The process of globalisation | Edexcel A-Level Politics
Updated: 3 days ago
For Specification 9PL0
Edexcel A-Level Politics | Free Revision Notes
Estimated study time: 50–60 minutes
Globalisation is much more than international trade. Edexcel defines it as the emergence of a complex web of interconnectedness, linking people, countries, institutions, cultures, economies, technology and politics. This The process of globalisation A-Level Politics revision page explains these different dimensions and how connections between states and societies have become both wider and deeper. Building on nation-states and sovereignty [The state: nation-state and national sovereignty], this topic provides the foundation for understanding how globalisation affects states in globalisation and the state system [Globalisation and the state system].
Learning Objectives 🎯
By the end of this revision page, you should be able to:
Define globalisation and interconnectedness accurately.
Explain why globalisation is described as a complex web of interconnectedness.
Explain the social, economic, political, cultural and technological dimensions of globalisation.
Analyse how the different dimensions of globalisation are interconnected.
Explain the widening and deepening of global interconnectedness and interdependence.
Apply these concepts accurately to examination questions about globalisation.
Revision Notes 📚
What is globalisation?
The Edexcel specification defines globalisation as the:
emergence of a complex web of interconnectedness in many forms.
The specification explains that this web is created by the interlinking of:
people, including the social dimension
countries
institutions
culture
economics
technology
politics
Globalisation is therefore a multidimensional process. It cannot be understood simply as countries trading more with one another. Economic connections are important, but political institutions, cultural exchanges, technological connections and links between people are also parts of the same process.
This distinction is essential for later work on debates about the effects of globalisation [Debates about globalisation], where you will consider different interpretations of how far globalisation has transformed states and sovereignty.
What is interconnectedness?
Interconnectedness is defined by Edexcel as the mutual reliance of two or more groups.
Globalisation creates interconnectedness because events, decisions and developments increasingly link different people, societies, states and institutions.
The key idea is that the different parts of global politics are not completely isolated from one another.
For example, the specification and mark schemes connect globalisation with:
cross-border trade
international organisations
the movement of technologies
flows of information and people
the transmission of ideas and values
economic interdependence between states
These connections overlap. Economic relationships can create political co-operation, technological developments can increase cultural transmission, and political institutions can manage increasingly interconnected economic relationships.
Globalisation as a complex web
The phrase complex web is important.
A web contains many different connections operating simultaneously. Globalisation works in a similar way.
It is not:
State A → State B
Instead, it resembles:
people ↔ states ↔ economies ↔ institutions ↔ cultures ↔ technology ↔ politics
Each part can affect the others.
This is why simply memorising separate definitions of economic, cultural and political globalisation is not enough. A stronger understanding recognises that these dimensions interact.
The dimensions of globalisation
The specification explicitly identifies social, economic, technological, cultural and political factors within the process of globalisation. It provides specific glossary definitions for economic globalisation, political globalisation and cultural globalisation.
Dimension | What it involves | How it contributes to interconnectedness |
Social | The interlinking of people across societies and states | People become increasingly connected beyond national political communities |
Economic | Increasing integration and interdependence between economies | States and economies become linked through cross-border movements of goods, services, technologies and capital |
Political | The growing importance of international organisations | Political activity increasingly involves institutions operating between or beyond individual states |
Cultural | The growing transmission of ideas, meanings and values around the world | Cultures become increasingly exposed to ideas and values originating elsewhere |
Technological | Technology forming part of the connections linking people, countries and economies | Technology contributes to the movement of information, goods, services and other forms of interaction across borders |
These dimensions should not be viewed as five completely separate types of globalisation. They form part of the same complex web.
Economic globalisation
Economic globalisation is defined as the growing economic integration and interdependence of economies through intensified cross-border movement of:
goods
services
technologies
capital
This is one of the clearest forms of global interconnectedness.
Integration
Economic integration means that national and regional economies become increasingly connected rather than operating entirely independently.
The 2019 mark scheme described economic globalisation in terms of increasing integration and interdependence between national, regional and local economies through intensified cross-border movements.
