Globalization is a concept used in every scholarly discipline. Despite the prominence of the concept, scholars have failed to come up with an all-encompassing definition of the term; and this is the subject matter of these two articles.
Al-Rodhan & Stoudmann (2006), in their article titled "Definitions of Globalization: A comprehensive overview and a proposed definition," make an effort to come up with their definition of globalization. The realization that debates about definitions of globalization have either pointed to the impossibility of defining the concept or indicated constraints in the current definitions informs their arguments. The authors say that the difficulties in defining globalization rise from the broad nature of the concept. They, therefore, apply a methodology of reviewing the existing definitions and come up with the realization that most of them are either narrow and exclusive or broad and inclusive. Ultimately, they propose their definition that “Globalization is a process that encompasses the causes, course, and consequences of transnational and transcultural integration of human and non-human activities.” (Al-Rodhan & Stoudmann, 2006).
The second article by Reich (1998) is titled, “What is globalization?- Four Possible Answers.” The author is in agreement with the arguments made in the first article, where he quotes the difficulty in coming up with an overall meaning of globalization. His analysis, however, takes a historical and political perspective, by majorly focusing on the aftermath of the cold war. He further argues that a review of various definitions of globalization reveals four groups to which the definitions fall. The first one is viewing globalization from the historical perspective. Here, the author argues that the fact that the beginning of globalization coincided with the end of the cold war offers an exciting area of scholarly analysis. The second group of definitions approaches globalization as an economic phenomenon, with authors pointing at aspects such as liberalized markets, privatization of assets and reduced state control in economies of countries. The other group of definitions, according to the author, view globalization as the universal application of American values of liberal democracy, while the last group views globalization from the perspective of Technological and Social Revolution.
I find the second article by Reich (1998) to be more interesting given its depth. Unlike the first article where the authors dwell on the definitions themselves, the socond article sees the author look at the reasons behind the current definitions. It is a very informative piece of literature.
Bibliography
Al-Rodhan, N. R., & Stoudmann, G. (2006). "Definitions of globalization: A comprehensive overview and a proposed definition.". Program on the Geopolitical Implications of Globalization and Transnational Security, 6.
Reich, S. (1998). "What is globalization." Four Possible Answers,. Kellogg Institute .
