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Question 1

What is the contemporary world subject about?

Answer 1

It examines the economic, social, political, technological and other transformations that have created an increasing awareness of the interconnectedness of peoples and places around the globe.

Question 2

What is the main concept of the contemporary world?

Answer 2

The contemporary world is a complex and dynamic time period characterized by rapid changes and developments in various aspects of life.

Question 3

What is Globalization?

Answer 3

An economic, social, and cultural phenomenon.

Question 4

What does Zygmunt Bauman (2003) say about globalization?

Answer 4

He considers it a very important change, if not the ‘most important’.

Question 5

What are the human consequences of globalization according to Bauman?

Answer 5

1. Globalization is a ‘space war’ where winners have more mobility.
2. Mobility is a differentiating factor in social stratification.
3. Losers are confined to isolated territories.
4. Territories become battlefields.

Question 6

How does Larson (2001) define globalization?

Answer 6

As the process of world shrinkage, of distances getting shorter, and things moving closer.

Question 7

What is Al-Rhodan’s (2006) view on globalization?

Answer 7

Globalization can be contained within a specific time frame, all people, and situations.

Question 8

What does Albrow (1996) refer to as the ‘global age’?

Answer 8

A term used to describe the current era of globalization.

Question 9

How does Ritzer (2015) describe globalization?

Answer 9

As a transplanetary process involving increasing liquidity and multidirectional flows of people, objects, places, and information.

Question 10

What are the metaphors of globalization?

Answer 10

1. Solidity: Barriers that prevent movement.
2. Liquidity: Ease of movement of people, things, and information.
3. Flows: Movement brought by growing porosity of global limitations.

Question 11

What is the distinction between globalism and globality?

Answer 11

Globalism is a world dominated by economics, while globality refers to the interconnectedness of local incidents affecting the entire world.

Question 12

What are the distinctive features of Globality?

Answer 12

1. Everyday life affected across national borders.
2. Self-perception of transnationality.
3. Community, labor, and capital becoming placeless.
4. Awareness of global ecological dangers.

Question 13

What are the globalization theories?

Answer 13

1. Homogeneity: Increasing sameness in the world.
2. Heterogeneity: Creation of various cultural practices.
3. Globalizations: Imposition by nations or corporations.
4. Globalization: Interaction of global forces with local factors.

Question 14

What is Cultural Differentialism according to Jan Nederveen Pieterse (2004)?

Answer 14

It emphasizes that cultures are essentially different and only superficially affected by global flows.

Question 15

What are the five basic dimensions of efficiency in globalization?

Answer 15

1. Efficiency: Best means to achieve ends.
2. Calculability: Quantity over quality.
3. Predictability: Expected behavior from employees and customers.
4. Control by technology: Replacing employees with technology.
5. Irrationality of rationality: Customers and employees suffer.

Question 16

What are the two systems of globalization according to Leslie Sklair (2002)?

Answer 16

1. Capitalist (predominant now).
2. Socialist (anti-globalization movement).

Question 17

What does economic globalization involve?

Answer 17

Interconnections between regional and national economies, market integration, and the emergence of institutions regulating cross-border economic exchange.

Question 18

What were the reasons for the growth of long-distance trade from the 16th to 18th centuries?

Answer 18

The volume of long-distance trade grew more quickly than the European population and economic output.

Question 19

What characterized deglobalization from 1931-1944?

Answer 19

Economic collapse, abandonment of the gold standard, protectionism, and a shift from globalization to regional economies.

Question 20

What were the challenges from stagflation to the new wave of globalization (1970s-1990s)?

Answer 20

Breakdown of the Bretton Woods system, inflationary shocks, and structural reforms in developing countries.

Question 21

What is microeconomics of globalization?

Answer 21

It studies the economic behavior of individuals, households, and firms within the global economy.

Question 22

What are the forms of global governance?

Answer 22

1. Top-down governance.
2. Bottom-up governance.
3. Market governance.
4. Network governance.
5. Side-by-side governance.
6. Complex web governance.

Question 23

What defines the Global North and Global South?

Answer 23

Global North includes wealthier, developed countries, while Global South comprises poorer, developing nations.

