*{The Silent Voices on Globalization [http://www.weforum.org/site/knowledgenavigator.nsf/Content/The%20Silent%20Voices%20on%20Globalization?open&topic_id=300250000&theme_id=300]

            01.02.2002

            Annual Meeting 2002}

            *partie=titre Who’s Afraid of Globalization and Who Isn’t? *partie=nil

            What do average citizens think of globalization? To find out, a World Economic Forum poll, part of an Environics International survey, was carried out among 25,000 respondents in 25 countries on six continents between October and December 2001. A slim majority in low-GDP countries agreed that poor countries benefit from globalization, reported Doug Miller, President of Environics International, Canada. In the US and other countries that are part of the coalition in the war against terrorism, perceptions of the effects of globalization tended to be positive. Perceptions were generally negative in countries that have been hit badly by financial crisis or the recent global economic downturn. Nearly 60% of those surveyed said that globalization would improve human rights. But when it came to jobs, poverty and the environment, more respondents reckoned that globalization would have a negative impact in those areas. 

            Miller underscored these key conclusions from the study:
            In many G-20 countries post-11 September, globalization’s popular mandate is stronger.
            Citizens, especially those in low-GDP countries, expect globalization to deliver numerous benefits.
            The pro-globalization side may be vulnerable on the issues of jobs, poverty and the environment.
            In G-7 countries, more citizens are sceptical of the benefits of globalization for developing economies.
            Strong support for peaceful anti-globalization protests suggests that views on the issue are volatile.

            Reacting to the results, Jagdish Bhagwati, Professor of Economics and Political Science, Columbia University, USA, reminded participants: "There are so many dimensions to globalization." He called for a "disaggregation" of the definition of globalization in future surveys. Noting that the countries with high negative perceptions of globalization are those that have been hit by financial crisis, such as Indonesia and Argentina, Bhagwati stressed the need to be careful in analysing the results. Isolationism has been tried before, with negative results, he added. The enthusiasm for globalization in poor countries suggests people are willing to wait and see how this new model works out.

            Globalization is irreversible, Stephen J. Kobrin, Professor of Multinational Management, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, USA, declared. The support for peaceful protests could be a warning that widespread opposition to globalization may emerge. The world is in a period of systemic change, as decision-making moves from the national to the global level. In this uncertainty, people worry about losing control and democratic participation. Kobrin reckoned that it is time to stop discussing whether globalization can be reversed and instead focus on dealing with key issues such as jobs, poverty and the environment.

            For Ed Mayo, Executive Director, New Economics Foundation, United Kingdom, the survey results indicate that concern for global justice stretches far beyond the membership of NGOs. There is "tremendous untapped energy for global citizenship", Mayo concluded. Citing the gap between policymakers and the anti-globalization protest movement, he warned that people may "run out of the capacity to change course". Business, government and civil society leaders, he said, must have the "creativity to forge new institutional arrangements for a more inclusive global economy."

            After 11 September, many analysts warned, attitudes towards globalization have changed. London School of Economics Professor John Gray even suggested that "9/11 spelled the end of globalization." Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de Leon, Senior Economic Consultant and President of Mexico from 1994 to 2000, dismissed such reactions as hysterical. It has since become clear that "we need more globalization, not less," he argued. "Those of us [who see the benefits] have not made our case forcefully enough."

            During the discussion, Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, Chief Executive Officer of Nestlé, Switzerland, echoed Zedillo’s point, stressing that, while not perfect, globalization has been an extremely successful system for the world economy. It has created millions of jobs, raised millions out of poverty and improved the quality of life. Supporters of globalization must spread the word about these benefits, he declared.

                  *{Contributors:       Bhagwati Jagdish
                  Kobrin Stephen J.
                  Mayo Ed
                  Miller Doug
                  Zedillo Ponce de Leon Ernesto}