| Everyone is currently at loggerheads about | | | | the zoo, those who seek public good, such as |
| globalisation. But who actually appreciates its | | | | environmental protection, transparency, accountability, |
| landscape? There is nothing new-fangled about | | | | labour safety, and the protection of children, |
| globalisation as such. It can be seen everywhere. The | | | | ultimately settle for theatrics, raising brouhaha rather |
| events of 11 September instantaneously echoed | | | | than imposing change. |
| across the world. But more importantly, their reasons | | | | |
| and effects demonstrated that in the composition of | | | | The Egyptian civil society: A success story |
| everyday life. We are without doubt side by side not | | | | "The policy of letting things alone, in the practical |
| just in catastrophes, but in trading, financial markets | | | | sense that the Government should never interfere |
| and environmental change. However, the revolution in | | | | with business or go into business itself, is called |
| communications, media, and transportation systems | | | | Laisser-faire by economists and politicians. It has |
| are not just embellishments. They are re-creating the | | | | broken down so completely in practice that it is now |
| fundamentals of the way the world is doing business. | | | | discredited; but it was all the fashion in politics a |
| So, what does that mean? The service sector jobs | | | | hundred years ago, and is still influentially advocated |
| are going to become increasingly less skilled, and the | | | | by men of business and their backers who naturally |
| skilled service sector jobs will become outsourced. | | | | would like to be allowed to make money as they |
| Education diplomas will start looking bleaker. The | | | | please without regard to the interest of the public." |
| raison d'être is that technology and globalisation are | | | | (George Bernard Shaw,1928) |
| breaking down educational, cultural, social, political and | | | | Last year, Canadian petrochemical giant Agrium |
| economic barriers that have stood for years. The | | | | received the approval of the Egyptian government to |
| problem is not that the barriers are being torn down, | | | | build a fertiliser plant on Damietta's Ras al-Barr island, |
| but rather the rate with which it is happening. | | | | about 200 km from Cairo. In April, however, |
| Deplorably enough, the global economy at present is | | | | residents began voicing concern over the plant's |
| still in fact a game of two-and-a-half players. | | | | potentially negative impact on public health and the |
| What’s really significant is that when you break | | | | environment. Local civil society groups expressed |
| up the global economy into what it is, it remains the | | | | fears that factory emissions could pose a danger to |
| European Free Trade Area, NAFTA and Japan. We | | | | residents and adversely affect marine life. Growing |
| can then argue that in 1914 there were eight great | | | | public concern about the plant's safety quickly led to |
| powers, now there is the G8. The difference | | | | a popular campaign against the project. Led by local |
| between then and now is that Austro-Hungary has | | | | activists, environmentalist groups and opposition |
| been replaced by Canada and Russia shows up as | | | | figures, residents began staging large demonstrations |
| the poor guest. Thus, the global economy is still | | | | in which they demanded the project be halted. In a |
| concentrated more or less around the same rich | | | | dramatic show of popular opposition, Damietta |
| countries. | | | | households began draping their homes in massive |
| Even if you live on the margins of this hierarchical | | | | black banners reading 'No to the factory of death'. |
| economic order, you are still profoundly affected by | | | | Company officials, |
| it. Take the African countries, for instance, when the | | | | meanwhile, hastened to vouch for the project's |
| International Monetary Fund and the World Bank | | | | safety. Consequently, popular pressure appeared to |
| shows up in to negotiate loan structures. If the | | | | trump big business interests when parliament |
| country refuses to sign the loan packages on the | | | | approved a recommendation - tabled by 59 MPs |
| grounds that this was a new form of colonisation. | | | | from both the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) |
| These esteemed but yet lofty organisations simply | | | | and the opposition - to relocate the plant. "This is a |
| leave. No agreement signed, therefore, no loans. | | | | sweeping victory for civil society in Damietta," a |
| The excitement over globalisation, however, has | | | | coordinator of a popular committee that campaigned |
| succeeded to conceal the bona fide social and | | | | against the factory, was quoted as saying. |
| economic inequalities that are not just a surplus from | | | | |
| the past, but are products of the new global | | | | Globalisation and workers—The |
| economy. The promise of globalisation is just that, a | | | | good, the bad and the ugly: |
| promise, while globalisation itself generates new | | | | In The Republic, Plato talks of the threat posed to a |
| forms of economic and political exploitation and | | | | ship’s captain by a rebellious crew, “What a |
| marginalisation. | | | | preposterous idea to put the wheel of a ship in the |
