Globalisation, political and economic relationships | AQA A-Level Sociology
Updated: Sep 1
For Specification 7192
AQA A-Level Sociology | Free Revision Notes
Estimated study time: 75 minutes
Globalisation, political and economic relationships A-Level Sociology revision examines how growing global interconnectedness changes relationships between societies. AQA requires students to understand globalisation's influence on cultural, political and economic relationships, and to connect these changes to development and global inequality. Building on globalisation and cultural relationships [Globalisation and cultural relationships], this lesson focuses on political change, economic opportunities and inequalities, and the debate over whether globalisation promotes or restricts development.
Learning Objectives 🎯
By the end of this revision page, you should be able to:
Define globalisation and explain how it creates increasing political and economic interconnectedness.
Explain how globalisation may influence political relationships and political change.
Explain how globalisation may influence industries, employment, trade and relationships involving transnational corporations.
Analyse positive and negative economic consequences of globalisation for developing societies.
Apply modernisation and dependency perspectives to the significance of globalisation.
Evaluate the extent to which political and economic globalisation contributes to development.
Revision Notes 📚
Globalisation, political and economic relationships A-Level Sociology revision: the key issue
Globalisation refers to increasing connections between different parts of the world.
For Global Development, AQA specifically requires students to understand its influence on the:
cultural relationships between societies
political relationships between societies
economic relationships between societies
These dimensions are interconnected. Economic globalisation can alter employment and patterns of production, while communication technologies associated with globalisation can expose people to political ideas from other societies.
The central sociological question is therefore not simply whether globalisation exists, but:
What kinds of political and economic changes does it produce, who benefits from them, and do these changes promote development?
Political globalisation
The political dimension of globalisation concerns the way increasing global connections can influence:
political ideas
political movements
demands for change
the behaviour of governments
relationships between political groups across different societies
AQA directly assessed this area in 2023 by asking students to analyse ways globalisation may bring about political change in developing countries.
Global media and awareness of other societies
One important political effect of globalisation comes from increased access to information about life in other societies.
Globalised media can make people more aware of:
political arrangements elsewhere
different living conditions
alternative values and expectations
inequalities between societies
This increased awareness may encourage people to question existing arrangements in their own society.
AQA's 2023 mark scheme recognised the chain:
greater awareness through globalised media → dissatisfaction or comparison → protests and demands for political change.
This connects political globalisation with the cultural processes covered in globalisation and cultural relationships [Globalisation and cultural relationships].
Globalisation and demands for political change
When people become aware of different ways of organising social or political life, they may demand change within their own society.
The important sociological process is:
Global communication increases exposure to ideas from other societies.
People compare their circumstances with those elsewhere.
Existing political arrangements may be questioned.
Political movements or protests may develop.
Governments may face pressure for change.
AQA's 2023 assessment specifically recognised protests and demands for political change as possible consequences of globalised media.
In an exam, do not stop at saying that "social media causes political change". Explain the entire mechanism.
Political movements across national boundaries
Globalisation may also allow political movements in different parts of the world to communicate and act together.
AQA's 2023 mark scheme specifically recognised that globalisation can enable political movements in different societies to cooperate in bringing about political change.
Communication technologies can therefore change political relationships because political organisation is no longer necessarily confined to one society.
A useful analysis chain is:
greater global communication → links between political groups → sharing of information and organisation → increased ability to campaign for change
This demonstrates how political relationships become increasingly transnational.
Globalisation does not always produce greater political openness
Political globalisation can also produce a reaction against outside influence.
Governments may see access to global information as a threat to their authority.
AQA's 2023 mark scheme recognised that some regimes may become more authoritarian and attempt to restrict people's access to global news and media.
The possible process is:
global information → challenges to existing political authority → government perceives threat → tighter control of information or political activity
This is important because it demonstrates that globalisation does not automatically produce one type of political change.
Political change can operate in different directions
A simplistic argument might be:
Globalisation increases political freedom.
A more sociological argument recognises competing outcomes.
