WyattShely

Mr.Arnold
LBST2102H75
16March2016
Microtheme5

ManfredSteger,inGlobalization,hasprovidedanincredibleanalysisofthehistory,

effects,motivations,andcomplexityofglobalization.Byfar,thiswasmyfavoritetextthisyear.
InanearlierMicrothemeblogpost,Iapplaudedandmetaphoricallycritiquedhisassessmenton
thehistoryofglobalization.ForthisMicrotheme,Iwillchallengehisclaims,specificallythose
pertainingtomarketglobalizationonpages106through117.
Stegerhaspoorlyevaluatedtheconceptofmarketglobalismbysaturatinghisassessment
withopinionatedbias.Thisisclearlyshownthroughhislackofprovidinganobjective
definitionoftheterm,Marketglobalismseekstoendowglobalizationwithfreemarketnorms
andneoliberalmeaning(104).Hefurtherweakenshisargumentwhenheattemptstodispute
JoanSperosclaimthattheOnerole[ofgovernment]istogetoutofthewaytoremove
barrierstothefreeflowofgoods,services,andcapital(109).Stegerventurestorefutethis
notionbynotinghowitisonlypossibletoremovethesebarriersandprovidefreemarkets
throughtheinterventionandinterferenceofgovernment(109).Hisargumentpertainsto
assertingthatthosewhodesirefreemarketsandsmallergovernmentarecontradicting
themselves,becausegovernmentisneededtoaccomplishthesetasks.Welltheonlywayto
enactachangeingovernmentistoutilizegovernment.Similartohowparentsraisetheir
childreninorderforthemtobeabletomatureandgrowuptobeindependent,JoanSperois

suggestingthatthegovernmentshouldliftitsexcessiveregulationsinorderforthemarketsto
operatemorefreelyandefficiently;withlessdependencyonthegovernment.
Stegeralsoclaimsthattheglobalizationoffreemarketswillnotbenefiteveryone,
specificallythosewithlesswealth(112).Attheheartofcapitalismarefreemarket(laissezfaire)
economicprinciples.Capitalismisunrivaledinitsabilitytoraiselivingstandards,drive
innovation,anddecreasecosts.Chinasgovernmentisstillcommunist,butoverthepastfew
decadestheyhavegainedtremendoussupportforcapitalistprinciples,specificallyfreemarkets.
Infact,overthreequartersofthecountrybelievesthatChinaisbetteroffinafreemarket
economy(Simmons).FurtherevidencetofalsifyStegersclaimthattheglobalizationoffree
marketsdoesnotbenefittheimpoverishedcomesfromtheWallStreetJournalsstatisticthatthe
extremepovertyrateinChinafellfrom84%in1981to12%in2010(WSJ).Obviously,free
marketprinciples,globalizingtotheeast,ismakinganincredibleimpactonsociety.Again,I
thoroughlyenjoyedStegerstextonglobalization,butfeltitwoulddoitadisservicetonot
deepentheconversationthroughcriticalanalysis.

(WSJ)http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2013/04/18/hereshowmuchpovertyhasdeclined
inchina/
(Simmons)http://www.pewresearch.org/facttank/2014/10/10/chinasgovernmentmaybe
communistbutitspeopleembracecapitalism/