With the increase in global interconnectedness, the scope of strategic Essay

With the increase in global interconnectedness, the scope of strategic policy choices available to individual governments and the effectiveness of many traditional policy instruments tends to decline - Essay Example Various contemporary scholars from different fields of discipline support the belief that globalization is the main concept in these contemporary times. Although there is no single definition for globalization, those who support its tenets believe that as interconnectedness is advancing in most economies, national governments are also losing their relevance and their power to impact on economic outcomes. Based on such perspective, the state seems to have become a mere pawn in the globalized economy. Held and McGrew (2003, p. 13) point out that "[w]ith the increase in global interconnectedness, the scope of strategic policy choices available to individual governments and the effectiveness of many traditional policy instruments tends to decline". This paper shall discuss this statement, considering any supporting proof or evidence to this statement, and possibly discussing any claims contrasting such statement. This study is being carried out in order to establish a clear evaluation of the above statement, as a means for this student to establish a clearer and more logical assessment of the claim. A better understanding would likely provide assistance also for interest groups and other scholars in their better understanding of globalization and state roles. ... 90). They argue that the economic activities are now less under government control and the state power is withering, often giving rise to different kinds of state. These states appear to have lost their sovereignty and have stepped back on their welfare programmes and industrial policies, entering into more collective government processes (Garland, 1990, p. 449). In general, it is important to understand that â€Å"globalization, as a process, is one that rejects and obliterates boundaries† (Basu, 2008, p. 26). In order to understand globalization, it is also important to understand that globalization refers to various overlapping interactions of national economies, up to a point where the impact of the national networks declines in relation to the effect of global networks (Kaldor, 2003, p. 18). The concept of globalization therefore implies the spread of international interactions to the extent that it creates new social relations. This seems to be what most authorities beli eve when they seek to assess the impact of global economic integration (Kaldor, 2003, p. 18). III. Globalists It is important to note that the globalization discussion does point out that for the globalists and for its critics, evaluating the international activities has become the main measure of globalization (Kaldor, 2003, p. 19). However, even where globalization networks may be advancing, this would not necessarily settle the issue because it would not eliminate the possibility that the expansion and sustenance of globalized networks are based on national interactions as much as transnational networks (Mann, 1997, p. 99). In effect, supporters of globalization must confront issues being pointed out in the globalization discussion. One of these issues is on whether or not the