Possible political effect | How globalisation contributes |
Greater demands for change | People encounter alternative ideas and conditions through global media. |
Increased political organisation | Movements in different societies can communicate and cooperate. |
Political resistance | Groups may react against influences seen as coming from outside. |
Greater state control | Governments may restrict global information if it threatens their authority. |
The effect therefore depends on how governments, groups and individuals respond to increasing interconnectedness.
Political globalisation and development
Political changes can matter for development because development is broader than economic growth alone.
AQA assessment material recognises that development can involve wider changes alongside economic growth, including dimensions such as health, gender equality and sustainability.
Political globalisation may therefore contribute to development where greater awareness or organisation encourages changes in social conditions.
However, this outcome is not automatic.
If governments respond to globalisation by increasing political restrictions, global interconnectedness may generate conflict or resistance rather than straightforward progress.
The relationship is therefore:
globalisation → political change → possible effects on development
rather than:
globalisation = development
Economic globalisation
Economic globalisation involves increasing economic connections between societies.
These relationships can involve:
businesses operating internationally
new industries
production for export
employment across global markets
investment by transnational corporations
international movement of workers
increasing international trade
AQA has directly assessed the ways globalisation may bring about economic change in developing countries.
The growth of new industries
Globalisation may enable developing societies to establish or expand industries that connect them to international markets.
AQA's 2021 mark scheme gives tourism as an example of a new industry that may create:
economic activity
employment
economic growth
The mechanism is:
greater global interconnectedness → access to international markets or consumers → development of new industries → employment and income → potential economic growth
This provides one argument that globalisation can contribute positively to development.
Production for export
Another consequence of global economic integration is increased production of goods for export.
Exports are goods or services produced in one society and sold to people or organisations in another.
AQA's 2021 mark scheme recognised increased production for export as a possible economic effect of globalisation in developing societies.
This means production becomes connected to demand beyond the domestic economy.
Potential consequences include:
greater economic activity
new employment
increased participation in the global economy
This provides an important link to trade and industrialisation [Trade and industrialisation].
Transnational corporations
Transnational corporations (TNCs) operate across national boundaries.
They are particularly important to economic globalisation because their activities connect economies through:
production
employment
investment
international markets
AQA explicitly requires students to understand the role of TNCs in development, and specimen assessment material recognises their size and power, their role in investment, their effect on local businesses and their creation of training and employment opportunities.
Their role is explored fully in transnational corporations [Transnational corporations].
Employment opportunities created by TNCs
TNC activity can create new employment in developing societies.
AQA's 2021 mark scheme recognised that individuals may gain:
employment
training opportunities
through TNCs.
This can contribute to development if employment increases people's resources or develops skills.
A simple analytical chain is:
TNC expansion → new employment → income and training → potential improvements in economic opportunities → development
However, the word potential matters. Sociology requires evaluation of whether benefits actually occur and how widely they are distributed.
Skills and training
Employment linked to global businesses may provide workers with opportunities to gain new skills.
AQA's specimen mark scheme recognises training and skills transfer as one way TNCs may affect employment in developing societies.
Skills may matter for development because they can increase the productive capacity of the workforce.
This overlaps with later study of employment and education [Employment and education].
Investment
TNCs can also connect societies through international investment.
AQA's specimen assessment material specifically recognises foreign direct investment of capital as relevant when considering TNCs and developing countries.
Investment can make economic activity possible by providing resources for businesses and production.
However, the sociological question is not simply whether investment occurs. Students should also consider:
what type of economic activity is created
how many people benefit
whether skills and employment are developed
how local businesses are affected
These questions become particularly important when evaluating the contribution of TNCs to development.
Effects on local businesses
Global businesses may affect existing local economic activity.
AQA's specimen mark scheme recognises the effect of TNCs on local businesses as relevant to their impact on employment.
This means that globalisation can simultaneously create and disrupt economic opportunities.
For example, the analytical issue is whether:
new global economic activity creates additional opportunities
or whether:
global competition places pressure on existing employment and businesses
This makes the impact of economic globalisation more complicated than simply "more companies means more jobs".
Capital-intensive development
AQA's specimen mark scheme also recognises the capital-intensive nature of some TNC activity.
