Open Government

Open Government

Open Government is based on this key idea: that good government is rooted in access, transparency and participation. Ultimately, public trust in government will increase (a worthy objective itself) when there is better – and broad – understanding of the functions and roles of government, and as accountability to the public increases. In its corporate Strategic Plan, as adopted by City Council, the City of Toronto bureaucracy has committed to this goal, and the session this week was a critical step towards building internal capacity for delivering on it.

Municipal governments are uniquely positioned to drive this movement forward by virtue of being closest – both geographically and in terms of the daily services they provide – to the people they govern. It has been fascinating for me to observe how, in some ways, it is easy to be accessible and transparent in municipal government. Anyone can show up and observe council in progress, or attend a committee meeting and request to depute. The City of Toronto reporting structure, which requires public reports to be submitted to committee and/or council prior to the debate of an item, provides the opportunity for those who choose to get into the details and complexities behind any issue, to do so.

In addition, a comprehensive public process, where background materials are provided to inform the public and shape the debate, typically informs the recommendations in these reports. Subsequently, the analysis, which informs the recommendations of City Staff to City Council, is made fully available to the public in the context of a report. These reports also remain, through the City of Toronto’s website, in the public domain.

Political Globalization

1) Summarize in your own words of materials you read

 

Today's globalization is a new phenomenon appeared in society since the mid-20th century, Globalization of politics, economy, culture, society so on. Try to distinguish the boundaries of state is useless these days.

After 20th century world became so multidimensional, accelerated and interconnected organization of space and time across national borders. Political globalization has been much discussed in the globalization literature where the emphasis has been on the decline of the nation-state under the impact of global forces.

The first dimension of political globalization is the global geopolitics. It means territorially based kind of globalization and largely confined to politic form. After collapse of the Soviet Union, the word ‘End of history’ occurred. It does not mean end of ideology. The globalization of democratic politics called ‘new world order’. In fact, it contains a pressure from supremacy nations like United States.

The second dimension of political globalization is the rise of a global normative culture. It emphasizes human right, which lies at the center of a global cosmopolitanism, not focusing on Western.

The third dimension of political globalization is polycentric networks. It forms of non-territorial politics which pursue multiplicity. The polycentric networks associated with emerging forms of global governance.

Political globalization has resulted in a new set of tensions around which politics is now structured. Whereas key political conflicts were previously centred on class divisions, state versus civil society, cleavages between traditional and industrial. Political globalization has worked to create the possibility for a proliferation of sites of political conflict around an expanded set of concerns: governance, identity, mobilities and community prominent amongst them.

 

2) Mention of any new, interesting, or unusual items learned, 3.Identify at least one question, concern, or discussion angle.

 

Is it possible to make a politcal union in asia like EU?

EU is not designed only for political union, they have more deep down purpose. First and most important of their purpose was checks and balances with America.

Then turn back into 2015. What is the main purpose if some of countries want to make a new UNION? I can swear that not like Soviet-union. It should highly related with economic situation. China want to make a train-link with so many asian countries and middle-east countries. China want to have deal and ally with all other countries Not north america continent and EU. I think only china can make new union on earth and only china can re-establish the order of earth.

Cultural Globalization

1) Summarize in your own words of materials you read

 

In the relationship between globalization and culture, To understand the meaning and character of ‘cultural globalization’, we first should understand defining features of the two constituent terms.

One simple way of defining globalization is to say that it is a complex, accelerating, integrating process of global connectivity.

This increasing Connectivity pretty much defines our use of communications technologies. -mobile phones, computers, e-mail, the Internet.

 

First, because we are not handling with straightforward empirical judgments about what specific practices drive everything else, but also with questions of the constitution of analytical categories: to what extent are economic practices also, intrinsically, cultural ones?

The second reason is that it perverts our understanding of the sphere of culture.

To clarify this, we have to probe a little more into the complicated and often elusive concept of culture.

This say " What I have emphasized here is that culture is a dimension in which globalization both has its effects and simultaneously is generated and shaped.“

 

However, increasing global connectivity necessarily implies that the world is becoming, either economically or politically ‘unified’. What is feared here is the total domination of world cultures through the unopposed advance of iconic brands such as Disney, Coca-Cola, Marlboro, Microsoft, Google, McDonald’s, CNN, Nike and Starbucks.

 

But Marx combines this vision with deeply Eurocentric attitude. He welcomes the way in which the bourgeois era is sweeping away premodern ‘civilizations’, preparing the way for the coming socialist revolution and the communist era.

 

The vast majority of our local lives, but globalization is rapidly changing our experience of this ‘locality’ and one way of grasping this change is in the idea of ‘deterritorialization’.

 

2) mention of any new, interesting, or unusual items learned

 

I was interested in one of the example. I have never seen historical access to globalization. By using the historical example we can understand more easily about why now days' globalization shows the tendency 'Westernization'. And i think it can be more interesting because not only show positive side of globalization but also negative side.