| | | | | hands of the sailors, when only the captain has the |
| Anti-globalisation movements, is anyone listening? | | | | expertise”. From that time to the present day |
| "We are looking to brands for poetry and for | | | | we hear the same phrase reverberated: “people |
| spirituality, because we're not getting those things | | | | cannot understand”. “They cannot be |
| from our communities or from each other." (Naomi | | | | empowered to know.” In that sense, the notions |
| Klein) | | | | of the "knowledge worker" and the "learning |
| Anti-globalisation may occur in order to maintain | | | | organisation" are utterly incongruous. |
| barriers to the international transfer of people, goods | | | | A major trend in the drive |
| and beliefs, particularly free market deregulation. | | | | for global economy growth is privatisation of public |
| Moreover, as Naomi Klein argues in her book ‘No | | | | sector enterprises. These range from public railroads |
| Logo’ "anti-globalism can denote either a single | | | | and bus lines to water works and hospitals. |
| social movement or an umbrella term that | | | | Particularly hard hit are the admittedly less efficient |
| encompasses a number of separate social | | | | state sector manufacturing facilities in some weak |
| movements such as nationalists and socialists." | | | | economies. |
| These protesters’ apprehension about the | | | | |
| dominance of the market economy, the freedom to | | | | While, from the perspective of enterprise level |
| accrue almost enormous wealth, the priority given to | | | | efficiencies, much of this privatisation is justified, but |
| consumption, brands and promised quick fixes, points | | | | still removing important social safety mechanisms |
| to an intersection with the concerns of many in the | | | | from societies, as these public firms have often |
| developed and developing world. Their apprehension | | | | served as the employer of last resort and an |
| is that unrestrained economic power, weak | | | | important tool against unemployment. And these |
| democratic governments, politicians' selfishness, and | | | | changes, mandated by the international financial |
| the endangered invasion of the public realm by large | | | | institutions as part of the structural adjustment, |
| corporations – all defy our sense of social justice | | | | often are put in place without adequate, sometimes, |
| and democracy. | | | | without any, compensating mechanisms to protect |
| However, we have to agree that Davos and Porto | | | | those most harshly affected. This is resulting, in many |
| Alegre are part of the same world, and must | | | | less developed states, in large "floating populations" |
| communicate. In their different ways, advocates of | | | | of unemployed workers, barely surviving on minimum |
| the Washington consensus and the anti-globalisation | | | | payments if at all. |
| movements are both materialists. | | | | From "brain drain" to "brain gain" |
| Nevertheless, anti-globalisation movements do have a | | | | The opportunity to work in developed countries is a |
| point in such criteria as: (1) Exploitation of foreign | | | | priceless source of skills and experience. For those |
| poor workers: The decline of protections for weaker | | | | with high state-of-the-art technical skills, interaction |
| nations by stronger industrialised powers has resulted | | | | with leading researchers in the competitive |
| in the exploitation of the people in those nations to | | | | environments of the developed countries augments |
| become cheap labour. It is true that the workers are | | | | productivity and innovation. What starts out as |
| free to leave their jobs, but in many poorer | | | | “brain drain” – a concern for |
| countries, this would mean starvation for the worker, | | | | governments - can be turned into “brain |
| and possible even his/her family if their previous jobs | | | | gain”, along with financial resources, if the |
| were occupied by others. (2) The shift to | | | | developing countries practise openness and |
| outsourcing: The low cost of offshore workers have | | | | integration with the industrialised economies. |
| inveigled corporations to buy goods and services | | | | This is largely demonstrated |
| from foreign countries. The laid off manufacturing | | | | in the Chinese Diaspora that contributed significantly |
| sector workers are forced into the service sector | | | | to the growth of south-east Asian economies. |
| where wages and benefits are low, but turnover is | | | | Similarly, as India liberalised its economy, the Indian |
| high. This has contributed to the disappearance of | | | | community has become far more active in launching |
| the middle class which is a major factor in the | | | | business ventures in the subcontinent and supporting |
| increasing economic inequality. | | | | the development of skills for ICT and high tech |
| (3) Weak labour unions: The surplus in cheap labour | | | | industries. Other regions, such as Sub Saharan Africa |
| united with an ever growing number of companies in | | | | have drawn much less on their human resources in |
| transition has caused a weakening of labour unions. | | | | the developed countries. Nevertheless, the Asian |
| As a result unions hold less power over corporations | | | | experience shows that a Diaspora can become a |
| that are able to easily replace workers. (4) Increase | | | | powerful instrument for development only if |
