Executive Summary
  Table of Contents
  Acknowledgements
  Glossary

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

25 Questions & Answers

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9.  How are global public goods and globalization linked?

Global public goods and globalization are intrinsically linked. Global public goods are both a driver and a result of globalization. Certain global public goods facilitate the globalization process and influence how it is shaped. For instance, the development of the international postal and civil aviation systems—both global public goods—continue to facilitate cross-border flows of goods, services, and ideas which are only some of many other factors driving the globalization process today.

On the other hand, global public goods (or bads) are also an outcome of globalization. For example, more intense and frequent travel and shipping of goods around the world facilitates the spread of infectious diseases, many of which were previously contained. Contagion can also occur in financial markets, such as when a crisis erupting in one emerging market economy diffuses to other "open economies"

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The particular path toward globalization has an impact on people’s perceptions of the process. When globalization is imposed from above, it often becomes contested, since people sense they have no say in the process. The opposite is true when globalization is bottom-up, after a participatory process of deliberation leads to a well-considered choice. In these cases, globalization is likely to be better accepted.

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