Globalisation Essay Outlines

“Globalisation privileges the rich more than the poor.” How far is this true?

Key terms
Globalisation
Candidates would need to show an understanding of the characteristics of this phenomenon, in particular, how they affect the rich and poor.
Privileges
To grant an advantage or a special right.
Rich and Poor
These terms refer to the disparity in income.
More than
Although these words are often indicated that an essay requires some form of comparison, the following ‘extent’ phrase negates this.
“How far is this true?”
Candidates need to assess the extent to which the rich are placed at an advantaged as a result of globalisation. The assumption is that the rich are indeed privileged more.

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Possible stands:
This statement is true to a large extent.
This is obviously the easier stand to take as candidates merely need to show the fullness of how globalisation benefits the rich more than the poor.
This statement is true to a small extent.
This stand can be tricky to prove if candidates are unable to clear express that despite the rich benefitting more than the poor, the advantage that they gain is marginal.

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TEACHER'S Expectations:
Candidates should be able to clearly define the nature of the advantage enjoyed by the rich as a result of globalisation.
Apart from showing how the rich gain more advantages than the poor, candidates also need to evaluate the extent of its validity.
Candidates should not limit their discussion of the rich and poor in terms of the developed and developing world but also consider the rich and poor within a country.

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Possible arguments:
With globalisation, the existing income disparity between the rich and poor nations is further widened due to the exploitation by the rich nations.
The spread of technology empowers the rich throughout the world who have access to it but further disadvantages the poor who lack the money and skill to utilise it fully.
Through globalisation, the rich gain access to more resources without facing resource depletion.
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Sample Paragraph

Through globalisation, the rich gain access to more resources without facing resource depletion. The creation of free trade allows the sale of natural resources from the poor nations to the rich nations, thus further providing the rich with more resources while creating problems of resource depletion for the poor. Since the poor countries require funds for economic growth and raw materials are the only valuable resource they have, they often sell them to richer countries at low prices. Though the poor countries gain revenue from the trade, they lose vital resources, such as Madagascar that suffers from rampant deforestation. Despite attempts made by the UNCED (United Nations Conference on Environment and Development) to reduce the extent of such exploitation, it’s subsequent ineffectiveness clearly reinforces the large extent to which the rich benefit more than the poor as a result of globalisation.
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Balance

Candidates should acknowledge that the poor do gain advantages as a result of globalisation.
Candidates could also mention the increasing awareness of the widening disparity that globalisation creates, which in turn leads to the creation of greater checks and balances that might reduce the extent of how much more the rich gain advantage over the poor.
Fair trade, International Labour Organisation, World Bank, UNCED etc.
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