| exploitation of child labour: countries that are | | | | countries are prepared to open their economies, |
| experiencing an increase in labour demand due to | | | | lower the barriers to trade and capital flows and |
| globalisation and consequently goods produced by | | | | begin enforcing legal and commercial rules vital to a |
| children will experience a greater demand for child | | | | dynamic economy. |
| labour. This can be both "hazardous" and | | | | So when we discuss |
| “exploitive”, e.g. trafficking, forced labour, | | | | globalisation, let’s keep in mind the women who |
| prostitution, pornography and other illegal forms of | | | | make garments that are now becoming too |
| labour. | | | | expensive for them to wear every day. Those are |
| | | | | the flesh and blood people whose fates will be |
| WTO: “re-inventing the | | | | decided, for better or for worse, by the debate over |
| wheel” or “mid-life crisis”??! | | | | globalisation. Will they become richer or poorer— |
| “The world’s poor do not resent the rich | | | | will their lives be longer or shorter— as a result of |
| anywhere nearly as much as the left-wing parties in | | | | wise or foolish policies? Trade policies, in fact, do not |
| the developed world imagine. What they resent is | | | | affect the number of jobs, but rather the kinds of |
| not having any pathways to get rich and to join the | | | | jobs people have. Globalisation has affected |
| flat world and cross that line into the middle | | | | workforce demographics, as well. Today's |
| class.” (Thomas L. Friedman) | | | | workforces are characterised by greater diversity in |
| | | | | terms of age, gender, ethnic and racial background, |
| Peter Sutherland, who created the World Trade | | | | and a variety of other demographic factors. In fact, |
| Organisation (WTO), says “name me a country | | | | management of diversity has become one of the |
| that hasn’t benefited from greater access to | | | | primary issues of 21st-century business. |
| free trade”. The more countries enter the WTO | | | | Globalisation in general has |
| arrangements the greater their benefit will be. In | | | | lifted living standards throughout the world. Now |
| which way shall we look at it? Is the WTO better | | | | there have been obviously some dislocations from |
| than what was going on before? In all fairness and so | | | | that. If you are an American worker and your |
| not to be querulous, it is a less hierarchical, more | | | | manufacturing job goes to a country in the |
| culpable, and more open to rapid improvements. At | | | | developing world where someone is going to get paid |
| the very least it forces the well-heeled to stage an | | | | one-fifth of what you're earning, then you have been |
| auction in front of the less fortunate. The dilemma is | | | | somehow harmed by globalisation. |
| with the notion that somehow this regime will benefit | | | | At the same time, that manufacturing worker and his |
| all, or that it represents free trade. | | | | or her family benefit from the lower cost of goods |
| The WTO agreements on free trade have | | | | and services because of falling trade barriers. And |
| functioned principally to prise open markets for the | | | | they benefit obviously from all the technology that |
| benefit of multinational corporations at the expense | | | | helps enable globalisation. So, globalisation is mainly a |
| of national economies; workers, farmers and other | | | | plus. |
| people; and the environment. They should not solely | | | | Proponents of globalisation |
| focus on opening markets but also allow trade to be | | | | propagate two cases most commonly cited as |
| restricted to support human rights, labour rights and | | | | examples of allegedly negative environmental effects |
| environmental objectives in other countries. The | | | | of trade agreements— the “tuna/dolphin” |
| WTO and trade agreements should also allow | | | | and “shrimp/turtle” cases— that show a |
| non-government organisations a direct voice in their | | | | race to the top, not to the bottom, as other |
| governance. | | | | countries have adopted U.S. legal standards to |
| We cannot easily dismantle the causal relationship | | | | protect dolphin and sea turtles. The same is true of |
| between globalisation and inequality, though the | | | | working standards. Jobs in foreign-owned enterprises |
| "champagne glass" approach comes really close. | | | | are usually greatly sought after, because they both |
| Relatively speaking, it argues that, the rich have got | | | | pay higher money wages and offer better working |
| richer and the poor have got poorer. In reality, every | | | | conditions than the domestic alternatives. |
| developing country, the numbers living on less than a | | | | Globalisation is not a |
| dollar a day have increased over the last two | | | | panacea. Under some circumstances it can increase |
| decades. | | | | the susceptibility of countries to shocks. It subjects |
| Globalisation has its advocates like Sutherland – | | | | states to disciplines and checks that circumscribe |
| for whom globalisation inherently works – and its | | | | sovereignty. A key issue in managing globalisation is |
| critics, the anarchist protesters – who claim that | | | | therefore how to organise the global investment and |
| globalisation is intrinsically polluted and beyond | | | | labour markets to meet the needs of flexibility for |
