual states. In principle, states are no longer able to treat their citizens as they think fit. Although, in practice, many states still violate these standards, nearly all now accept general duties of protection and provision, as well as of restraint, in their own practices and procedures.
Global politics today is anchored not just in traditional geopolitical concerns, but also in a large diversity of economic, social and ecological questions. Pollution, drugs, terrorism, human rights are amongst an increasing number of transnational policy issues which cut across territorial jurisdictions and existing political alignments. These require, and will continue to require, international cooperation for their effective resolution.

The Globalization of Organized Violence :

War, military force and organized violence have been central to the globalization of human affairs for much of history, especially in the modern epoch and more recently in the Cold War era.
By comparison with previous epochs, contemporary military globalization is remarkably extensive and intensive (measured , for instance, in terms of military diplomatic links, arms sales and global military production) for an era distinguished by the absence of empires, great power conflict and interstate war.
Since the end of the Cold War there has been a continuing institutionalisation and (albeit uneven) regionalization of military and security affairs to the extent that a majority of states are now enmeshed in multilateral arrangements or multilateral fora for military or security matters, and neutrality no longer appears a credible defence posture.
In comparison with previous epochs, there has been over the course of the last fifty years a rapid world-wide proliferation of unprecedented military capability and the capacity to project military power across increasing distances, including the capacity to produce and utilise weapons of mass destruction, which is both transforming the pattern of stratification in the world military order and creating new global and regional risks which require multilateral action.
Even though the end of the Cold War has undermined the logic of the global arms dynamic, the Cold War itself ensured the accelerated diffusion of military-technological innovation across the world's major regions such that, for instance, whereas it took two centuries for the gunpowder revolution to reach Europe from China in the middle ages, it took less than five decades for India to acquire its existing nuclear capability.
In comparison with earlier periods there has been a significant shift in the organization of defence production in the direction of more extensive and intensive transnationalization through licensing, co-production agreements, joint ventures, corporate alliances, sub-contracting, etc. Few countries today, including the US, can claim to have an autonomous military production capacity.
The same infrastructures which facilitate global flows of goods, people and capital have generated new potential security threats for states, in the form of cyber-war, international terrorism, eco-terrorism and transnational organized crime, which are no longer primarily external or military in character and which require a combination of multilateral and domestic policy responses.
Despite the ending of the Cold War, global arms sales (in real terms) have remained above the level of the 1960s and since the mid 1990s have continued to increase, whilst the number of countries manufacturing arms (40) or purchasing arms (100) is probably greater than at any time since the 1930s, an era of regional and global crises.
In the post Cold War period all major arms producers have become increasingly reliant upon export markets; the imperatives driving defence industrial restructuring have intensified to the extent that regional and transregional production arrangements are being strengthened. Few states can realistically continue to aspire, as in previous periods, to an autonomous defence industrial base. This is especially so as key civil technologies, such as electronics, which are vital to advanced weapons system production, are themselves the products of highly globalized industries.

The Global Economy:

Trade :