Interdependence
Economic connections can also create interdependence.
This means that the economic fortunes of different states become linked. Changes affecting one part of an interconnected economic system can therefore have implications beyond a single state.
The 2023 mark scheme described economic globalisation as creating a greater depth of interconnectedness between states.
Later, global economic governance and poverty [Global economic governance and poverty] examines the consequences of these global economic relationships in greater depth.
Political globalisation
Political globalisation is defined by Edexcel as the growing importance of international organisations.
Political decision making is therefore not confined entirely within individual states.
States increasingly participate in institutions through which they:
debate global issues
co-operate with other states
develop rules
participate in collective decision making
The 2019 mark scheme describes political globalisation as involving the development of numerous institutions in which states can participate in debate and decision making at regional and global levels.
The United Nations [The United Nations], the IMF and World Bank [The IMF and World Bank], and other international organisations are studied separately later in the course. At this stage, the important point is that their growing importance is evidence of the political dimension of globalisation.
Political globalisation is not world government
Do not confuse political globalisation with world government.
Edexcel defines world government as the idea of a common political authority possessing legislative and executive power over states. Political globalisation only requires the growing importance of international organisations.
Therefore:
More political globalisation does not automatically mean that states have been replaced by a global government.
Whether globalisation significantly reduces state control belongs primarily to globalisation and the state system [Globalisation and the state system].
Cultural globalisation
Cultural globalisation is the growing transmission of ideas, meanings and values around the world.
Culture therefore becomes less confined by national borders.
The process can involve the increasing international movement and sharing of:
ideas
meanings
values
cultural products
Edexcel's mark schemes have also referred to globally shared technology, music, sport and brands when illustrating cultural globalisation.
Cultural globalisation can therefore contribute to interconnectedness by exposing people and societies to influences originating beyond their own state.
Cultural homogenisation
A related specification term is homogenisation and monoculture.
Edexcel defines this as the coming together of global cultures and development of a single homogeneous culture without diversity or dissension.
The idea is that increasing cultural globalisation may reduce some cultural differences as ideas, values and cultural products circulate more widely.
However, whether cultural globalisation genuinely creates one global culture is a debate rather than something you should simply assume.
The 2019 mark scheme, for example, recognised the argument that cultural globalisation can operate in more than one direction, with different societies influencing one another rather than one culture simply replacing all others.
This distinction will become particularly useful in globalisation and contemporary global issues [Globalisation and contemporary global issues].
Social globalisation
The Edexcel specification identifies the interlinking of people as the social element of globalisation.
The important idea is that globalisation connects individuals and groups across the boundaries of individual states.
This means that globalisation operates not only through governments and formal institutions but also through relationships between people and societies.
For examination purposes, you should be able to explain the chain:
greater links between people → more interaction beyond individual states → greater social interconnectedness → a more globalised political and social environment
The specification does not provide a separate glossary definition of "social globalisation", so avoid inventing a more elaborate technical definition. The required point is the interlinking of people within the wider complex web.
Technological dimension of globalisation
Technology is another factor explicitly identified by the specification as part of the process driving globalisation.
Technology also appears directly within Edexcel's definition of economic globalisation because technologies can move across borders alongside goods, services and capital.
Exam mark schemes have additionally referred to changing flows of information, technology and people as part of the transformation associated with globalisation.
Technology therefore contributes to the process by strengthening connections between different parts of the global system.
It should not be treated as completely separate from other dimensions:
technology can facilitate economic connections
technology can assist the movement of information
technological connections can contribute to cultural transmission
technology can strengthen links between people and societies
This overlap is exactly why globalisation is described as a complex web.
How the different dimensions reinforce one another
One of the most important ideas to understand is that globalisation has interlocking dimensions.
Consider the following sequence:
Economic relationships connect states.
Increasing economic connections can create a need for political co-operation.
Political co-operation can increase the importance of international institutions.
Technological links allow information and cultural influences to move across borders.
People become increasingly connected to developments beyond their own state.
These connections further deepen economic, political, cultural and social interdependence.