 

3) Identify at least one question, concern, or discussion angle

 

Increasing global, the most common way is that cultural globalization implies a form of cultural imperialism especially American culture. What we need to worry about is the entire domination of world cultures through representative brands such as Nike, McDonald so on. Dissemination of dominant culture can threaten the local and minor culture in certain countries. Similar things occur in real life of Korea. Hong-dae, Sang-su dong are famous spot now days. They have their own specific and distinguishable atmosphere. So many people go there to have dinner or coffee. And also, quiet and cost of rent was so cheap so many artist and small studios were there. But those places became popular, cost of rent is much more higher than before. So, many artist and people who already have their own shop in there got thretened from big companies to get out of there.  

What is globalization?

1. Summarize in your own words of materials you read

 

So many topics are included under the globalization : global governance, citizenship, human rights, migration and the creation of diasporas, transnational connections. Some of the disputes arise from differences in perspective. We need to speak of globalizations in the plural

 

Globalization as an object, a perspective and a horizon.

the object approach involves thinking of globalization as a single process, the world takes on a different complexion when viewed in global terms. globalization need to be understood as the direction in which world is moving.

 

The idea that the world as a single place has brought so many great questions.

In political science and international relations ; territory and sovereignty

In anthropology ; societies were more or less isolated and globalizing process such as migration and hybridization.

 

The most important single defining feature of globalization is increasing of connectivity.

Globalization needs to be considered as a combination of both subjective and cultural factors.

 

Globalization started to be studied in a view of anthropology. More focus on civilizational issues. Nature and purpose of human life. After 1990s, considerable talk of the ‘real’ clash or conflict, hanging to do more with scarce resources, such as oil and water.

 

Globalization has three dimension : economic, political, cultural.

Cultural globalization is concerned with economic globalization. Typical thins is ‘McDonald, Nike, Starbucks, KFC. It seemed like spread from America to the rest of the world. In spite of attempts to spread in homogeneous way, it is necessary to adapt to local circumstances.

 

Since much of thinking about globalization has been undertaken by sociologists, neglect of the social dimension by the sociologists was common. Notwithstanding with this ironical situation, it is impossible to think about Globalization without social interaction and communication around the world.

 

the issue of the form or pattern of globalization was raised by Wallerstein. And still most of scholars used his term. He said we live in ‘Single pace’. But that is not totally integrated nation. World could be ruled by one thing. Such as Soviet Communist Party , German Fascism, or along imperial lines.

Form of Globalization has been produced by the expansion of capitalism over five or six hundreds years. His studies seems like conducted only one way(view), the economic approach.

It is necessary to see the Globalization in multidimensional ways. International-systemic aspect, humanity, individual selves and nation-state.

Globalization is a process which has been challenged by nation-state. And nation state was rapidly undermined by economic forces. But, present authors think factors of decline of nation-state are changing nature, Which is multicultural society. We have to think process of Globalization involves individual, and everyday human life.

International system ; so-called system of societies. After the cold war, we seems like live in one-world dominated by U.S.In spite of the U.S power, China and Russia are expanding their strength also ‘promise’ E.U. The world system increasingly get great and flux of puzzling of flux.

 

Glocaliztion has been being received attention in study of business and economy fields. It is associated with both global and local. It covers relationship between the global and local. It does not mean that the global is opposite of the local. it is kind of another aspect coming from different perspective in same field.

 

 

2. Mention of any new, interesting, or unusual items learned

 

What I found from this read is that defining of the meaning of Globalization is impossible. It means that no one can define globalization, because it is very huge and various concept.

 

Glocalization was new concept that got my interesting. I’ve never heard of them. It can cover both of local and global. And can explain relationship between them. They were absolutely different concept before I read this. But Glocalization means they are only different for speaking of globalization.

 

3. Identify at least one question, concern, or discussion angle

 

I want to refer Korean thing to glocalization. It can be both of global and local. K-pop, k-drama, k-beauty all these things are started in Korea but after time goes by, through the internet became the global thing. (Actually, Asian thing could be more correct.)

Economic globalization

Economic Globalization: Corporations

Peter Dicken

 

 

Summarize in your words of materials you read   

  The transnational corporation(TNC) is the key that solves cacophony of opinions on economic globalization. Recently, we live in a world of global corporations. We knows provide a more nuanced depiction and explanation of the nature and significance of TNCs in the processes of economic globalization because TNCs are an approach that is grounded in the empirical reality of a differentiated geography.

This chapter focused of five related issues.

(1) the scaleand geographical distribution of TNCs in the global economy

(2) why and how corporations engage in transnational activities

(3) the geographical embeddedness of transnational corporations

(4) the ‘webs of enterprise’ manifested in transnational production networks

(5) the power relationships between TNCs and other actors in the global economy.

 

   The development of companies with interests and activities located outside their home country was part and parcel of the early development of an international economy. A lot of companies that trade played important roles to increasingly interconnected political economy.

TNC activity is measured using statistics on foreign direct investment. The vast majority of FDI consists of cross investment between developed countries. TNCs contribute the undoubtedly growing in the world. The diversity TNCs is increasing in the global economy.

   Place and geography still matter in the ways which firms are preduced and in how they behave. All TNCs are produced through an complex process of embedding in which the cognitive, cultural, social, political, and economic characteristics of the national home base play a dominant part.

