Redesigning Society: Local Economies and Happy Communities

By Phillip J. Watt
Guest Writer for Wake Up World

Globalization, Economics and the Culture of Consumption

Globalization is the emergence of bodies that organize, operate and economize on an international scale. It arguably originated to a small degree millennia ago, however since the 19th Century, and particularly over the past few decades, it has come to dominate the way in which the world owns, distributes, obtains, consumes and wastes its resources.

At first glance, globalization appears as a primarily positive influence for the socio-economic evolution of our global culture, because it has brought some short-terms gains; however the long-term reality is much more destructive. The deregulation of international trade and the consolidation of power structures has caused severe damage to local economies, cultural diversity, food quality, business ethics, Mother Earth and individual health, among other areas.