Capital-intensive economic activity relies heavily on investment, machinery or technology rather than large numbers of workers.
This provides an important evaluative point.
Economic investment may increase production without necessarily producing equally large increases in employment.
Therefore:
economic growth does not automatically equal widespread employment opportunities
This is a useful distinction in development essays.
Industrialisation and changing employment
Globalisation can contribute to economic relationships in which developing societies become increasingly industrialised.
AQA's 2024 mark scheme recognises several possible employment changes associated with industrialisation:
more employment in factories and workshops
increased formal-sector employment
more opportunities for women to undertake paid work
greater opportunities for training and career development
fewer people working in activities such as farming and fishing
a more specialised division of labour
Industrialisation is explored fully in trade and industrialisation [Trade and industrialisation].
Changes in how people support themselves
AQA's 2021 examination specifically highlighted that globalisation can alter how people support themselves and their families.
The growth of:
new industries
international employment
factory production
tourism
TNC employment
can alter established patterns of work.
Economic globalisation can therefore change both national economies and people's everyday economic lives.
Migration and economic relationships
Globalisation also increases the movement of workers between societies.
AQA assessment material recognises international migration as an important economic consequence of globalisation.
Migration may:
provide individuals with access to employment in another society
create new employment opportunities
affect labour markets in destination societies
allow money to be sent back to families in societies of origin
AQA's 2022 mark scheme recognises international migration for work and remittances as ways globalisation may affect life chances and social mobility.
Migration therefore creates direct economic relationships between societies through labour and income.
Globalisation can also relocate employment
Corporations can reorganise production across societies.
AQA assessment material recognises that companies may move production internationally and that global competition can lead to job losses in some locations while creating employment elsewhere.
This produces a major evaluative issue:
The economic benefits of globalisation may not be distributed equally between societies or social groups.
One society may gain new investment and employment while workers elsewhere experience unemployment or greater job insecurity.
This links directly back to global inequality [Global inequality].
Globalisation and job insecurity
Globalisation may create new jobs, but it can also change the quality and security of employment.
AQA's assessment material recognises:
precarious employment
low wages
part-time and short-term employment
job insecurity
employment losses resulting from global competition
as possible consequences of globalisation.
This reinforces an important principle:
More economic activity is not automatically the same as better development outcomes for everyone.
Economic growth and development
Modernisation approaches place considerable importance on economic growth.
AQA's 2021 examination presented the modernisation argument that societies can achieve take-off into a modernised economy and society through economic growth.
From this perspective, globalisation can aid development where it creates:
new industries
employment
skills
industrialisation
international economic activity
The argument is essentially:
greater integration into expanding economic activity → economic growth → modernisation → development
A modernisation interpretation of globalisation
Modernisation theory tends to emphasise transformations associated with becoming a modern industrial society.
From this perspective, economic relationships created by globalisation may help developing societies by:
encouraging industrialisation
expanding employment
connecting producers with wider markets
spreading skills and technology
increasing economic growth
This makes globalisation potentially significant as a route towards development.
However, this interpretation can be challenged.
A dependency interpretation
Dependency theory argues that development and underdevelopment need to be understood through unequal relationships between societies.
AQA recognises dependency theory as an important explanation of development and underdevelopment.
From a dependency perspective, simply becoming more connected to the global economy does not necessarily remove inequality.
Instead, the key question becomes:
Are the economic relationships created by globalisation equal, or do they allow more powerful actors to gain greater benefits?
Globalisation may therefore create economic activity while still maintaining unequal relationships.
Modernisation and dependency compared
Modernisation interpretation | Dependency interpretation |
Economic change can help societies modernise. | Global economic relationships may reproduce dependency. |
Industrialisation and growth can promote development. | Economic growth must be considered alongside unequal power. |
Global connections may create new industries and employment. | Benefits from global economic relationships may be uneven. |
Links with more developed economies can offer opportunities. | Relationships with more powerful economies may contribute to underdevelopment. |
This debate builds on development and underdevelopment [Development and underdevelopment].
Economic globalisation may increase development
There are several arguments supporting a positive interpretation.
