Our global dilemma
THE worldwide inequalities that continue to prevail in our societies are creating increasingly worse realities for people in every nation.
Dr Narayan Gopalkrishnan, senior lecturer of social work at JCU, said closing the inequalities gap must first start with addressing the effects of globalisation.
“Rapid advances in technology and infrastructure are enabling global flows of ideas, finances, media, products and people, and increasing connectivity across a range of stakeholders,” he said. “In many ways, these processes of globalisation could be seen to be supportive of the principles of social justice.”
However, Dr Gopalkrishnan points out that there is a darker side to globalisation that is detrimental to the principles of social justice, specifically in relation to the neoliberal principles that globalisation can perpetuate.
Neo-liberal principles involve the privatisation of public services, deregulation of the corporate sector, and the lowering of income and corporate taxes that are paid for with cuts to public spending.
“The globalisation of markets and finances is supported by neo-liberal principles that work towards lean governments, management of social issues through market-based interventions, and a focus on the expansion of markets and the accumulation of wealth,” Dr Gopalkrishnan said.
“These processes of neo-liberal globalisation can lead to the curtailment of existing socially just systems and retard the growth of new systems.” Aspects of globalisation such as privatisation mean that social services suffer as well.
“Privatisation of things like nursing homes, social housing, childcare systems and disability services have had extremely negative impacts on the users of these services, and people are increasingly falling through the gaps or suffering neglect in the process,” Dr Gopalkrishnan said.
“Similarly, the privatisation of basic resources such as water and electricity has led to increasing burdens falling on the already stretched incomes of the poorer in society.”
For a more socially just world, Dr Gopalkrishnan said we need to address the inequality and lack of balance in our globalised world.
“The issue isn’t globalisation itself,” he said. “It’s the unequal sharing of the benefits of globalisation.
“We need to look at how we can improve the situation, which goes beyond the nationstate and brings together all people in a globalised world.”