This does not mean the process always operates smoothly or that every dimension develops at the same rate. It means that the dimensions of globalisation are capable of reinforcing one another.
Interconnectedness and interdependence
Although the terms are closely related, interconnectedness and interdependence are worth distinguishing.
Interconnectedness | Interdependence |
Focuses on the existence of links between groups | Focuses on the significance of mutual dependence created by those links |
Edexcel defines it as mutual reliance between two or more groups | Means that the position or fortunes of actors become increasingly linked |
Can exist across economic, cultural, social, technological and political areas | Becomes stronger as actors become more dependent upon continuing relationships |
The specification later defines complex interdependence as the theory that states and their fortunes are inextricably tied together.
You study this more fully in liberalism [Liberalism]. For this lesson, the important foundation is that globalisation increases the range and intensity of connections between states and societies.
Widening interconnectedness and interdependence
The specification requires students to understand the widening of interconnectedness and interdependence.
In the context of globalisation, widening refers to the expanding breadth of global connections.
Connections can involve:
more people
more states
more institutions
more economic relationships
more cultural interaction
more technological connections
more areas of political activity
A useful way to remember this is:
Widening = more connections across a broader range of actors and areas.
For example, economic globalisation is not limited to one pair of trading states. Networks of economic relationships can connect numerous national, regional and local economies.
Political globalisation similarly involves a growing network of international institutions rather than political interaction being confined entirely to bilateral relationships between states.
Deepening interconnectedness and interdependence
Deepening refers to the increasing intensity and significance of these connections.
The relationships do not simply become more numerous. They can become more important to the actors involved.
A useful distinction is therefore:
widening = connections spread more broadly
deepening = connections become stronger and more consequential
Economic globalisation illustrates this clearly.
A state may initially have economic connections with other states. As cross-border flows of goods, services, technologies and capital become more intense, those economies can become increasingly interdependent.
The 2023 mark scheme explicitly referred to economic globalisation producing a greater depth of complex interconnectedness between states.
Widening and deepening together
Globalisation therefore involves two developments occurring together:
WIDENING
More actors and areas become connected.
↓
DEEPENING
Those connections become increasingly intensive and important.
↓
GREATER INTERDEPENDENCE
States, economies, societies and institutions become more reliant upon relationships beyond their own borders.
This process prepares you for later debates over whether interconnected states can still exercise unrestricted sovereignty.
Why interdependence matters
Growing interdependence changes the context in which states operate.
It means political, economic or social developments cannot always be understood purely by looking within a single state.
The specification's comparative theories later contrast:
the realist emphasis on sovereign states
the liberal emphasis on complex interdependence, international organisations and possibilities for co-operation
The 2020 mark scheme explains complex interdependence as the idea that states are linked in a multidimensional way and connects increasing interconnectedness with a greater likelihood of co-operation.
This relationship will be developed fully in realism and liberalism compared [Realism and liberalism compared].
Globalisation is a process, not a single event
Globalisation should be understood as a process.
It describes the development and intensification of connections across different dimensions rather than one event that suddenly created a globalised world.
This is why exam answers should avoid vague claims such as:
"Globalisation happened when countries started trading."
A stronger explanation is:
Globalisation is the process through which social, political, cultural, economic and technological links create an increasingly wide and deep web of interconnectedness and interdependence.
That formulation captures the central requirements of specification section 1.2.1 and the first part of 1.2.2.
Applying the dimensions in an exam
When presented with an unfamiliar example, identify what is becoming connected.
Ask:
Are economies becoming more integrated?
→ Economic globalisation
Are international organisations becoming more important?
→ Political globalisation
Are ideas, meanings or values moving between societies?
→ Cultural globalisation
Are people becoming more directly interconnected?
→ Social dimension
Is technology helping create or strengthen cross-border links?
→ Technological dimension
Then take the answer one step further.
Do not merely identify the dimension. Explain its consequence:
connection → increased reliance → greater interconnectedness/interdependence
That turns basic knowledge into analysis.