International trade has grown to unprecedented levels, both absolutely and relatively in relation to national income. In comparison with the late nineteenth century - an era of rapid trade growth - export levels today (measured as a share of GDP) are much greater for OECD states. As barriers to trade have fallen across the world, global markets have emerged for many goods and, increasingly, services.
During the post-war period an extensive network of trade emerged in which most countries became locked into a multiplicity of trade relationships. Although there are major trading blocs in Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific, these are not regional fortresses; on the contrary, they remain open to competition from the rest of the world. Through the 1980s and 1990s, developing and transition economies have become significantly open to trade. Their shares of world trade, particularly of manufactures, have risen correspondingly.
The growing extensity and intensity of trade has led to the increasing enmeshment of national economies with each other. A new global division of labour in the production of goods is emerging. The stages of the production process are being sliced up and located in different countries, especially in developing and emerging economies. Thus not only do countries increasingly consume goods from abroad, but their own production processes are significantly dependent on components produced overseas. The impact of this is that economic activity in any one country is strongly affected (through trade networks) by economic activity in other countries.
Intra-industry trade, particularly amongst OECD economies, now forms the majority of trade in manufactures. This has intensified competition across national boundaries. Trade competition has also intensified because a greater proportion of domestic output is traded than in the past. Trade activity is now deeply enmeshed with domestic economic activity. This does not mean, however, that countries' fortunes are simply determined by their 'competitiveness': countries still specialize according to comparative advantage and cannot be competitive in everything or nothing. National economies can gain overall from increased trade. Nevertheless, the distribution of gains from trade are uneven. Increased trade with developing countries, for example, adversely affects low skilled workers in developed countries whilst increasing the incomes of higher skilled workers. There are clear winners and losers from trade.
Social protection and the welfare state play an important role in ameliorating the impact of structural change arising from trade. However, increased demands on and costs of the welfare state tend to be resisted by employers in the tradable industries vulnerable to global competition.
Although markets may be global, regulation remains largely national. Differences in regulation are causing international friction, as the EU versus USA banana dispute illustrates, whilst the World Trade Organization (a powerful advocate of de-regulation and trade liberalization) is in its infancy in harmonizing national regulatory regimes.

Finance :

World financial flows have grown exponentially since the 1970s. Daily turnover on the foreign exchange markets exceeds $1.5 trillion and billions of dollars of financial assets are traded globally, particularly through derivative products. Most countries today are incorporated into global financial markets, but the nature of their access to these markets is highly uneven.
International banking, bond issues and equities trading have risen from negligible levels to historically significant levels measured in relation to world or national output respectively. The level of cross-border transactions is unprecedented. Transactions are almost instantaneous with 24 hour global financial markets. Where once international financial markets operated to finance trade and long term investment, much of this activity is now speculative. The annual turnover of foreign exchange markets stands at a staggering 60 times the value of world trade.
Levels of speculative activity can induce rapid and volatile movements in asset prices which increase risks to financial institutions, as the 1998 crisis at the Long Term Capital Management hedge fund showed. Countries' long term interest rates and exchange rates are determined within global financial markets. This does not mean that financial markets simply set the terms of national economic policy, although they can radically alter the costs of particular policy options. Perhaps the key difficulty for policy makers is the uncertainty surrounding, and the volatility of, market responses. This tends to induce a distinctly risk averse approach to economic policy and thus a more conservative macro-economic strategy.
Financial flows to developing countries rose in the early 1990s, although they have fallen back since. This period saw heavy flows to East Asia, which later proved disruptive to these economies since they were often channelled into speculative activity. The outflows since the 1997 crisis have turned these economies from 'show cases' to 'problem cases', with their currencies falling heavily in excess of any real economic imbalances. The crisis highlighted the shifting balance between public and private power in global financial markets, as well as the limitations of the existing global financial regime (the IMF, BIS, etc.) in preventing global financial turmoil. It also demonstrated how enmeshed national fortunes have become as the collapse of the Thai baht triggered global financial disruption and highlighted the vulnerability of OECD economies to developments on the periphery.
The 1990s exchange rate crises suggest that fixed exchange rates are ceasing to be a viable policy option, with countries facing a choice increasingly between floating rates and monetary union (notably EMU and discussion of dollarization in Latin America).

Production :

