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When you take a bite of that banana, you are supporting over 4 million people in Costa Rica. When you pay that $30 for a Gap sweatshirt, you're paying the monthly salary of a garment worker in Cambodia. When you pay $4 for a Starbucks coffee, you're giving $1 to a coffee bean farmer in Central America. We've come a long way from having independently fostering empires or just going out and robbing other countries like Vikings and Pirates. Instead, we set up multi-national corporations and engage in globalization trade. Inadvertently, money is not the only thing to change hands in the process; we also exchange cultural ideas that encourage free market capitalism, fair work practices and a Westernized trade strategy. If these ideas appeal to you, then you may want to learn more about globalization.
A good starting point to learn more about globalization is at www.unctad.org - the United Nations Conference on Trade And Development. Here you'll find all the latest statistics, reports, summaries and findings presented in an unbiased format with realistic assessments of all strengths and weaknesses of world globalization. An especially interesting section is the "Programmes" area, which outlines some of the current concerns and initiatives of the UN. Read about the development of Africa, an Economy Report, Debt Management programs or Climate Change initiatives here.
Another terrific resource about globalization is the www.IMF.org site. The International Monetary Fund is an independent entity that lends money, participates in surveillance of policies, researches and offers training for developing nations. Here you can easily find information about individual countries affected by globalization trade. Read speeches, press releases and news briefs or check out data and statistics collected by IMF. The IMF Survey Magazine is an enjoyable read if you just want to keep abreast of current topics in world globalization.
Some sub-topics about globalization include: Fair Trade, Tobin Tax, Free Market Capitalism, the World Trade Organization and the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement, to name a few. To understand globalization is to understand the motivations of our government, what separates the rich from the poor and what strengthens and weakens nation states. In an ever-changing world, it's important to keep informed about globalization because it affects us more than we consciously realize.
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