ABSTRACT
Globalisation—the intensified circulation of capital, goods, information, and people across national boundaries—has resulted in the increasing interdependence of the countries and regions of the world. Globalisation influences the way in which power is exercised. Contemporary political leaders and power elites have to act in a more multilateral and coordinated way than their predecessors. Globalisation also affects power distribution within nation-states by undermining stable political constituencies and replacing them with more ephemeral social movements, including left- and right-wing populist movements. Since the Great Financial Crisis (2008+), the pace and intensity of globalisation has been declining. Social scientists call this phenomenon ‘slowbalisation’—the processes of slowing, and sometimes even reversing, globalisation trends. The popularity of this new concept is increasing, and it accompanies more balanced assessments of the social-political effects of globalisation, which suggest that globalisation is subject to cyclical accelerating and slowing down. The chapter discusses the widely varying views on globalisation, ranging from ‘globo-enthusiasts’ (those who view it as a benign process) to ‘globo-sceptics’ (those who view it as socially disruptive and corrosive).