| salvation. Clearly, both approaches aren't in fact | | | | enterprises, security for workers and quality for |
| working for everyone. | | | | consumers. We need new proactive policies that |
| | | | | focus directly on how authorities in the public and |
| The need to be a “Global Citizen” | | | | private sphere can blend economic and social policies |
| “Before you finish eating breakfast this morning, | | | | with an enabling environment for private initiative to |
| you’ve depended on more than half the | | | | create market opportunities for "Decent Work". |
| world.” (Martin Luther King, Jr.) | | | | Thus, avaricious corporate enterprises have to be |
| Today, every single one of us is a 'Global Citizen', | | | | confronted with the fact that they are disregarding |
| whether we are conscious of it or not. Global | | | | their most “valuable strategic asset” -- their |
| inter-dependence happens everyday. We rely on | | | | workers. |
| countless different people from all over the world for | | | | |
| the clothes we wear, the food we eat and the | | | | Conclusion |
| technology we use. Our daily lives are constantly | | | | Following a period of economic boom, a financial |
| affected by what people on the other side of the | | | | bubble has now burst - globally. The scope of this |
| planet are doing! | | | | problem has been so rigorous that some of the |
| We all live in a great time. The internet gives us the | | | | world’s largest financial institutions have collapsed. |
| chance to come together as never before while still | | | | This problem could have been averted (in theory) as |
| reaching for our individual dreams. We also live in a | | | | people had been pointing to these issues for decades. |
| time of great danger. Global problems like climate | | | | However, during boom, very few wanted to hear |
| change, dwindling natural resources, economic | | | | such pessimism. Does this crisis bring an end to the |
| recession and conflicts between nations threaten the | | | | lackadaisical forms of banking and finance? Will it |
| very existence of humanity. The time has come to | | | | harbinger a better economic age, or are we just |
| overcome our fears and prejudices. We drifted apart | | | | destined to keep forgetting history and replicate |
| and forgot our shared destiny. The burden of global | | | | these mistakes in the future? |
| citizenship binds us together. So everyone of us is | | | | Clearly, the new global |
| required to do more, not less! The crave to be a | | | | economy isn't working for workers in China, Burma, |
| “global citizen” is highly underestimated, | | | | Egypt or even Burkina Faso any more than it is for |
| craves that are vividly apparent in our everyday | | | | workers in the United States or Europe. It is no |
| life, for instance, the ‘Facebook’ | | | | longer tolerated that multi-nationalists can emerge as |
| phenomenon. | | | | the driving force of progress, even as they |
| | | | | undermine it at the workplace. How can we best use |
| Civil society at its best | | | | the information presented thus far to amplify the |
| "Globalisation in its current form cannot deliver the | | | | benefits of globalisation without ignoring the costs? |
| benefits expected of it. Civil society, particularly in | | | | The way out, is to strengthen the ability of our 21st |
| developing countries, must ensure that it does." | | | | century workforce to compete without having to |
| (Martin Khor, Director, Third World Network) | | | | deal with disproportionate share of the risks |
| So what does this all leave civil society? The | | | | embedded in the dynamic, competitive global |
| implications of the current economic order to civil | | | | economy.. |
| society are substantial. On the one hand, working | | | | |
| autonomously, liberated from the control of dominant | | | | That much seems certain. This paper does not |
| institutions at national and global levels assumes that | | | | attempt to convince the reader to believe in a |
| there is such a thing as an independent public arena. | | | | scrupulous set of arguments. Already far too many |
| On the other hand, co-operation with governments | | | | globalisation and anti-globalisation ‘working in the |
| and global institutions could compromise an NGO's | | | | new economy’ proponents preach or chant at, |
| image if it was believed that the capital was more | | | | rather than talk to, each other. The goal was instead |
| significant than the message. | | | | to expand the understanding of the scope of sound |
| Technically, like the United Nations, the WTO is itself | | | | and valid arguments about the impacts of the |
| a creature of nation-states, together with the IMF | | | | ongoing changes to the global economy. The hope is |
| and many other market institutions could be | | | | that one day those who decide to act on their |
| considered executives of international governance. | | | | beliefs—from joining the World Bank’s team |
| But privatisation has deprived the nations that | | | | to protesting at an anti-globalisation rally—will do |
| supposedly control it of their will, and subsequently, | | | | so with the power of knowing the complexities and |
| envisaged as servants rather than masters of the | | | | uncertainties of the correlation between globalisation |
| new global corporate sovereigns. With animals running | | | | and the workforce. |