Globalisation may create:
new industries
production for export
employment
training
investment
industrialisation
access to wider markets
These processes can contribute to economic growth.
AQA's 2021 mark scheme specifically recognises tourism, TNC employment, training and export production as possible economic changes resulting from globalisation.
Economic globalisation may reproduce inequality
However, the same process can have unequal effects.
Potential problems recognised within AQA assessment material include:
pressure on local businesses
capital-intensive production creating limited employment
jobs moving between societies
increased job insecurity
low-paid or precarious work
uneven distribution of economic opportunities
A development judgement therefore needs to ask who benefits from economic growth.
Globalisation and international organisations
Globalisation also increases the importance of organisations operating beyond individual states.
AQA requires students to study the roles of:
transnational corporations
non-governmental organisations
international agencies
in development strategies.
These organisations create political and economic relationships across societies.
Their detailed roles are examined separately in:
non-governmental organisations [Non-governmental organisations]
international agencies [International agencies]
For this lesson, the important principle is that development increasingly involves actors whose activities cross national boundaries.
Economic and political globalisation are connected
Political and economic globalisation should not always be treated as completely separate processes.
Economic changes can affect political relationships, while political decisions can shape economic activity.
For example:
expansion of global businesses can affect employment and economic policy
global media can create pressure for political change
governments can react to globalisation by attempting to control information
international organisations may influence development strategies
The AQA specification places cultural, political and economic relationships together because globalisation can change all three simultaneously.
Globalisation and development: the central debate
The final learning objective asks you to evaluate globalisation's significance for development.
There are several possible positions.
Argument 1: Globalisation promotes development
Globalisation can:
expand economic activity
create employment
encourage new industries
enable training
connect societies with international markets
spread information and ideas
enable political movements to cooperate
From this perspective, globalisation creates opportunities for both economic and political change.
Argument 2: The benefits are uneven
Globalisation does not affect every society or social group equally.
Economic activity can create employment in one place while employment is lost elsewhere.
TNC investment may create jobs, but capital-intensive production may limit the number of workers required.
This means globalisation can change the pattern of global inequality rather than simply remove it.
Argument 3: Economic growth is not the whole of development
AQA's 2023 assessment emphasised that economic measures alone may not provide a satisfactory picture of development.
Health, gender equality and sustainability are among the wider dimensions recognised in the mark scheme.
This is crucial when evaluating globalisation.
Even if globalisation produces economic growth, you still need to ask whether it produces improvements in:
health
education
gender equality
sustainability
wider living conditions
Economic growth is therefore evidence of one aspect of development, not automatic proof that development has occurred in every sense.
Political change is not automatically development
The same caution applies to political consequences.
Greater access to global information may encourage demands for change, but governments can also respond with tighter political control.
AQA explicitly recognises both outcomes.
Therefore, avoid claiming:
"Political globalisation always leads to positive change."
A stronger conclusion is:
Political globalisation increases the possibility of cross-border influence and political mobilisation, but the outcome depends on how governments and societies respond.
Economic change is not automatically development
Similarly, do not assume:
"A TNC creates a factory, therefore development has occurred."
Instead consider:
how much employment is created
whether workers gain skills
whether local businesses benefit or lose out
whether economic growth improves wider aspects of development
This turns description into sociological evaluation.
Political and economic consequences compared
Political globalisation | Economic globalisation |
Increases access to political information. | Connects production and markets across societies. |
Can stimulate demands for political change. | Can create new industries and employment. |
Can link political movements internationally. | Can increase production for export. |
May provoke greater government control. | Can increase TNC investment and training. |
May produce resistance to outside influence. | May create unequal or insecure employment outcomes. |
Its effect on development is not automatically positive. | Economic growth does not automatically mean wider development. |
How globalisation can reduce global inequality
Globalisation may contribute to reducing inequality where developing societies gain:
investment
employment
skills
new industries
economic growth
access to wider markets
Political interconnectedness may also increase awareness of inequalities and help groups organise for change.
This provides an optimistic interpretation of globalisation.
How globalisation can reproduce global inequality
A more critical interpretation emphasises that global economic relationships may remain unequal.
