Global Systems and Global Governance

Explain how containerisation and the internet have together deepened global interdependence.

1. 01Containerisation

   Standardised shipping containers slashed the cost and time of moving goods, so firms can source raw materials and manufacture components anywhere and ship them cheaply - enabling global supply chains.

2. 02The internet

   Instant, cheap global communication lets firms coordinate production, finance and marketing across continents in real time, and lets information and services flow worldwide.

3. 03Combined effect

   Together they reduce the friction of distance for both goods and information, so distant places become tightly linked into a single production and trading system - deepening interdependence.

Result: Cheaper transport of goods and instant global communication together dissolve the friction of distance, tying distant economies into interdependent global supply chains.

A transnational corporation builds a factory in a lower-income country. Evaluate whether its presence is beneficial for the host economy.

1. 01The benefits

   It brings foreign direct investment, creates jobs and incomes, can transfer skills and technology, improve infrastructure, and boost exports and government tax revenue.

2. 02The costs

   Wages and conditions may be poor, environmental and labour regulation may be exploited, much of the profit may be repatriated rather than reinvested, and local firms may be undercut.

3. 03Reach a judgement

   Whether the net effect is positive depends on the terms - the wages paid, the profits reinvested, the regulation enforced - so a balanced conclusion is that TNCs can benefit host economies, but only where the host has the power to secure favourable terms.

Result: The TNC brings investment and jobs but also risks exploitation and profit repatriation; the net benefit depends on the terms and the host's bargaining power.

Explain why global governance often struggles to enforce action on a global problem, using the idea of state sovereignty.

1. 01The structure

   There is no authority above sovereign states, so global institutions can set rules and coordinate, but ultimately rely on states choosing to comply.

2. 02The obstacle

   A state may judge that compliance is against its national interest and refuse; powerful states may use vetoes or their voting weight to block or dilute action.

3. 03The consequence

   So even where a problem is agreed to be global, enforcement is weak because it depends on the consent of unequal, self-interested states - governance coordinates more easily than it compels.

Result: Because governance rests on the consent of sovereign, unequal states with no authority above them, it can coordinate action but struggles to enforce it against a state's perceived interest.

Assess how effectively the Antarctic Treaty System protects Antarctica, considering both its strengths and its limits.

1. 01The strengths

   The 1959 treaty froze territorial disputes and kept the continent peaceful and scientific; the Madrid Protocol bans mineral exploitation and CCAMLR manages fishing - a rare, durable example of cooperation.

2. 02The limits

   The system cannot control the global driver of climate change; tourism is growing and harder to regulate; and the protections rest on continued agreement, with the mineral ban in principle open to future revision.

3. 03Reach a judgement

   A balanced conclusion is that the system has been strikingly successful at what it can control (mining, conflict, fishing) but is vulnerable to external pressures and future changes of will - effective, but not guaranteed.

Result: The Treaty System successfully governs the pressures within its reach (mining, conflict, fishing) but cannot address global climate change and depends on continued consent - effective but not fully secure.

Evaluate the claim that globalisation benefits some places and groups while disadvantaging others.

1. 01The winners

   Core economies and TNCs capture most of the value; some emerging economies have industrialised rapidly and cut poverty; consumers enjoy cheaper goods and new technology.

2. 02The losers

   Many of the poorest countries remain dependent on volatile commodities; workers in supply chains may face poor conditions; environmental costs fall on poorer regions; and inequality within countries can widen.

3. 03Reach a judgement

   Both are true simultaneously, so a defensible conclusion is that globalisation has produced real winners and real losers - its net effect on any place depends on how it is integrated and governed, which is why reform of the rules is central to the debate.

Result: Globalisation creates genuine winners (core economies, some emerging economies, consumers) and genuine losers (commodity-dependent and vulnerable groups); the balance for any place depends on its integration and governance.