Question 24

What are the economic disparities between the Global North and South?

Answer 24

The North holds 80% of global income, while the South has 75% of the population but only 20% of global income.

Question 25

How is development defined in the context of North vs. South?

Answer 25

The Global North symbolizes economic development, while the Global South represents less developed economies reliant on primary product exports.

Question 26

What are the potential future developments in reducing the North-South divide?

Answer 26

International free trade and capital flows could enable economic growth in developing countries.

Question 27

What initiatives has the UN taken to bridge the North-South divide?

Answer 27

The Millennium Development Goals aimed to eradicate poverty, ensure education, promote gender equality, and improve health.

Question 28

What is Brazil's role in South-South aid?

Answer 28

Brazil is providing South-South aid amounting to $1 billion annually, with expertise transfer, and is seen as a 'global model in waiting'.

Question 29

What were the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)?

Answer 29

The MDGs aimed to eradicate poverty and hunger, ensure universal education and healthcare, promote gender equality, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, and combat diseases like HIV/AIDS and malaria.

Question 30

What additional focuses did the MDGs have?

Answer 30

The MDGs emphasized environmental sustainability and fostering global partnerships for development.

Question 31

How did Cold War influences affect the Asia-Pacific region?

Answer 31

The Asia-Pacific region was heavily influenced by Cold War superpower interventions, but this is changing as traditional rivalries resurface, creating a power vacuum and increasing security uncertainty.

Question 32

How are China and Japan compared in terms of regional relations?

Answer 32

Barry Buzan compares China to 19th-century Germany, a disruptive power, and Japan to Britain, a status-quo power, highlighting the importance of avoiding conflict between them for regional peace.

Question 33

What is the significance of Korean unification?

Answer 33

Korean unification is vital for regional cooperation and could take the form of war, a German-style reunification, or organized negotiations.

Question 34

What is the role of ASEAN in security frameworks?

Answer 34

East Asia lacks a comprehensive regional conflict resolution framework, limiting it to sub-regional areas like Southeast Asia, and ASEAN's role would shift with regional peace.

Question 35

What was the Cambodian conflict rooted in?

Answer 35

The Cambodian conflict was rooted in the Vietnam War and the Khmer Rouge regime, with Vietnamese intervention polarizing the region.

Question 36

What led to stabilization in Cambodia post-conflict?

Answer 36

The 1991 UN-backed peace agreement and UNTAC led to democratic elections, diminishing the Khmer Rouge's influence and stabilizing Cambodia's ASEAN membership.

Question 37

What are the purposes of international organizations?

Answer 37

International organizations are created to secure peace, provide external security, manage economic tasks, address environmental protection, and secure human rights.

Question 38

What is the role of media in globalization?

Answer 38

Media and communications are crucial for globalization, facilitating the integration of economies and societies worldwide.

Question 39

What are the social consequences of globalization in media?

Answer 39

The globalization of media leads to restructuring of employment relations, international competition for labor, and the emergence of globalized financial transactions.

Question 40

What are some benefits of globalization?

Answer 40

Benefits include access to new markets, spread of knowledge and technology, enhanced global cooperation, economic growth, and increased competition.

Question 41

What are arguments against globalization?

Answer 41

Arguments include widening class gaps, loss of domestic jobs, unequal power of multinationals, loss of cultural identity, and unpredictable markets.

Question 42

What challenges does globalization present?

Answer 42

Challenges include exploitation of labor, high investment costs, confusing local systems, weak regulation, immigration challenges, and localized job loss.

Question 43

What is privatization of governance?

Answer 43

Privatization of governance raises questions about accountability, regulations, and the implications of contracting out governance to the market.

Question 44

What impact does globalization have on developing countries?

Answer 44

Globalization impacts developing countries through trade, capital movements, movement of people, and the spread of knowledge and technology.

Question 45

Why is global governance necessary?

Answer 45

Global governance is necessary to address transnational problems like violence and pandemics that affect humanity on a global scale.

Question 46

What does global governance imply?

Answer 46

Global governance indicates a shift from statism to integration and the fragmentation of actors in the international arena.