In 1997 there were 53,000 MNCs world-wide with 450,000 foreign subsidiaries selling $9.5 trillion of goods and services across the globe. Today transnational production exceeds the level of global exports and has become the primary means for selling goods and services abroad.
Multinational corporations have grown relative to the world economy and now account, according to some estimates, for at least 20 per cent of world production and 70 per cent of world trade. Further, they are developing relationships increasingly with smaller national firms, linking these into transnational production chains. MNCs are central to global trade, with between a quarter and a third of world trade estimated to be intra-firm trade between branches of MNCs. They are fundamental to the generation and international transfer of technology.
Although MNC activity is concentrated in developed countries and a small number of developing ones, it is extensive since almost all countries have some inward foreign direct investment. Restrictions on MNC activity have been substantially reduced in the 1980s and 1990s. FDI flows to (and from) developing countries have taken an increasing share of the global total. MNCs' investment and production in Central and East European transition economies and China are growing rapidly. Although MNCs typically only account for a minority of national production, this tends to understate their strategic importance. For they are often concentrated in the most technologically advanced economic sectors and in export industries. Especially in developing countries, even where independent firms produce for export, MNCs often control global distribution networks.
MNCs have both created, and are subject to, global competition in a range of industries. They have developed transnational networks of production to take advantage of differences in national cost conditions. Production has to take place somewhere and the costs of shifting production internationally vary between industries and firms. Nevertheless, the exit power of MNCs has increased over time, although they are by no means 'footloose'.
Transnational production can have an important impact on national prosperity. Not only do MNCs play a key role in diffusing technical knowledge, they are finding their home base increasingly insufficient to generate competitive advantage. As a result, there has been a significant growth in transnational corporate alliances and investment in foreign innovation clusters. There has also been a phenomenal expansion in transnational mergers and acquisitions, e.g., Chrysler-Daimler. In the past technological advantages might be largely realised in their country of origin and shared amongst various national stakeholders. Transnational production restricts such sharing and can undermine national social bargains. It also limits the options for effective national industrial strategies (such as national champions) and generates significant pressure for the transnational harmonization of corporate practices, tax and business regimes.
MNCs' increased power relative to national governments is reflected in the widespread provision of subsidies to inward investment. MNCs (and associated transnational production networks) are now critical to the location, organization and distribution of productive power in the world economy.

Globalization and the Environment:

The globalization of environmental affairs takes a number of forms , including: the encounters between previously separated ecological systems from different parts of the planet; the pollution and degradation of the global commons (such as the oceans and the atmosphere); the overspill of the effects of environmental degradation from one state to another (environmental refugees); transboundary pollution and risks (nuclear power, acid rain); the transportation and diffusion of wastes and polluting products across the globe (toxic waste trade, global relocation of dirty industries); and, finally, the formation of global institutions, regimes, networks and treaties that seek to regulate all these forms of environmental degradation.
For most of human history, the main way in which environmental impacts circulated around the earth was via the unintentional transport of flora, fauna and microbes, of which the great plagues are the sharpest example.
The globalization of environmental affairs took a distinct leap with the European colonisation of the New World and the unequal exchange of flora, fauna and microbes across the Atlantic. Within a generation a substantial majority of the indigenous populations of the Caribbean, Mexico and other parts of Latin America had been wiped out. Over the following centuries , the ecosystems, landscapes and agricultural systems of these societies were transformed by European agriculture, flora and fauna.
The early history of colonialism also threw up new forms of environmental degradation driven by consumer demand in Europe and America. This led to the intensive exploitation of Sumatran and Indian forests, the extinction of some species of whale, the over-hunting of seals.
However, until the mid twentieth century, most forms of environmental degradation - at least the degradation that could be perceived - were overwhelmingly local.
In the post Second World War era, the globalization of environmental degradation has been massively accelerated by a number of factors: fifty years of extraordinary resource-intensive, high-pollution growth in the OECD; the industrialisation of Russia, Eastern Europe and the ex-Soviet states; the breakneck industrialisation of many parts of the South; and a massive rise in global population. In addition, we are now able to perceive risk and environmental change with much greater depth and accuracy.
Humankind faces an unprecedented array of truly global and regional environmental problems, the reach of which is greater than any single national community (or generation) and the solutions to which cannot be tackled at the level of the nation-state alone; these include, most obviously, global warming, ozone depletion; destruction of global rainforests and loss of biodiversity; oceanic and riverine pollution; global level nuclear threats and risks.
Over the twentieth century these transformations have been paralleled by the unprecedented growth of global and regional environmental movements, regimes and international treaties. However, none of these institutions has as yet been able to amass sufficient political power, domestic support or international authority to do more than limit the worst excesses of some of these global environmental threats.