Key Words 🔑
Key word | Student-friendly definition | How it may be used in an exam |
Globalisation | The emergence of a complex web of interconnectedness in many forms. | Use as the central definition before explaining different dimensions of globalisation. |
Interconnectedness | Mutual reliance between two or more groups. | Use when explaining how states, economies, institutions and societies become linked. |
Economic globalisation | Growing economic integration and interdependence through intensified cross-border movement of goods, services, technologies and capital. | Use when analysing global economic links and the increasing dependence of economies on one another. |
Political globalisation | The growing importance of international organisations. | Use when explaining how political activity increasingly involves institutions beyond individual states. |
Cultural globalisation | The growing transmission of ideas, meanings and values around the world. | Use when analysing the spread and interaction of cultures across state borders. |
Hints from the Examiner Reports 💡
Examiner hint: Define important concepts precisely and then use them to answer the exact wording of the question. The 2023 examiner report noted that stronger responses often began with a brief definition and then identified clear areas for analysis, while weaker responses sometimes discussed globalisation generally without focusing sufficiently on the particular wording being assessed.
Examiner hint: Move beyond naming forms of globalisation. The strongest responses explain the consequences of interconnectedness. In 2023, stronger candidates connected economic globalisation with complex interdependence rather than simply listing examples of trade or institutions.
Examiner hint: Use accurate knowledge to support a chain of reasoning. Examiner feedback repeatedly rewards answers where AO1 knowledge is developed into AO2 analysis rather than remaining descriptive. A useful structure is identify the connection → explain how it creates reliance → explain why that matters.
Examiner hint: Stay focused on the command word and key terms. The 2023 report found that some candidates discussing economic globalisation answered whether it was simply "good or bad" rather than addressing the precise issue in the question. Always return your paragraph to what you have actually been asked to explain, examine or evaluate.
Common Mistakes ⚠️
Mistake: Defining globalisation only as international trade
Why this is incorrect: Economic integration is only one dimension. The specification describes globalisation as a complex web involving people, countries, institutions, culture, economics, technology and politics.
How to improve: Begin with the specification definition and then show that globalisation is multidimensional.
Mistake: Listing the dimensions without explaining how they connect
Why this is incorrect: A list does not demonstrate why globalisation is a complex web.
How to improve: Show relationships between dimensions, for example how economic integration can encourage political co-operation or how technological connections contribute to cultural and social links.
Mistake: Treating interconnectedness and interdependence as completely unrelated concepts
Why this is incorrect: Interdependence develops through connections that create mutual reliance.
How to improve: Use a chain such as:
more connections → greater reliance → deeper interdependence
Mistake: Forgetting the social and technological dimensions
Why this is incorrect: The specification explicitly includes the interlinking of people and technology among the factors driving globalisation.
How to improve: Remember the full process rather than revising only economic, political and cultural globalisation.
Mistake: Saying political globalisation means world government
Why this is incorrect: Political globalisation means the growing importance of international organisations. World government would involve a common political authority exercising legislative and executive power over states.
How to improve: Distinguish increased international political co-operation from the existence of an authority above states.
Mistake: Confusing widening with deepening
Why this is incorrect: They describe different aspects of increasing interconnectedness.
How to improve: Remember:
Widening = broader connections.Deepening = stronger connections.
Mistake: Evaluating whether globalisation is good or bad when the question asks about its process
Why this is incorrect: Advantages and disadvantages are a separate specification focus. A question about the process requires explanation of interconnectedness and its different dimensions.
How to improve: Underline the command word and central concept before planning your response.
Exam-Style Questions ✍️
Question 1
Define globalisation. (1 mark)
Question 2
Identify two dimensions of globalisation included in the process of global interconnectedness. (2 marks)
Question 3
Explain what is meant by economic globalisation. (4 marks)
Question 4
Consider the following hypothetical situation:
A group of states experiences increasing cross-border trade and movement of technology. Their governments also participate more frequently in international organisations, while ideas and cultural values circulate increasingly between their populations.
