Slow down the world, I want to get off

There is no shortage of polls on how people around the world feel about globalization, but here is one that asks a somewhat different question: what do you think about the pace at which economic globalization has been advancing?

It turns out that in a majority of countries, most people feel economic globalization is growing too rapidly.  Here are the results country by country:

 

Look at China: more people there think that the pace is too rapid than in the U.S. Aren't the Chinese the main beneficiary of what we have now?  Well, maybe no longer all the Chinese.

Interestingly, Turkey bucks the trend: a clear majority there feels that the pace of globalization has been too slow!  A comment on the tortuous process of membership in the EU perhaps? Or a reassuring sign that headscarf or not, Turks are obstinate modernizers?

Comments

[wjd123]

What is with Brazil? It has elected a anti- globalization government twice. There is a disconnect here. Could it be that Brazilians find globalization safer under a labor government? Perhaps it in the details of what Lulu is doing, whatever they may be?

[Jacob Christensen]

@wjd123 "Could it be that Brazilians find globalization safer under a labor government? Perhaps it in the details of what Lulu is doing, whatever they may be?"

Sounds likely to me. It is the classic defence/explanation of the Scandinavian welfare states. (Not that I'd clain that Lula is a Scandinavian Social Democat)

Anyway: Some possible independent variables for a someone with access to a statistics programme and relevant databases and five minutes to spend:

1. Net emigration
2. Increase in number or share of jobs in the export oriented sector over the last decade.

If we run that calculation, who will be the outliers?

[David]

Fairness of sharing of economic benefits and burdens

Very fairly + Somewhat fairly

US: 46%
Germany: 23%
France: 13%

That's a little surprising to me.

[wjd123]

David,

Here is the question people were responding to.

"Thinking about the economic developments of the last few years, how fairly do
you think the benefits and burdens have been shared in [Country]: very fairly,
somewhat fairly, not very fairly, or not at all fairly?"

As an American I would immediately interperate "fairness" as applying to our weak social safey net if asked this question. Europeans having a stronger net might think of "fairness" as applying to sectors of the economy being hit. I don't know.

However if Europeans think of "fairness" in the same way as Americans those who are touting a stronger social safety net here as a cure to anti-globalization have a problem.

[Leon]

Turkey, the Philippines, and to a lesser extent Indonesia --- fascinating results. What do they have in common that means a greater desire for globalization?

[Biomed Tim]

My feeling is that it costs almost nothing to answer a survey like this; it's easy to take the benefits of globalization for granted.

If they could do a same survey with people who move from countries with relatively free trade policies, to countries with relatively protectionist policies (or vice versa) then the results would be more meaningful.

[Ken Houghton]

"Turkey, the Philippines, and to a lesser extent Indonesia --- fascinating results. What do they have in common that means a greater desire for globalization?"

Having been colonized or manipulated by larger powers, and looking to have their own independent and autonomous government, having bought into the Friedman Conceit that globalisation makes it more difficult to invade a trading partner?

[Chloe]

I'm reading the results a bit differently. It seems as though the more industrialized countries who may be having difficulties remaining competitive in this increasingly globalized world have stated the process is too quick. Maybe they are having trouble keeping up?
The few countries that say the process is way too slow, seem to be middle income countries. Maybe they think their increased access to foreign markets has not been fast enough.

China, as mentioned above, does surprise me. I wonder who where the sample size came from? Did this study survey 1,000 people from each of the 34 countries? I'd assume that though the margin of error is only +/- 4% there, the ability to use survey results from about 1000 people does not accurately reflect the country. I imagine poor peasants in China might want the process sped up quite a bit.

[cvj]

For Turkey and the Philippines, it could be that both countries are heavily into exporting labor as a source of livelihood, and that the predominant 'a bit too slowly' response means that its people can't wait to leave their home countries to work outside.

[Ali Saygin]

This is a proof that folks in Turkey are out of touch with the rest of the world. For the most part, they are still dreaming the wonderful economy AKP government is portraying to them and maintaining money inflows by offering 17% interest rates.

Both Philippines and Turkey are thinking the globalization would be helping them to find jobs and grow exports, but they are slowly being purchased by foreigners and become sole laborers in their own land. Both countries with great potential, but even bigger dreams.

[synchronous]

Like other commenters here, I did notice that it is the newly industrialized and industrializing nations that take the favorable view of globalization. I found that surprising at first, but the more that I thought about it it does make sense as they have the most to gain.

China was a weird exception though.

[Tyler Cowen]

You should say whether or not you agree with them. I don't.

[J.]

China today is facing a lot of problems caused by its development - huge inequality, environmental destruction, breaking down of social welfare system, and the vanishing of traditional values and family structure, etc., which I think is why many Chinese would actually wish the pace of Globalization to slow down

[ori]

I would imagine that Turkey would want more globalization, which would mean that it is modernized and integrated to global (liberal) norms. Perhaps that would indicate to the EU that it's ready to be a member, etc.

I am just shooting in the dark, though.

[Barry]

As for fairness, more Americans could be saying that things are fair because compared to European countries, Americans have been well-persuaded to suck it up.