Globalization and Bangladesh:

The word ‘Globalization’ is a new one, which is being used, is the 21^st Century. Now it is a buzzword of internationals relationship in the new era. It refers to more expanded trade and commerce relationship all over the world by creating a borderless market, interchange of manpower, the amalgamation or interchange of rituals, concepts and ideas among cultures. Also it may refer to a multicultural village and sometimes it may refer to a huge global family where more than six billion people are living together. Globalization has leaded a far-reaching consequence on many aspects of life. Now the world become a village with the development of hi tech communication media and rapid transformation facilities. We can now learn anything and go any where within shortest possible time. That type of facilities also helps commercial corresponding between each other country. We also can learn how a country developed their selves. It also helpful for educational system. We can learn about the lacking of that part. Different type of books are available in media. The flow of globalization also touches Bangladesh. Now we are availing these facilities a little here. Always we see that investors from industrially developed countries are coming to invest their money is different sectors in a developing or undeveloped country. They are getting cheap labours and earning a lot of benefits. As a result the poor become poorer and the rich become richer. Also that part is go through on globalization process. It has a great effect on capitalism. Than undeveloped countries through globalization. As this is a common picture is the case of Bangladesh as well.

Globalization has a great effect on culture. This process also helps to break down prejudice and broaden out look and then develops international brotherhood. We ca easily learn about deferent caste, creed. Type of people all over the world. But what is happening in case of Bangladesh? Ours is a culture which is blend of various tenets of religion, tradition and regional tendencies. The surge of globalization is pouching the western unformatted culture into our society and disturbing the balance of our mentality and social psychology. Some people are leaping forward to keep up with the western culture while some others are defending their own cultures against the western ones. This cultural conflict has already started in Bangladesh. This is having a profound impact on our young generation in particular. Now, most of them are not eager to live in this country. They don’t know or worked to know that ours have a friendly.

History of Globalization in Bangladesh:

invited itself into Bangladesh roughly 2 decades ago, in the 1990's. With it, globalization brought much opportunity for the economy of Bangladesh. Yet the results of globalization are less promising. After the emergence of globalization in Bangladesh, the country has experienced:

Radical social transformations
Economic transformations
Tension between tradition and technology
Dependence on other countries

Bangladesh Before Globalization :

Between 1948 and 1971 Bangladesh was one in eight of the poorest countries in the world. To make matters worse, in November of 1970 a powerful hurricane hit Bangladesh killing over 500,000 people and leaving the country severely damaged. In 1971, Bangladesh achieved independence from West Pakistan. After gaining its independence, the economy of Bangladesh grew for the first time in decades under its newly adopted socialist policy. Between 1975 and 1990, the economy of Bangladesh was again diminishing. Countries such as the U.S. and Japan made great financial contributions to Bangladesh at this time. However, shortly after these contributions were made, another storm destroyed three-fourths of Bangladesh's countryside killing and injuring over 30 million people.

The Emergence of Globalization in Bangladesh :

Between 1990 and 2000, Bangladesh experienced rapid growth in its economy. This growth was the result of an emergence of manufacturing industries in Bangladesh. The purpose of which was to export apparel overseas; thus beginning globalization in Bangladesh. The new industry increased daily earnings by up to 28 cents, which would appear to be a good thing; however, it increased the gap in income even farther between those citizens who chose to pursue a traditional career path in agriculture and fishing/shrimping and those who set out on a new path in manufacturing industries.

After the Emergence Of Globalization in Bangladesh :

After globalization emerged in Bangladesh, the country was faced with several changes in a very brief period of time; radical social transformations, economic transformations, tension between tradition and technology, and Bangladesh's dependence on other countries to name a few.