If:
economic opportunities are distributed unevenly
global businesses have greater power than local producers
employment is insecure
growth benefits only some groups
political responses limit change
then globalisation may reproduce rather than eliminate inequalities.
This is why global inequality [Global inequality] and globalisation need to be revised together.
The significance of globalisation depends on how development is defined
A final judgement about globalisation depends partly on what you mean by development.
If development is judged mainly through economic growth, then:
increased production
new industries
employment
exports
may provide strong evidence that globalisation promotes development.
If development is understood more broadly, you must also examine whether economic and political globalisation improves wider outcomes.
AQA's 2023 mark scheme explicitly supports evaluating development through more than economic measures alone.
Building strong chains of analysis
For political globalisation:
globalised media → awareness of alternative conditions → dissatisfaction → political mobilisation → demands for change
or:
global information → challenge to political authority → government feels threatened → restrictions on media → greater political control
For economic globalisation:
international economic connections → new industry → employment and income → economic growth → potential development
or:
TNC investment → capital-intensive production → fewer jobs than expected → limited effect on employment → weaker contribution to development
A strong answer makes every stage explicit.
Evaluating globalisation effectively
A useful evaluation structure is:
Identify a change caused by globalisation.
Explain its possible contribution to development.
Question whether the benefit is automatic or equally distributed.
Use an alternative sociological interpretation.
Return directly to development.
For example:
Globalisation may create employment through TNC expansion. This can increase incomes and provide training, supporting a modernisation interpretation of development. However, dependency approaches question whether relationships with powerful global corporations benefit developing societies equally. Some investment may also be capital intensive, reducing its employment effect. Therefore, the significance of globalisation depends on the form of economic relationship created rather than global integration alone.
Overall sociological judgement
Globalisation has considerable significance because it changes both political and economic relationships between societies.
However, its consequences are not uniform.
Politically, it can create:
greater awareness
mobilisation
cooperation
resistance
increased state control
Economically, it can create:
industries
employment
training
investment
exports
but can also contribute to:
insecure employment
disruption of existing economic activity
unequal benefits
The strongest conclusion is therefore that globalisation creates new opportunities and constraints for development. Its significance depends on the kinds of relationships produced, who benefits from them and how broadly development is measured.
Key Words 🔑
Key word | Student-friendly definition | How it may be used in an exam |
Globalisation | Increasing connections between societies, including cultural, political and economic relationships. | Define the central process before analysing a particular effect. |
Political globalisation | Increasing cross-border political connections and influences between societies and political groups. | Explain how global information or political movements may produce change. |
Economic globalisation | Increasing economic connections between societies through production, markets, businesses, employment and trade. | Apply to questions about industries, employment or development. |
Transnational corporation (TNC) | A corporation that operates across national boundaries. | Explain how global businesses may affect employment, investment and development. |
Export | A good or service produced in one society and sold to another. | Explain how globalisation may expand production for international markets. |
Industrialisation | The expansion of industrial forms of economic activity and production. | Link global economic change to employment and development. |
Modernisation theory | An approach that sees economic and social transformation towards a modern industrial society as central to development. | Explain why global economic growth may be regarded positively. |
Dependency theory | An approach that links underdevelopment to unequal relationships between societies. | Evaluate whether global economic integration necessarily promotes development. |
Economic growth | An increase in economic production or activity. | Distinguish economic change from wider definitions of development. |
Development | Economic, social and other forms of change through which societies may be regarded as becoming more developed. | Evaluate whether political and economic globalisation produces wider improvements. |
Hints from the Examiner Reports 💡
Examiner hint: Make the connection between globalisation and the specific political effect explicit. In 2023, most students could use the item to identify political changes, while stronger answers developed the mechanism clearly and used relevant contemporary examples.
Examiner hint: The 2023 report highlighted effective answers that considered governments restricting access to social media in response to political threats. This is a useful reminder that globalisation can provoke political resistance or greater control, rather than automatically creating one type of change.
Examiner hint: Avoid drifting into a general account of globalisation. AQA's mark scheme for the 2023 political question explicitly identifies general descriptions of globalisation without sufficient connection to political change as a feature of weaker answers.
