The term GLOBALIZATION refers to the increased interconnectedness of people and environments around the world through the transfer and exchange of capital, ideas, money, labor, and commodities. Globalization encompasses global integration through investment and capital flows between nations; the emergence of new political territories; the diffusion of information and technologies; and the movement of cultural identities and practices around the globe.

Globalization therefore describes a transformation in the spatial organization of social, political, and economic relations between global actors. The term globalization is also a rhetorical tool used in public discussions about the state of global economic, social, and environmental conditions. The term is used by a variety of ideological positions including both pro-globalization and alter-globalization (oftentimes labeled anti-globalization) activists. Globalization is thus a set of ...