Radical Social Transformations:

Women working Globalization provided new opportunities for Bangladesh and its citizens, especially women. The leading industry in Bangladesh quickly became apparel manufacturing and exporting. In this industry, women became the dominant work force employed. Yet, is this a good thing for these women? Some would say that allowing women a position in the working world is a positive progression. This could be true, especially in countries like the U.S. and Europe, however in Bangladesh it is not the case. Agreeing that working women in Bangladesh is a good step, would be a failure to recognize that women are being placed into this new labor category because they can be more easily controlled and manipulated. Women are also considered to be inferior.

Economic Transformations:

Third world country to a developing country - Bangladesh went from being one of the eight poorest countries in the world to a developing country with global trade in a relatively short period of time. As one can imagine, this brings with it significant economic changes. Bangladesh has encountered trade reforms, market-based competition, anti-monopoly policies, liberalization of foreign trade, and changes in the banking sector. The government has also attempted to control the country's annual inflation rates. Overall the result has been a significant decrease in poverty in Bangladesh over the past decade, yet there is a strong gap in individual financial status, leaving less than half of the population in Bangladesh in an impoverished state. Yet, according to the World Bank, which is predominantly run by wealthier countries and countries with more economic power, there is not much hope for the economy of Bangladesh to keep expanding as it has. Why? The country depends so much on exporting their apparel that it is at high risk of falling prey to more powerful countries who eventually gain the capability of dictating prices to developing countries like Bangladesh. If these countries, like Bangladesh, fail to meet the price demands requested of them, then the more powerful countries, such as the U.S

Tensions Between Tradition and Technology:

Old vs. New - With the rapid growth in the apparel manufacturing and exporting industry in Bangladesh many Bengali citizens are forced to make the decision to carry on with their traditional ways of life in rural farming with less pay or to sacrifice their traditions and hop on the apparel ban wagon to make more money and risk the potential of the uncertainties associated with the survival of the industry. The country is also forced to improve their technology to compete on a global scale; resulting in additional expenses. For example: Bangladesh is currently experiencing power outages that shut down apparel manufacturing plants for an hour or more at a time, hindering production. The country is now forced to look into implementing a new power policy. This new policy will require spending money on new and imported technology.

Dependence on other Countries:

Before globalization, Bangladesh was already dependent on other countries for financial support, however with the emergence of globalization in Bangladesh, the country became even more dependent on other countries to survive. According to an economics professor who also served as the former Minister of Finance and Planning for the Bangladesh government, Bangladesh must now rely on their cheap labor in producing apparel to attract other countries to buy from them, even if it means exploiting their women. In addition, Bangladesh must also rely on other countries for imported foods, due to the shift in labor resources from agriculture to apparel manufacturing. Is this fair? No, yet this should come as no surprise. More powerful countries have created economies to function in this way, giving themselves more power and control in the global economy.

Play positive role of development in Bangladesh of Globalization:

Social Transformations:

Secondly, let’s look at social transformations in Bangladesh. Before globalization in Bangladesh, women stayed at home and often did agriculture/farm work to help the

After globalization emerged in Bangladesh, women became the dominant work force. This is good right; women being allowed to work outside of the home? This could be true, especially in countries like the U.S. and Europe, however in Bangladesh it is not the case. Agreeing that working women in Bangladesh is a good step, would be a failure to recognize that women are being placed into this new labor category because they could be exploited more easily. Women were chosen as the work force for the expanding apparel manufacturing industries, because women worked for cheaper wages than men and they were more easily controlled. Another social transformation that has taken place in Bangladesh as a result of globalization is human trafficking. Once globalization came to Bangladesh, it meant that Bangladesh was no longer relying on its own products to sustain itself. Globalization brought with it the opportunity for world trade. The benefit of this is that Bangladesh could import foods and materials from other countries that it could not produce itself. The down side is that changes in the global economy would now impact Bangladesh more directly, and with the global economy declining and competition for the lowest sales prices rising, Bangladesh is put in a very tough position, with its citizens struggling to find work. This has made Bangladesh a prime location for human traffickers. Now that women were allowed to work outside the home, they made perfect targets for these human traffickers. Men, predominantly from Pakistan, come to Bangladesh and offer women jobs in other countries as dancers and models, where they would be glorified and looked on with awe, because of their beauty. Women were told that this would be a chance of a life time and they would make enough money in a short time frame to support their families for years. Being desperate and uninformed about human trafficking, these women agree to go away with the men who are offering them jobs. After which point they are forced into prostitution, drugged, and kept as slaves. Human rights activists estimate that 200-400 young women are smuggled every month from Bangladesh into Pakistan, most of which end up in prostitution. According to newspaper reports, more than 200,000 women are smuggled from Bangladesh each year. Now, when examining social transformations in Bangladesh it becomes apparent that globalization has not resulted in any positive changes. Because of globalization, women are being exploited at exceptionally high rates, forced into slavery and prostitution, and viewed as inferiors. A positive change that globalization should perhaps bring to Bangladesh now would be global knowledge of issues such as human traffickers.

