Definition and core meaning of globalization

Summary

Globalization is the process of increasing interdependence and integration among the economies, markets, societies, and cultures of countries worldwide. In a simple sense, it involves the widening, deepening, and speeding up of global interconnection, but more complete definitions emphasize how social relations and transactions change across space and time—growing in reach (extensity), strength (intensity), speed (velocity), and overall impact. The term has been used since the early 20th century, but it became widely popular in the 1990s to describe the post–Cold War rise in international connectivity. Its development is linked to long-running historical changes such as advances in transportation and communication after the Industrial Revolution, reductions in barriers to trade, liberalization of capital movements, and the spread of information and communication technologies. Scholars often describe globalization through major dimensions such as economic, cultural, and political globalization, reflecting how these interconnected processes reshape how people, goods, ideas, and institutions relate across borders.

Key Points

• 1

  Globalization means increasing worldwide interdependence and integration across economies, societies, and cultures.

• 2

  More precise definitions treat globalization as changes in the spatial organization of social relations and transactions, measured by extensity, intensity, velocity, and impact.

• 3

  The concept became widely used in the 1990s, and is driven by factors like trade barrier reductions, capital liberalization, transport improvements, and information/communication technologies.

• 4

  Academic approaches commonly distinguish globalization into economic, cultural, and political dimensions (with additional cross-cutting perspectives).