Examiner hint: Keep theories tied to the question. The 2023 examiner report noted that students sometimes lost focus when discussion of development theories took over from answering the actual question. Use modernisation or dependency theory to evaluate the particular effect you are discussing.
Examiner hint: For a 10-mark analyse question, develop two separate item hooks. Do not simply repeat wording from the item. Explain the sociological process linking each hook to the outcome in the question.
Examiner hint: When evaluating the significance of economic globalisation, remember that economic growth is not the only possible measure of development. AQA's 2023 assessment rewarded understanding of wider dimensions including health, gender equality and sustainability.
Common Mistakes ⚠️
Mistake: Describing globalisation rather than explaining its political or economic effects
Why this is incorrect: A question may ask how globalisation brings about a particular change. Simply defining globalisation or listing its characteristics does not explain the relationship.
How to improve: Use a clear chain:
aspect of globalisation → mechanism → political/economic change → consequence
Mistake: Treating political globalisation as automatically positive
Why this is incorrect: AQA recognises both demands for political change and more authoritarian responses to global information.
How to improve: Consider at least two possible political responses, such as mobilisation and increased government control.
Mistake: Assuming global media automatically causes political change
Why this is incorrect: Exposure to information is only the starting point.
How to improve: Explain the intermediate steps, such as comparison with other societies, dissatisfaction, mobilisation and demands for change.
Mistake: Saying that TNCs always promote development
Why this is incorrect: TNCs may create employment, training and investment, but their effects on local businesses and the capital-intensive nature of some activities also need consideration.
How to improve: Evaluate the type and distribution of the benefits rather than simply stating that investment is positive.
Mistake: Equating economic growth with development
Why this is incorrect: Economic growth is an important aspect of development, but AQA also recognises dimensions such as health, gender equality and sustainability.
How to improve: After discussing economic growth, ask whether wider aspects of people's lives have improved.
Mistake: Assuming more globalisation means more employment everywhere
Why this is incorrect: Globalisation can create employment in one society while firms relocate activity or increase competition elsewhere.
How to improve: Identify who gains and who may lose from the same global economic process.
Mistake: Listing modernisation and dependency theory without using them
Why this is incorrect: Theory names alone do not create evaluation.
How to improve: Show the disagreement. Modernisation may interpret global economic growth as a route to development, while dependency theory questions whether unequal global relationships reproduce underdevelopment.
Mistake: Writing about cultural globalisation in a political or economic question
Why this is incorrect: Cultural processes may be relevant as part of a chain, but the final effect must match the question.
How to improve: If you mention global media, show explicitly how it produces a political consequence. If you mention consumption, connect it to an economic relationship where relevant.
Exam-Style Questions ✍️
Question 1
Which term refers to increasing economic, political and cultural connections between societies? (1 mark)
Question 2
Explain one way in which globalised media may contribute to political change in a developing society. (4 marks)
Question 3
Explain two economic changes that may occur when a developing society becomes more connected to the global economy. (6 marks)
Question 4
Outline and explain two ways in which globalisation may influence political relationships between societies. (10 marks)
Question 5
Outline and explain two ways in which globalisation may influence economic relationships between societies. (10 marks)
Question 6
Read Item A and answer the question that follows.
Item A
Increasing global connections have allowed businesses to operate in more than one society. Developing societies may gain new industries and produce more goods for international markets. However, some global economic activity makes greater use of capital and technology than large numbers of workers.
Applying material from Item A, analyse two ways in which globalisation may affect economic development in developing societies. (10 marks)
Question 7
Read Item B and answer the question that follows.
Item B
Global communication allows people to learn quickly about political ideas and events elsewhere. Political groups in different societies can also communicate with one another. However, some governments see these global influences as a threat to their authority.
Applying material from Item B, analyse two ways in which globalisation may bring about political change. (10 marks)
Question 8
Read Item C and answer the question that follows.
Item C
Some sociologists argue that globalisation creates opportunities for developing societies to establish industries, attract investment and increase employment. These changes may contribute to economic growth.