Technological Transformations:

A third transformation that has taken place in Bangladesh because of globalization is the emergence of technology. The need for faster and improved forms of technological development is in high demand in Bangladesh. According to the National Council for Science and Technology (NCST), “Development plans of Bangladesh have emphasized science and technological research to develop technologies through adoption of imported technology as well as development of indigenous technologies. As the country is heavily dependent on imported technologies, proper planning is required for its effective transfer through acquisition, assimilation and adoption.” These new and improved technologies will be used in various locations, one of which being in schools and universities. The new technology and equipment is crucial for these students to have access to in the present day, without such technologies as computers and information systems these students make up what is referred to as the digital divide. Being in the digital divide and not having access or knowledge of computers and information systems will put Bangladesh behind other countries. Therefore, if Bangladesh wishes to compete in a global market it is crucial that students in grade school through college have access to technology. Another location where technology is being used is in apparel manufacturing industries. These industries bring in technology for the workers to use in order to be efficient. The technologies brought into these industries are sewing machines, various office equipment, laundry machines, computers for tracking orders and financial information, etc… This technology is beneficial to the workers because it reduces the time it would take them to complete a project. For example: If a worker was sewing a shirt by hand it would take far longer than if the worker was sewing the shirt with a sewing machine. This technology is beneficial to the managers and executives of the companies as well, because they can track orders, finances, etc, more easily. A down side to this new technology, particularly in manufacturing industries, is that citizens of Bangladesh are being forced into making the decision whether to carry on with their traditional ways of life in rural farming, with less pay, or to sacrifice their traditions and convert to technology, which gives them a chance to make more money; with the risk of uncertainties associated with the survival of the industry. Most citizens are converting to technology, because they have no other choice. This conversion is what caused such a rapid growth in Bangladesh’s economy when the apparel manufacturing industries began off-shoring in Bangladesh. Now the country is facing power surges that last for an hour or more at a time, due to the high use of electricity in these industries combined with the low supply of electricity. Given that these power surges hinder production at apparel manufacturing plants, which are the country’s primary source of income, the country is looking into implementing a new power policy. The new power policy will mean Bangladesh will spend a lot of money importing foreign technologies into Bangladesh in order to be able to compete in a global economy. Now, as you can see with the emergence of technology into Bangladesh, there are positives, negatives, and gray areas. The positive side is that newer technologies are being brought into schools and universities. This gives students access to computers, the internet, and with these combined they have access to substantially larger quantities of global knowledge. The negative side is that the new technologies are being used in industries to exploit workers and the growth of such industries is depleting the traditional farming life style.

Dependence on Other Countries:

