Hello aspirants,
Download PDF- https://t.me/psirbyamitpratap/290
Today’s revision capsule of PSIR optional preparation covers GLOBALISATION. There are two 20-markers, three 15-markers, and five 10-markers from this topic in the last 12 years.
- Core Definition & Long‐Wave History
| Item | Content & Scholars |
| Definition | Globalization = “widening, deepening, speeding-up of worldwide interconnectedness” (Held). Giddens → “decoupling of space & time.” |
| Early Visionaries | Grotius / Kant – ‘society of states’, interdependence, int’l law & perpetual peace. |
| 4 Historical Phases | 16 C mercantile expansion after Magellan • Late-19 C industrial/imperial surge (ends 1914-30s crisis) • Post-1945 Bretton Woods + MNC take-off + decolonisation • Post-1989 “Triumph of capitalism”: Cold-War end, WTO, internet. |
- Six Competing Theses
| School | Key Voices | Main Claims (↓ state ↔︎ ↑ state?) |
| 1. Hyper-globalist | Kenichi Ohmae, Robert Reich | Global markets trump politics; states ↘ sovereignty, become tax/dereg “transmission belts”. Borderless world, knowledge class winners, consumerist culture. |
| 2. Skeptical | Paul Hirst & Grahame Thompson; Alan Rugman; Robert Wade | “Myth”: 19 C integration was deeper; today = regional blocs (Triad). States still steer & shield; core–periphery gap widens; globalization = neo-imperial US-led order. |
| 3. Transformationalist / Complex | David Held, Peter Dicken, Roland Robertson, Robert Keohane & Joseph Nye | Not demise but mutation of state; blurred domestic/foreign; historically novel flows; outcome indeterminate; “complex interdependence”. Robertson: rising global consciousness. |
| 4. New-Institutionalist | Peter Hall & David Soskice (“Varieties of Capitalism”), Geoffrey Garrett, Linda Weiss | Robust domestic institutions mediate shocks; states can gain capacity via strategic adaptation. |
| 5. Ideational | Colin Hay, David Marsh | Globalization also = discourse; elites choose neo-liberal paths because they believe competitiveness myths – a “self-imposed constraint.” |
| 6. Critical / Dependency | André Gunder Frank, Raymond Vernon, Robert Cox, Paul Kennedy | Globalization = rebranded imperialism; SAPs, debt-crisis & MNCs entrench core dominance, dismantle welfare, fuel inequality, farmer suicides (Andhra/Vidarbha). Kennedy: labour protection erodes; Cox: “global governance” limits autonomy. |
- What Happens to State Sovereignty? (Held’s 3 Challenge Arenas)
- World Economy – footloose capital, MNC planning, mobile finance, tech shrink space; Keynesian tools blunted.
- Int’l Organisations – IMF, World Bank, WTO, UN & EU exercise shared rule (sovereignty ≠ indivisible).
- International Law & Rights – ICC, ECHR: individuals sue states; Westphalian immunity diluted.
Result: Toward “neo-medieval” overlapping authority (Held), hybrid sovereignty; but states still powerful (regional leverage, US/EU).
- Domestic Repercussions
| Sphere | Key Points & Scholars |
| Democracy | External conditionalities (IMF SAPs) erode consent chain; liberal-democratic theory must adjust. |
| Ethnic Resurgence | Global pull ⇆ local push; identities are “imagined” (Benedict Anderson) not primordial; secession, nationalism, marginal-group assertion. |
| Shift to Governance | From single-level government to multi-level governance (EU prototype). |
| Community & Rights | Citizenship vs “community of sentiment” blur; universal human rights create post-national membership. |
- Anti-Globalization Politics
| Left-wing (Alter-global) | Right-wing (National-populist) |
| Zapatistas (1994), Battle of Seattle (1999), World Social Forum, Occupy, Syriza. Focus: corporate power, austerity, open borders, climate justice. | UKIP, AfD, Generation Identity, Trump, Modi, Bolsonaro. Focus: anti-immigration, ethnos, “globalists”, anti-left. Social-media mobilised (Web 2.0). |
- COVID-19 Lens – IR Theories React
- Realist – Stephen Walt: pandemic proves states still supreme; borders tighten.