Other sociologists argue that global economic relationships are unequal. They also point out that economic growth alone does not show whether wider aspects of development have improved.
Applying material from Item C and your knowledge, evaluate the view that globalisation promotes development. (20 marks)
Answers and mark scheme
Question 1
Answer: Globalisation. (1 mark)
Award one mark for the correct term.
Question 2
Up to 4 marks for a developed explanation.
A strong answer could explain that globalised media exposes people to political ideas or conditions in other societies. Individuals may compare these with their own circumstances and demand political change, potentially leading to protest or political mobilisation.
Credit should depend on explaining the connection between global information and political change.
Question 3
Award marks for two developed economic changes.
Possible content includes:
creation of new industries
increased employment
greater production for export
TNC investment
training and skills
industrialisation
changes in how people support themselves
movement from agricultural to industrial employment
migration for employment
For higher marks, each change should be explained rather than simply identified.
Question 4
A high-level answer develops two distinct ways.
Possible content includes:
Global political awareness
Global media exposes people to ideas and conditions elsewhere. This may encourage comparisons with their own society and lead to demands for political change.
International political organisation
Global communication enables movements in different societies to exchange information and cooperate in political action.
Other relevant possibilities include political resistance or governments responding to global information with greater control.
The key is to explain how global interconnectedness changes political relationships.
Question 5
Possible ways include:
New industries
Global connections create access to international markets and consumers. Developing societies may therefore establish industries such as tourism, creating employment and economic growth.
TNC activity
TNCs may establish operations in developing societies, creating employment and training and connecting local economies with global production.
Other relevant ways include:
production for export
investment
industrialisation
international migration
movement of production between societies
effects on local businesses
For high marks, students should explicitly explain the relationship between the globalising process and the economic change.
Question 6
A strong response should develop two separate hooks from Item A.
Possible way 1: new industries and international markets
The item states that developing societies may gain new industries and produce for international markets. Increased production can create employment and contribute to economic growth. Modernisation theorists may regard this as evidence of development because economic expansion can contribute to the transformation of a society.
Possible way 2: capital-intensive production
The item notes that some global economic activity uses more capital and technology than workers. Investment may therefore increase production without creating large numbers of jobs. This may limit the extent to which economic globalisation improves employment opportunities and therefore weaken its contribution to wider development.
Other valid developed applications should receive credit.
Question 7
A high-level answer should develop two separate applications.
Possible way 1: awareness and political mobilisation
The item states that people can learn about political ideas and events elsewhere. Exposure to alternatives may lead individuals to question existing political arrangements, creating protests or demands for change.
Possible way 2: government resistance
The item states that some governments regard global influences as threatening. Governments may respond by restricting access to global news or communication, producing greater political control.
Alternatively, students could analyse how political groups in different societies cooperate through global communication.
Question 8
A strong 20-mark response should evaluate both positive and negative interpretations of globalisation's significance for development.
Arguments supporting the view may include:
new industries
tourism
production for export
TNC investment
employment
training and skills transfer
industrialisation
participation in global markets
economic growth
global political awareness
cooperation between political movements
Modernisation theory may support the view by arguing that:
industrialisation and economic growth contribute to development
societies may move towards economic take-off
global economic connections can support processes of modernisation
Arguments challenging the view may include:
dependency theory's emphasis on unequal relationships between societies
unequal distribution of the benefits of globalisation
pressure on local businesses
capital-intensive investment producing limited employment
relocation of jobs between societies
precarious or insecure employment
political resistance to outside influence
governments increasing control in response to global information
economic growth not necessarily improving wider aspects of development
Evaluation should also consider how development is measured.
AQA recognises that development can involve more than economic growth, including:
health
gender equality
sustainability
Therefore, evidence of increased economic output is not sufficient on its own to prove that globalisation has produced wider development.
For the highest marks, students should avoid presenting globalisation as either entirely beneficial or entirely harmful. A well-supported conclusion might argue that globalisation can create important economic and political opportunities for development, but the extent of development depends on the power relationships involved, the distribution of benefits and whether improvements extend beyond economic growth.
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