The fourth and final topic that I would like to discuss is Bangladesh’s dependence on other countries. Before globalization, Bangladesh was forced to be self sustaining. However, after globalization emerged with its global networks, countries started to pay more attention to one another. This attention was not merely to look for economic prospects, but also to help other countries that were in need. In the case of Bangladesh, globalization affected the country’s dependence in different ways. One of which is Bangladesh’s dependence on other countries for sanitary water. For decades, citizens of Bangladesh relied on surface water for drinking, bathing, and watering their crops. Even into the 1970's Bengali people obtained a majority of t

ponds, rivers, and hand-dug wells. This water however contained bacteria that caused infection and disease, such as cholera, to spread throughout Bangladesh; killing Bengali citizens and making others very ill. As globalization and global knowledge began to spread, other countries began to recognize the water problem that Bangladesh was experiencing. In an attempt to help, organizations and relief agencies such as the United Nations Children's Fund, the World Bank, and Britain's Overseas Development Administration stepped in to lend a hand by providing millions of pounds of tubewells to Bangladesh. Bangladesh was then forced to depend on these organizations and relief agencies to implement and maintain their tubewells, because the country could not afford to do it itself. After the tubewells were implemented in Bangldesh, they became the main source of water. According to the World Health Organization, there are over 3 million tubewells in use today, providing 95% of all drinking water in Bangladesh. However, these tubewells brought about a new problem – arsenic poisoning. After implementing tubewells in Bangladesh, no one bothered to test the waters for contamination u

itizens began developing debilitating marks on their skin such as melanomas on chests and hands; white skin blotches known as leukomelanosis; keratosis, painful warts that begin on palms and soles and gradually cover the body; acute conjunctivitis and breathing difficulties… Results from such tests show that several tubewells contain water that has arsenic levels of 50 ppb; which is 5 times the amount considered acceptable by the World Health Organization. Bangladesh is now experiencing the world's largest human poisoning. As one can imagine, this puts Bangladesh in a new state of dependence on other countries. Bangladesh cannot afford to provide treatments to all of its ill citizens and it cannot afford to implement an entirely new water treatment and distribution system, so again, Bangladesh must depend on other countries to help supply them with funding, technology, and sanitary water. Another way in which Bangladesh has become increasingly dependent on other countries as a result of globalization is through its industries. According to an economics professor who also served as the former Minister of Finance and Planning for the Bangladesh government, “Bangladesh must now rely on their cheap labor in producing apparel to attract other countries to buy from them, even if it means exploiting their women.” After globalization brought new industries and opportunities into Bangladesh, the citizens were forced to conform and accept working in these new industries in order to survive and provide for their families. Now apparel manufacturing and exporting is Bangladesh’s major source of income, so Bangladesh must rely on other countries to purchase their apparel. This dependence was not as crucial before globalization; when Bangladesh traded goods and services throughout its own country and occasionally with India. Additionally, Bangladesh must also rely on other countries for imported foods, due to the shift in labor resources from agriculture to apparel manufacturing. As you can see, Bangladesh has become entirely dependent on other countries, meaning that Bangladesh would not be able to sustain its population in terms of food, water, resources, or jobs if it was removed from the global market. This is a very poor position for any country to be in, especially a country like Bangladesh; which had little hope of developing into a self-sustaining country.

The challenges of globalization faced by Bangladesh:

The globalization process offers both opportunities and poses challenge for Bangladesh. It has both positive as well as negative impacts.The challenges faced by Bangladesh in terms of globalization in social, political, cultural, economic fields are enumerated in the following Issue

· Lack of quality education

· The problems of governance

· Poverty in Bangladesh

· The weakness of population Planning programme

· Lack of sustaining democratic governance

· Foreign direct investment

· Unrest in garments sector

· Country security and foreign polices

Ways to get in best benefit in globalization :

The ways to reap benefit from different sectors are enumerated in the following paragraphs.

Qualitative Education:

Enrolling more girls to school and colleges is good provided they obtain certain skills in language and quantitative analysis in the least. Currently very little is learnt and the system loss in failure to public examination is huge. Education must be an essential element in poverty reduction strategy.

Good governance:

Openness in government operations should be the rule rather than the expectations. This has two implications for macro-economic performance. Firstly, it will expedite economic decisions as it will follow an open process and will not be turned in to deal making as it usually is. Secondly, it will secure the commitment of the nation to any programme of action. The measures for open government will be in many areas but most importantly it will mean parliamentary consideration of important issues and many topics, which are now considered secret.

