Congratulations!
All India UPSC Essay Competition
Gayathri Chandran
All India Rank - 8th
Prize: CL Course worth Rs. 10k.
- UPSC attempt given before: Appearing in CSE 2020
- Pre-Qualified- No
- Main Qualified- No
- Final Selected- No
- Graduation - I've completed M.A in English Literature,
- College: Lady DoakCollege(2017-19).
Globalization & its impact on Democracy
Globalisation and its Impact on Democracy C. GAYATHRI The moment we say ‘globalisation’, we often confine ourselves to the economic system that developed over the past fifty years or so. But it is more than that. Globalisation is not only about integrating economic systems but also integrating or disseminating social and political ideas. So how much has globalisation impacted democracy? Has globalisation spread democracy? Or is it a threat to democracy? In this essay, we will look into answers for these questions. Democracy tests the intelligence and character of the people of the nation. Elections are not the only way through which people exercise their rights or power. Time and again, we see people coming forward to show their disapproval with the government and its actions. And globalisation has taken it to the next level of participation. With the advent of technology, we are able to see the immediate reaction of people whether it is positive or negative. People are more alert and interested in knowing how the country is run which shows the strong democratic character of the nation. Recently, when a black man was assaulted and killed by the white police officers in the United States, the protests broke out all over the world. People, from various parts of the world, rose up in anger against the brutal police action and racial injustice. It shows the transcending nature of democratic ideals across national boundaries. These democratic ideals have crept into many authoritarian regimes and have even resulted in overthrowing those regimes. As globalisation brings the world closer, political and cultural ideas become unified and results in the emergence of new democracies. Similarly, when the youth movement “Youth for Climate” was started in Sweden, it spread rapidly to other parts of the world too. The students from different countries including India organised themselves and demanded action from political leaders to prevent climate change. As a result of which United Kingdom became the first country to pass law to end climate change. So, on the one hand, globalisation has promoted democracy and contributed in political reforms of the nations. On the other hand, it is also feared that it might also serve as a global threat to democracy. Globalisation has also unleashed the forces of “uncivil society” such as the transnational flows of terrorism, human and drug trafficking, piracy, organised crimes and pandemic diseases. The growth of these transnational networks poses a severe threat to state institutions and civil society in many countries. This shows the dark side of globalisation and its negative impact on democracy. This is further evident in contemporary setting as the entire world is grappled by the COVID-19 pandemic. The whole world has come to a standstill that it questions the future of globalisation and geopolitical order. It might further lead to more protectionist policies of the countries than opening up the windows as before. While these negative forces have gained much energy and have been successful in creating social and political instability among states and nations, the global governance or regulation to keep these forces away has not yet been developed well. In this context, the role played by the regional institutions or groupings such as the ASEAN, BIMSTEC and BRICS etc. becomes significant. And also the leaders of the nations should be more pluralistic as well as transparent with the public. And this is the time to coordinate ourselves for the betterment of the entire world. The interests of the citizens and collective welfare should be kept in mind before anything else. As Bill Clinton said, “It (globalisation) is a wonderful opportunity, but also a profound responsibility”. So it is high time that we realise the importance in keeping up the spirit of democratic ideals and moving towards ‘global democracy’.