Scientific Method and the End of Liberal Globalization
Summary
Oppenheimer (2009) wrote the paper “The End of Liberal Globalization.” Unfortunately he does not define what he means by “liberal globalization” in the first paragraphs or in the rest of the paper either.
The focus or research question is not stated clearly only that “what will replace the liberal form of globalization remains unclear” (p. 1). The research question may have been: ‘What possible future scenarios for US liberal globalization exist as US global economic dominance continues to decline?’ The reader can only assume that is the research question after the article has been read.
He hypothesizes that unless the United States (US) changes its world economic policies, the US will no longer be the dominant world power. He claims that the liberal globalization economic system has been in place for the past sixty years. He also suggests that the decline in US power has already started. He states that “The new globalization will be – inevitably – more heterogeneous” (p. 1). The author does not offer a literature review.
Critique of Research
Oppenheimer’s method is to develop scenarios of what might happen in the future. He says the US government needs to consider scenarios for global economics when no one nation controls the world economy. The methodology of developing scenarios would fit the research question except that there are no references to back up the author’s assumptions. This methodology seems to have been chosen because it is the course of least resistance.
It is not clear what data Oppenheimer used to make his assumptions. The data is similar to newspaper stories that have been published. For example impacts of organizations such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank are described (p. 4). No data is referenced although the organizations publish a lot of data.
He gives examples from within the US that would be appropriate if he had given references which support his assumptions. As an example of the decline in US dominance, Oppenheimer points to the agricultural sector in the United States. He explains that the US has not been able to make positive changes in domestic policies. Due to this failure they cannot influence the agriculture policies of other countries’ to the advantage of the US (p. 4). No tools for measurement are given so there is no adequate way for the reader to assess the suitability of the research measurements used.
The outcome is not measured by either qualitative or quantitative variables.
His assumptions are biased and none of the reliable methods for the social sciences are used. His methodology is not reproducible because he is only stating his opinions and his own assumptions. He uses his assumptions to develop two scenarios that predict what might happen in the future (7, 8). He suggests two scenarios which are his hypotheses but they are presented as resulting scenarios in the conclusion.
He offers two scenarios at the conclusion without data or statistical data analysis. No data was offered to support his claims for either scenario.
Finally he predicts that several countries will become the most important global economic players; Oppenheimer does not expect the US to be the only dominant economic player. He suggests many possible countries that may gain increased power. He thinks that “market incentives instead of diplomacy” will become the most important tool for US liberal globalization (p. 4). The author has over-generalized his results.
The paper is very weak. No mention is made of any research limitations. He offers a section on the history of globalization but does not offer any historical evidence
He offers many actions that need to be taken which seem to be based on common sense; not on his paper’s discussion. For example, he ends the article by stating that the US will have to stop using the same strategies that have been used since the end of WWII.
References
Oppenheimer, M. F. (2009). The End of Liberal Globalization. World Policy Journal. World Policy Institute. Winter 2007/2008.
