KYT102U-INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
Chapter 8: Globalization and Public Administration
Introduction
Globalization, which has become a widely used concept in every field of social sciences, means different things for different people. First of all, globalization refers to a social transformation in which the dimensions of cross-border interaction have developed and the concept of distance has disappeared.
The history of globalization, which gained momentum after 1980, goes back much further. The history of globalization dates back to 1914, when barriers and tariffs to international trade were reduced. The period from 1914 to 1945- 1950s is called a period of development; the period between 1945- 50 and 1980 is called the period of interruption; the period after 1980 is called the period of gaining momentum. Finally, a new era began after the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Definition of Globalization
Globalization is a social and cultural process in which individuals from different cultural backgrounds interact with each other more intensively than ever before in all areas of life. There are five main areas affected by globalization and various dimensions in which these areas are affected. These areas are related to the globalization of the economy, the globalization of information and communication technology, the globalization of politics, the globalization of the business world and the globalization of education.
The Historical Development of Globalization
The historical development of globalization took place in the 19th century, especially in the 1980s and 1990s. Globalization has reshaped economic, technological and cultural dynamics. The world order established by globalization has reconstructed new dynamics, political tendencies, integration, concentration and changes. The reconstructed process has been realized as stages in historical development. The development process of globalization is examined in five stages. Formation Stage, Inception Stage, Ascension Stage, the Stage of Struggle for Hegemony, The Stage of Uncertainty.
Approaches to Globalization
Globalization causes a change in various aspects. This change can be experienced in economic, social and cultural aspects. The fact that globalization causes a change in social aspects reveals current debates and different approaches to globalization.
There are three main approaches to globalization. These are Evolutionary, Skeptical and Extreme Globalizationist Approach. Evolutionary and Skeptical approaches seek answers to questions about what globalization means. Due to the debates and ideas against globalization processes and the political, theoretical and ideological attitudes towards globalization processes, it is possible to support or oppose globalization and have negative opinions. The common positive and negative approaches to globalization can be
said to be an intellectual process resembling a struggle for hegemony. Extreme globalizers argue that economic globalization has changed the structure of national economies by creating international networks of production, trade and finance.
Factors that Led to Globalization
The concept of globalization, which has gained significant momentum, especially with the technological developments, internet networks and mass media, has gained a social, economic, political and cultural dimension, and has affected all countries in the World. The critical developments that have been effective in the emergence of globalization and that have accelerated it are generally discussed under three main titles in literature. These are technological developments, economic developments and political developments which have also massive impact on the public administration of the countries.
Technological Developments
There is both a cause-and-effect relationship between the digital age, technological developments experienced in different dimensions every day and globalization.
Thanks to technological developments that have the effect of eliminating time and space limitations, globalization has gained great momentum and the world has become a small village. The increasing trend of globalization in the light of technological developments contributes to policy transfer, policy learning and lesson drawing, especially among the public administrations of countries.
Economic Developments
The concept of economic globalization has emerged with the adoption of liberalization/ liberal understanding in the economy, the acceleration and spread of these processes. In general terms, economic globalization refers to the integration of the world into a single market or the integration of national economies with the world economies. With economic globalization, flows of goods, labor and capital between countries have increased; economic relations between countries have intensified and countries have become closer to each other.
Political Developments
With the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Socialist Bloc, statist economies began to be abandoned in a short period of time and liberal market economies began to rise. In addition to these, concepts such as international organizations, official and civil organizations, human rights, pluralist democracy and the rule of law started to gain importance in this period, and political systems underwent a process of redefinition in the light of these developments. Violations, human rights, democracy and the rule of law, which were ignored globally during the Cold War years, became essential reference and agenda items at the supranational level.
Actors to Globalization
Important actors shaping globalization are multinational companies, international organizations and non- governmental organizations.
Multinational Companies
Multinational companies are among the leading actors that shape and accelerate globalization. Just as there are differences of opinion within the conceptual framework of globalization, there is no single consensus about the definition of multinational companies. According to the 1999 UN Human Development Report, more than half of the world’s one hundred largest economic Powers belong to multinational corporations.
International Organizations
International organizations are established on the cooperation and guidance of states, but on the other hand, they have an effective and directive functioning above national states with their principles and objectives. International organizations contribute to developing standards within the world system, regulating relations between nation states and further institutionalization. The content of all agreements and conventions establishing international organizations has an inclusive function for all member countries in terms of provisions, standards and norms.
Non-Governmental Organizations
Non-governmental organizations are defined as organizations that are organized within or outside the borders of the state, without any relationship with the states, and that sometimes act in certain areas as an alternative power to the states. Global non-governmental organizations correspond to “socially oriented” grassroots organizations on issues such as democracy, human rights, peace, development, ecology, political repression and education. Non-governmental organizations, which have a bureaucratic, market-oriented organizational structure, are also active and influential actors in the global sense.
Impacts of Globalization on Economic, Socio- Cultural, Politic, and Administrative Structures of Countries
Analyzing how globalization affects the economy, social and cultural life is important to see this impact. These changes, later on, also affect and change the political and administrative structure of the countries.
Economic Impacts
Globalization refers to integrating national economies with the world economy and transforming the world into a single market. With the disappearance of time and space boundaries as a result of developments in information and communication technologies, the fluidity of capital, goods and labor between countries has increased and as a result, economic relations between countries have intensified.
With economic globalization, capitalist free market economy, labor, capital, competition, production and consumption relations have been realized at a supranational level. Economic globalization manifests itself in three different areas: globalization of production, trade, and financial activities.
Socio-Cultural Impacts
The socio-cultural reflection of globalization is expressed as the convergence and unification of different cultures. In this process, constructing a one-dimensional cultural identity has paved the way for forming international standard logic in many areas.
Socio-cultural globalization is a concept that refers to the common ground of countries on issues that concern the whole world such as democracy, human rights, protection of the environment, combating terrorism and global diseases, and the awareness of world citizenship. Cultural globalization also means the uniformization of nations, the abandonment of local cultures, and the substitution of Western values for local cultural values.
Political Impacts
The reflection of globalization in the politics of countries has led to some changes and transformations in the governance and administrative approaches of states.
The impacts of globalization on politics can be summarized as follows:
• The loss of the power of political borders that are absolutely sovereign over a particular piece of land • The increase in the mutual interaction of governance systems • The intensification of foreign interventions and interaction on the basis of pluralist democracy, non-governmental organizations, human rights and freedoms • The change in the functions of the nation state based on a mono, uniformist structure at the level of political-cultural symbols such as language, religion, race, flag, etc. and the prominence of international supreme organizations
Administrative Impacts
Globalization has radically affected the world in social, administrative, economic and cultural terms. This process has also led to a change in the traditional understanding of public administration. This radical change in public administration has significantly changed both the understanding of public service and public service delivery as well. With globalization, administrative decisions taken by international organizations have started to play a decisive role in the policies of nation-states.