Globalization: The Consequences for Humanity

Author: (Eng) Zigmunt Bauman, translated by Guo Guoliang et al.
Translators: Guo Guoliang, Xu Jianhua
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Publish Date: 2004-12-01
Features: In fact, just like these long-standing countries today, new nations also do not need to perform most of the functions that are considered justifications for the bureaucratic politics of the nation-state. The function that stands out because it is rejected or stripped away by orthodox states is the maintenance of that "dynamic balance." Castoriadis describes the dynamic balance as an approximate equality between the rhythm of consumption growth and the increase in productivity. This task leads sovereign states, at various times, to intermittently ban imports and exports, erect customs barriers, or implement state-managed Keynesian policies to stimulate domestic demand. The distinction between the domestic market and the global market, or more broadly, the distinction between the "inside" and the "outside," is difficult to maintain in a narrow sense of "defending territory and population." "The poor do not live in a culture separated from the rich," as Westbrook points out, "they must live in the same world designed for the benefit of the rich. Economic development has made them poorer, just as economic recession and zero growth have also exacerbated their poverty." Admittedly, economic depression means greater poverty and fewer resources. However, economic growth stimulates people to more fervently display the wonders of consumerism, thus indicating a deeper gap between hope and reality.