ABSTRACT
Many political conflicts of our age, positively or negatively, are linked to globalization. As a result, globalization is one of the most overused and undertheorized concepts. Some suggest that liberalization and privatization of the goods, service and financial markets, and the flexibilization of the labour markets will lead to more global economic growth and hence lower poverty. Others warn about a new trend toward higher levels of poverty and inequality in the developing, but increasingly also in the developed, countries. Virtually all the debates have as a starting point “globalization.” Whether the disputed issue is about the best strategy for achieving sustainable economic growth and employment, dealing with the indebtedness of developing countries, formulating the best tax policy, or protecting the climate (or even the controversial debate over importing embryonic stem cells, seemingly a purely ethical issue), deliberations in Germany have been conducted around the importance of a globalized research landscape. So it is no wonder that globalization has become a buzzword that can stir up strong emotions in those who see free trade as expanding global wealth and lifting people out of poverty, and others who argue that free trade may have adverse effects, including an increase in poverty (Deutscher Bundestag 2002a, 2002b).