Explain three dimensions of globalisation illustrated by this situation. (6 marks)
Question 5
Consider the following situation:
Twenty states have developed economic, political and cultural links with one another. Over time, more states join these networks and the existing states become increasingly dependent upon cross-border economic and political relationships.
Analyse how this situation illustrates both the widening and deepening of globalisation. (6 marks)
Question 6
Examine how economic and political globalisation contribute to increased interconnectedness and interdependence. (12 marks)
Question 7
Examine the ways in which cultural, social and technological connections contribute to the process of globalisation. (12 marks)
Question 8
Evaluate the view that globalisation is primarily an economic process rather than a complex, multidimensional process.
You must consider this view and the alternative to this view in a balanced way. (30 marks)
Answers and indicative mark scheme
Question 1
1 mark for:
Globalisation is the emergence of a complex web of interconnectedness in many forms.
Question 2
Award 1 mark each for any two appropriate dimensions:
social
political
cultural
economic
technological
Maximum 2 marks.
Question 3
A strong response should explain that economic globalisation involves growing economic integration and interdependence between economies through intensified cross-border movement of:
goods
services
technologies
capital
Higher credit should be given where the answer explains that these movements increasingly connect different economies rather than simply identifying international trade.
Question 4
Possible points include:
Economic globalisation: increasing cross-border trade and movement of technology creates greater integration between economies.
Political globalisation: governments participating increasingly in international organisations demonstrates their growing political importance.
Cultural globalisation: increasing transmission of ideas and cultural values across borders connects different societies.
Credit developed explanation rather than simply identifying three labels.
Question 5
A strong answer should distinguish clearly between:
Widening: More states are becoming part of the networks, so global connections extend across a broader range of actors.
Deepening: The states already involved are becoming increasingly reliant on their cross-border economic and political relationships, so the intensity and significance of their interdependence are increasing.
Higher marks require both concepts to be applied accurately to the scenario.
Question 6
Indicative content may include:
Economic globalisation
growing integration of economies
increasing economic interdependence
intensified movement of goods, services, technologies and capital
connections between national, regional and local economies
greater mutual reliance as economic relationships deepen
Political globalisation
growing importance of international organisations
increasing participation by states in international institutions
greater opportunities for political debate and collective decision making
connections between political globalisation and growing interdependence
For higher marks, candidates should develop chains of reasoning.
For example:
Cross-border economic flows increase → economies become increasingly integrated → states become more reliant upon relationships beyond their own borders → economic interconnectedness and interdependence deepen.
Question 7
Indicative content may include:
Cultural
increasing transmission of ideas, meanings and values
cultural influences crossing state boundaries
possible development of greater cultural similarity
Social
increasing interlinking of people
relationships extending beyond individual national political communities
greater social interconnectedness
Technological
technology contributes to cross-border connections
technology is itself part of cross-border economic movement
flows of information and technology can strengthen links between people and societies
technological connections can reinforce economic and cultural globalisation
Higher-mark responses should explain the relationships between the dimensions rather than treating each one as an isolated process.
Question 8
A balanced answer could develop the following arguments.
Arguments supporting the view that globalisation is primarily economic:
Economic globalisation creates extensive integration and interdependence between economies.
It involves intensified movements of goods, services, technologies and capital.
Economic relationships can create substantial mutual reliance between states.
Growing economic integration can contribute to the increasing depth of global interconnectedness.
Arguments supporting the alternative view:
The specification defines globalisation as a complex web rather than a purely economic process.
Political globalisation involves the growing importance of international organisations.
Cultural globalisation involves the transmission of ideas, meanings and values.
Social globalisation links people across states.
Technology forms another important part of the connections driving globalisation.
Different dimensions can reinforce one another, meaning economic globalisation cannot be fully separated from political, cultural, technological and social connections.
Judgement: Economic relationships are an important part of globalisation and clearly contribute to increasing interdependence, but defining globalisation mainly in economic terms is too narrow. The defining characteristic of the process is the complex web of interconnectedness produced by multiple interacting dimensions. A strong conclusion should therefore judge globalisation according to the breadth and depth of these connections rather than treating any single dimension as the whole process.
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