Sustainable democracy:

Certain basic issues such as economic policy framework, foreign policy and international relations, specially water sharing with Nepal and India, transit facility with India, development of growth quadrangle, asset settlement with Pakistan, reform in important economic sectors, public service restructuring and reforms and local government structure and reorganization should be discussed in the parliament. Public representatives should be allowed to finalize policies after ascertaining the views of the civil society through hearings and dialogues.

Poverty alleviation strategy:

Poverty alleviation is both a social and economic imperative in Bangladesh. However, the alleviation of poverty depends on the capacity of Bangladesh to mobilize resources in an optimum way. There is something that can be achieved if there is political stability inside the country.

Population planning:

Population planning is not only family planning but it covers matters relating to health care and sanitation is particular infant mortality care are of serious significance. Unless population growth is arrested, poverty reduction will be a distant dream.

Women empowerment:

It is also important that legal provisions are made for affirmative action for the poor and especially women. Representation of women in political and social forum must be ensured empowering them, as they are the most discriminated and deprived class of the society.

Foreign policy :

The foreign policy of Bangladesh should focus to broaden the scope for prosperity through the creation of a modern and efficient economy. It is mandatory for Bangladesh to make diplomatic efforts to make it possible for the Bangladeshi workers to work in other countries where there are better opportunities.

Access to markets:

Bangladesh has to negotiate preferential access to the markets of the western developed countries, as well as those of India and China, huge trade gap in the mutual trade relations has to be redressed.

Policy making function:

One of the major weaknesses in Bangladesh administration is the policy making and policy planning capacity. Policymaking functions must be strengthened.

Foreign investment:

Foreign investment is definitely essential for economic development of Bangladesh. Bangladesh can take up the following four measures to make the Investment climate attractive:

(a) Firstly, the costs comparatively higher than other countries should be lowered, as an Enterprise will always invest in a country where the return of investment is high.

(b) The second suggestion is for continuity of policy matter. An investment is always made in long-term considerations and therefore, it is never desirable that a policy is changed thoughtlessly or a project in progress is suddenly cancelled due to policy change, especially due to change of the power from one political party to another.

(c) The third one is improvement of infrastructure facilities. For example, ensuring a steady supply of electricity, gas at a reduced cost.

(d) The fourth recommendation is for instituting fairness and speed in approvals given by different government departments.

Criticisms of globalization :

Globalization has its proponents and its critics, today as well as in the past. And analyzing the impact of globalization is a complex proposition, as specific results of globalization are often seen as positives by proponents and negatives by critics. For instance, some proponents say globalization creates new markets and wealth, and promotes greater cultural and social integration by eliminating barriers; on the other hand, some critics blame the elimination of barriers for undermining national policies and cultures and destabilizing advanced labor markets in favor of lower-cost wages elsewhere. Similarly, some proponents point to the rising economies of poor countries benefiting from companies moving operations there to minimize costs; some critics say such moves could lower living standards in developed countries by eliminating jobs.

Benefits and future of globalization :

Experts generally acknowledge globalization brings both benefits and risks, which must be managed. More tightly integrated global economic markets, for instance, carry greater potentials for global recessions if countries are not able to work together to implement effective economic policies that reduce that risk. Experts additionally acknowledge the future of globalization is unknown. They note the rapid pace of globalization in the early 21st century could be slowed or even reversed by potentially rising levels of protectionism happening in a number of countries.

Conclusion: After dissecting the impact of globalization into four primary pieces; economic transformations, social transformations, technological transformations, and its dependence on other countries, it is easier to analyze the impact that globalization has had on Bangladesh as a whole. What I found from each piece was that the impact of globalization was more negative on Bangladesh than it was positive. Globalization has not only kept Bangladesh from advancing ahead in economic development, but it has changed the traditions and ways of life for the indigenous people for the worse.

Reference:

1. www.wikipedia.com

2. Joseph Stiglis [ Globalization in the world ]

3. R M Miller [ The Global village, page 210 ]

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Saturday, October 22, 2016

Globalization And Bangladesh

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