Link to CEPR's "Scorecard on Globalization"
| Advocates See That Globalization | Critics See That Globalization |
| Creates growth, spreads prosperity, and increases opportunity—note emerging market economies. | Does not result in promised levels of growth. |
| Promotes equality. Competition will ensure that the U.S. does not remain the world’s only superpower—is creating a new world economic profile, in which India, Korea, Brazil, China, perhaps Russia replace Japan, Germany, France …; free trade is defined as the absence of discrimination (against foreign suppliers or buyers). | Concentrates power and wealth in fewer and fewer hands—debt avoidance and relief, global tax evasion by the most wealthy. |
| Maximizes income and develops infrastructure, resulting in better lifestyles—everyone gains, on average, though some gain more than others | Promotes inequality and poverty, especially in developing countries: “haves” benefit more than “have nots,” salaries and dividends grow more than wages, unemployment is exacerbated. |
| Spurs an increase in productivity and efficiency, overcoming complacency. The U.S. had 20+ years of low productivity gains followed by a rapid 3-fold increase—half of these productivity gains are linked to globalization. Globalized companies are 10-20% more productive than domestic only companies and enjoy 2-4% higher sales growth. | Undermines democracy, both nationally and internationally—disproportionate corporate influence on the rule-making process. |
| Creates jobs by creating new industries (IT). | Ruins the environment—changes the climate, results in habitat and species loss, depletes resources with inadequate compensation to residents. |
| Broadens markets. | Disregards human and worker rights, especially those of indigenous populations. |
| Increases the choices available to individuals, groups and countries. | Encourages market failure, regulatory imbalance, and financial market volatility. |
| Lowers prices—the globalization of IT/hardware, for example, resulted in 10%-30% cut in prices beyond those due to technological advances. | Homogenizes (westernizes or Americanizes) the world, squeezing out cultural diversity and policy autonomy, eroding community values. |
| Promotes best-practice worldwide. | Requires macroeconommic austerity, privatization, and a laissez-faire approach to economics—the “Washington .Consensus” conditionality. |
| Requires high-level skills, rapid skill improvement, and flexibility, thus it encourages education. | Focuses on large infrastructure projects prone to corruption, indebtedness and environmental degradation. |
| Can suppress terrorist financing and support reconstruction efforts. | Does not result in promised levels of growth. |
| Ensures technological development. | Imposes expensive health, safety and environmental standards on developing economies. |
| Has been the dominant force for change in international affairs for the past 50 years. | Promotes secularism and “wasteful diversity”—excessive variety and provision of luxury. |
| Increases economic “fitness” and results in economies of scale. | Mortgages the future to reward those living now. |
A Cultural Detective seeks to manage these polarities by ensuring that the "cons" are lessened and that the "pros" truly happen.