*{Globalization, Regionalism and Cultural Identity [http://www.weforum.org/site/knowledgenavigator.nsf/Content/Globalization%2C%20Regionalism%20and%20Cultural%20Identity?open&topic_id=300250000&theme_id=300] 08.05.2000 Mercosur Economic Summit 2000} Raising the issue of how local and regional cultures can adapt to globalization without losing their cultural identity, moderator Joao Roberto Marinho, Co-Chairman of O Globo Organizaçoes, Brazil, kicked off the debate. "Globalization is a reality; there is an awareness that we are all in the same boat", said Roberto DaMatta, Professor of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, USA. "The problem is that globalization does not provide global benefits for all", DaMatta added. "Internationally the neo-liberal economic system has been adopted, but political liberalism has not been implemented. Brazil did not import the ethical counterpart of economic liberalism, so there is public demand for greater equality and political liberalism", he said. "The question which faces many Latin American countries is how to reconcile what we are and what we want to be and how to attain this without losing our own identities", concluded DaMatta. David Molner, Senior Vice-President of Viacom Entertainment Group, USA, pointed out that the motion picture industry is the oldest global industry, which influenced cultural patterns worldwide. "Since films produced in the United States dominate the market, does this represent a threat to local culture?", asked Molner. The answer to this question is "no" to a large extent. "The demand for local production is strong and there is a growing trend towards co-productions by US firms with local partners", he said. Not all businesses need to go global either, he added. "Big companies have to join the global market in order to stay big and to survive as industry giants, but smaller firms should seek partners and take advantage of their local viewpoint and specialized market". Molner also pointed out the need for multinational firms to rely on local managers to get a better feel for local markets and to run operations smoothly while respecting the local culture. Edgardo Pappacena, Partner at Arthur Andersen, USA, said the debate between global versus local is already outdated. "The strength of any society resides in its capacity to blend together global influences and local traditions. One system does not exclude the other", he said. Internationally the trend is for business practices to become globalized while the culture remains local, pointed out Pappacena. An example of this global-local mix can be seen on the Internet through the "Yahoo" website, he said, where "you will see the same Yahoo brand but the content will differ according to whether the public is German, American or Japanese." Antoni Subira i Claus, Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism of Catalonia, Spain, made a strong case for the impressive resilience of regional cultures in a global world. Catalonia's unique culture helped it to integrate smoothly into the supra-national European Union, as was the case for the Independent State of Bavaria in Germany, indicated Subira i Claus. "In order to go global without feeling threatened, people need roots and a sense of community", he said. "Only local cultures and a regional identity can provide this security." Subira i Claus added that Catalonia is Spain's economic powerhouse in terms of influence and production and is a regional global power in its own right, exporting more than Hungary and Argentina. *{Contributors: DaMatta Roberto Marinho Joao Roberto Molner David Pappacena Edgardo Subirà i Claus Antoni}