- Liberal – Joseph Nye: need stronger WHO & cooperation; US unilateralism hurts.
- Post-colonial – Gurminder Bhambra: colonial legacies → racialised impact.
- Marxist – Mike Davis: capitalism breeds plagues; vaccine R&D unprofitable.
- Constructivist/Post-structural – securitisation language shapes response.
- Feminist – human-security lens reveals surge in gender violence; Panama gendered lockdown blunder.
- Globalization & Development: Winners, Losers, Inequality
| Scholar / Report | Key Findings |
| Deepak Nayar | Uneven regional gains: East/South Asia surge, many African LDCs lag. |
| Catherine Mann | Problem = too little inclusive globalization; revive with risk-sharing. |
| Dani Rodrik | Post-1990 model favoured MNCs; advocates “thinner” globalization to rebuild domestic social contracts. |
| Banerjee & Duflo | Need safety-nets; myths about migrants/job losses overstated. |
| Adrian Wood | Tech-biased trade widens skill wage gap in South. |
| Bernhard G. Gunter | 1985-2015: 29/118 states saw export/GDP fall; education & macro-stability key to joining trade boom; some HICs marginalised, LICs like Bangladesh & Vietnam surged. |
2008 Crash
- deregulated finance → contagion; rich-world QE vs EU austerity; EMs hurt by strong-currency, high-rate orthodoxy.
Poverty & Inequality
- <$1/day share fell 40 → 21 % (1981-2001) mainly Asia; but <$2/day numbers rose; Africa worsened.
• Resource-rich states often more unequal (“paradox of plenty”).
- Key Policy Prescriptions
- Domestic – invest in human capital, inclusive growth, labour rights, social safety-nets, nurture SMEs.
- Global/Regional – reform IMF/WB; coordinated taxation; regulate MNCs; build Globalisation 4.0 governance for AI/IoT era.
- Balance Openness & Autonomy – “embedded liberalism” redux to avoid backlash.
- Scholar Index
Anderson • Bhambra • Banerjee • Cox • Dicken • Duflo • Frank • Garrett • Giddens • Gunter • Hall • Hay • Held • Hirst • Kennedy • Keohane • Mann • Marsh • Mike Davis • Nayar • Nye • Ohmae • Reid (Reich) • Robertson • Rodrik • Rugman • Soskice • Thompson • Vernon • Wade • Walt • Weiss • Wood.
Practice Questions
Question 1. What are the main challenges faced by the developing countries in the era of globalisation? [2022/10 m]
Question 2. What is globalisation? Why is there an intense debate about globalisation and its consequences?. [2021/15 m]
Question 3. “Deglobalisation is displacing globalisation.” Comment. [2024/20m]
📌 Model answers available on the Telegram channel: https://t.me/psirbyamitpratap – keep notifications on.
See you tomorrow on Day 31. Keep practicing!
—Amit Pratap Singh & Team
A quick note on submissions of copies and mentorship
- 2025 Mains writers: Cohort 2 of ATS starts on 13 July. The above practice set will serve as your revision tool, just do not miss booking your mentorship sessions for personalised feedback especially for starting tests. Come with your evaluated test copies.
- 2026 Mains writers – keep uploading through your usual dashboard. Act on the feedback and improve consistently.
- Alternate between mini-tests (O-AWFG) and full mocks (ATS) has been designed to tackle speed, content depth, and structured revision—line-by-line evaluation pinpoints your weaknesses and errors. Follow your PSIR O-AWFG & ATS schedule and use the model answers to enrich your content, as rankers recommended based on their own success.