All business firms are highly complex and dynamic networks of production, distribution and consumption. This networks have become extensive geographically and controlled primarily by transnational corporations.

   TNCs’ power is that their potential ability to take advantage of geographical differences in the availability and cost of resources. While recognizing the undoubted power and influence of TNCs in the global economy, we have to avoid the simplistic view that TNCs always prevail. TNCs may be powerful but they do not possess absolute power.

 

 

Mention of any new, interesting, or unusual items learned

  I learned TNCs in this chapter. I think the development of TNCs means that advanced countries such as USA, Japan and EU have supremacy of state to other countries. I think this matter is very important. The increase of oversea investment may reduces native job. Thus, unemployment matter may be serious in the developing country.

 

 

Identify at least one question, concern, or discussion angle

   I concern about the negative influence that TNCs have an effect on the international politics. For example, there is one TNC that has international market power in agricultural production. This corporation may monopolize a patent about plant breeding. Thus, international farmers have to pay guarantee to that corporation. If many farmers cultivate other plant because of a expensive guarantee, they can’t use relatively inexpensive agricultural pesticides that are sold by TNC, and finally, they failed.

   Eventually, it is real that TNCs contribute the increase of international economy. But a lot of negative influences of TNCs’ abuse of market power are the problem. TNCs influence on the political part. Thus, we have to concern about TNCs’ abuse of power.

 

Economic Globalization

Economic Globalization

Summarize in your own words of materials you read

There is a clear consensus that the business corporation – specifically the transnational corporation (TNC). To provide a depiction and explanation of the nature and significance of TNCs in the processes of economic globalization, there is an approach focused on five related issues: the scale and geographical distribution of TNCs in the global economy; why and how corporations engage in transnational activities; the geographical embeddedness of transnational corporations; the ‘webs of enterprise’ manifested in transnational production networks; the power relationships between TNCs and other actors in the global economy.

There is an increasing diversity of TNCs in the global economy. The reasons why business firms extend their operations outside their home countries are complex and highly contingent on particular circumstances. But, although there is variety of reasons for TNC activity, it can be divided by two concepts: market-oriented investment and asset-oriented investment.

Developments in transportation and communications technologies, as well as in production process technologies, have facilitated the transformation of the geographical extent over which a TNC can separate out its different functions as well as their precise geographical configuration.

Mention of any new, interesting, or unusual items learned

I think this part is very interesting for me. TNC is a convergence of business-organizational forms towards a single ‘placeless’ type. This is because, over time, and under specific circumstances, societies have tended to develop distinctive ways of organizing their economies capitalism comes from many different varieties. Also, such distinctive forms tend to persist over time, even though they may become modified ‘at the margin’ through interaction with other social systems of production:

Identify at least one question, concern, or discussion angle 

Forms of economic coordination and governance cannot easily be transferred from one society to another, for they are embedded in social systems of production distinctive to their particular society. TNCs are very bigger part of our market. It is good at connecting easily global markets among countries. And the market can go into the diversification. It makes consumers’ opportunity to choose products various.  However, I think this have some possibilities that the poor can be poorer because TNCs is big group so other small market cannot live in this globalization. Thus, we have to think about how we can solve the problem.

Political Globalization

Political Globalization

Summarize in your own words of materials you read

The concept of globalization in this chapter show diverse meanings. It is multidimensional and interconnected organization of time and space all around the world. Development of a global political culture is the fragmentation of the social world leading to a loss of political autonomy. There are three processes.

Firstly, the globalization of the nation-state, and its model of political membership and institutionalized governance, has given form to the universal aspiration for democracy. The nation-state is an important role for political autonomy, via the sovereignty of peoplehood, and democracy is an important badge of membership in a world community of nation-states. Wherever democracy exists, democratic deficits are being discovered.

Second, global normative culture has also acted as de fecto for global norms of personhood positing a world of individuals sustained by human rights law. Global normative culture has been disseminated by INGOs over a long period of time and has scripted the development of the nation-state as a global form. At the same time as working to individuate and fragment, these processes also open up the possibilities of new cosmopolitan collectivities. It is created in the recognition that the needs of humanity are prior to those of democracy.

Lastly, polycentric networks, and particularly the development of global civil society, create new opportunities for autonomy and the recognition of a range of new actors and new modes of governance, but, at the same time, can create new instabilities and dangers.

Mention of any new, interesting, or unusual items learned

I think globalization is defined very widely. The defined concept is various but I focused on new cosmopolitan collectivities. This is new communities of fate emerging from the recognition that we live in a ‘world risk society’. One of the main expressions of this is human rights. The human rights lie at the central of a global cosmopolitanism, but it also includes environmental concerns and these are now global. Also, it is a dimension of globalization that is not specifically Western. As a result of global communication and popular culture etc., political communication is now also global in scope, no longer confined to national borders. National politics is increasingly framed in terms of global discourses. This is impressing part of mine.

Identify at least one question, concern, or discussion angle 

I guess communication with global scope is sharing through diverse ways. There are some interest things, such as how can we define human rights all around the world. Because of cultural background, we cannot define easily the ‘right’ human rights. Also, political globalization is difficult for people to connect widely. We have to think about these parts.