Technology, Globalization and Social Development

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Technology, Globalization and Social Development

• GE 301 Science, Technology and Society
• Ahmet S Ucer

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Program of this year

• Technology, Globalization and Social Development
  (7 October 2008)
• Knowledge Society and Human Wellbeing (21 October
  2008)
• Converging Technologies and Society (4 November
  2008)

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Contents

• History
• New world order!
• Socio-economic system
• Globalization
• Innovation and creative destruction
• Globalization and Ethics
• Social development and globalization
• Conclusions

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History

• Hunting Gathering to Agricultural Revolution
  (religion) 9000 years ago
• First ethical values and religious believes
  converge as city states start to form

GOOD ?
FAIR ?
RIGHT ?
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History

• The Renaissance (rebirth) 14th century - 17th
  century.
• intellectual consequence of renaissance reformist
  movements Marten Luther (1517),
• Protestant reformation,
• Secular thinking

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History

• Scientific Revolution, 1542, Copernicus
• Eventually resulted in Enlightenment. (French
  Siècle des Lumières) Age of reason. Enlightenment
  Philosophy was put forward in the 18 century

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History

• The first indications of industrial revolution
  came with the French revolution in 1789, class
  distinction
• Why in Europe?
• Why started in Britain?

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History

• strengthen international ties
• Free movement of capital
• Multinational corporations set up several bases
  around the world.
• Information revolution (globalization)
• 100 years ago was not too different than today!

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The two mechanisms

• Soviet union collapsed in 1991 (end of cold war)
• Unprecedented leap of information and
  communication technologies

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New world order!

• Struggle between ideologies is largely at an end
  (Francis Fukuyama,1989, End of History)
• New struggle is between cultures (Samuel
  Huntington, 1993, Clash of Civilizations)

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The socio-economic system

• Traditional
• deriving engine
• competition for profit
• competition for Individual satisfaction
• New
• Tooled by ICT
• New productivity sources
• Organizational forms
• GLOBAL economy

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Globalization

• Multi-dimensional
• Political
• Economical
• Cultural
• Non-linear

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A Strategic tool (ICT)

• The entire planet is organized around
  communication networks
• Present day globalization builds on falling
  communication costs
• Previously it was depending on falling
  transportation costs

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Innovation

• the process of making improvements by introducing
  something new
• Human resources
• System

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Creative destruction(J Schumpeter)

• 1942 Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy
• The urge of innovation destroys existing
  enterprises yielding new ones
• What about entrepreneurs?

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The new society and productive source

• Information (knowledge) society - information
  and knowledge
• Industrial society - energy and raw material
• Agricultural society - Farming land

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Globalization and Ethics

• Adam Smiths invisible hand was relying on
  honesty, thrust and respect.
• Deregulation and neo-liberalism led to short term
  vision and a lack of ethical standards
• Personal to national to global ethics
• Global warming
• inviolability of national sovereignty
• WTO and trade
• Foreign Aid

David Singer
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Technology and Globalization Substitution and
Dematerialization

• Examples of Substitution and dematerialization
• Copper
• Oil
• Cane and sugar beat

R K Schaeffer, Globalization and Technology, Phi
Kappa Phi Forum http//www.findarticles.com/p/art
icles/mi_qa4026/is_200310/ai_n9316427
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http//www.imf.org/external/np/exr/ib/2000/041200.
htm
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http//www.imf.org/external/np/exr/ib/2000/041200.
htm
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Per capita GDP correct measure?

• GDP Inc. but standards of living Dec. due to
  degraded environment
• Cannot sustain development by borrowing
• GDP measures what is produced in the country. Not
  the income of citizens

Joseph Stiglitz
Making Globalization Work Joseph E. Stiglitz ,
2006
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Social Development and Globalization

• Consumption and Production
• Relationship of consumption
• Inequality
• Polarization
• Poverty
• Misery

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Social Development and Globalization

• Relationships of production (how people earn
  money)
• Globalization of job market
• Individualization of labor
• Over-exploitation
• Social exclusion
• income generation in the criminal economy

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Informational Capitalism and Social crises

• Flexibility and global reach
• Education quality
• Elimination of traditional agriculture -rural
  exodus
• Informal economic growth, welfare state come
  under attack
• The forth world

http//menntun.khi.is/sigurjon/IT20Global20CASTE
LLS.pdf
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Conclusion(redefining social development)

• ICT should empower humankind to enhance
  production
• Educated labor force is the main source of
  productivity
• Educated labor need multidimensional improvement
  in quality of life.
• Welfare states, with less
• bureaucracy will be the
• source of productivity

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Conclusion
Social development
cultural development
innovation
economic development
institutional stability and trust
http//menntun.khi.is/sigurjon/IT20Global20CASTE
LLS.pdf
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Conclusion

• THIS MODEL WILL REQUIRE
• Massive technological upgrading of countries
• Dramatic investment in the education system
• Worldwide network of science and technology

NEEDS SCIENTIFIC THINKING , THE USE OF HUMAN
INTELLECT and GLOBAL ETHICS