Students:2009/2010 student themes: Difference between revisions

From VCSEwiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
No edit summary
m (Admin moved page 2009/2010 student themes to Students:2009/2010 student themes without leaving a redirect)
 
(62 intermediate revisions by 16 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
Please write your introductory paragraph directly under your name.
Overview of students' work which was focused on the '''Globalisation process''' and risks associated with it - not only global risks, but also those that everybody could face in the everyday life. The work was collaborative in later stages and resulted in a [[Globalisation Risks and Opportunities]] handbook.


Your work (collaborative in later stages ) will be focused on the '''Globalisation process''' and risks associated with it (not only global risks, but also those that you face in your everyday life). So the introductory paragraph should introduce the theme of '''Global risk society''' somehow; it could anticipate your future theme if you have already decided what it will be. Please keep in mind that you should coordinate your work so that the final product is homogenous; those who will take the lead in choosing the theme will have an advantage!
'''[[Isoman copper mine (hypothetical case study)]]''' - what are the solutions?


After you have decided on the title of your essay, you can write it in brackets: ]] [[ in reverse order ([[My new theme XY]]). Thus, you will start a new page - and you can continue your writing there.
'''[[List of questions for Jana Hybášková|Is globalisation a neutral process?]]''' - introductory thesis & discussion with Jana Hybášková


'''[[List of possible sub-themes]] for the Global Risk Society theme'''
=== Jule Kathinka Plawitzki ===
 
'''[[List of questions for Jana Hybášková]]''' - Top 10 selection


=== Jule Kathinka Plawitzki ===
[[Loss of Biodiversity- caused and solved by Globalization?]]


There are lots of, more or less theoretical, definitions of globalization, for example: “Globalization (…) can be thought of as the widening, intensifying, speeding up, and growing impact of world-wide interconnectedness.” (Held, McGrew, Goldblatt & Perrat, 2008, p. 2). This phenomenon is accompanied by a wide range of positive as well as negative consequences for humanity in general, society and the environment. One example of an abstract description of the consequences for society was mainly coined by the socialist Ulrich Beck in the mid eighties: The risk-society. When the past was characterized by difficulties of a just distribution of wealth, today in this “second, reflexive modernity” (Gane, 2001, p. 83) the production of wealth comes with the production of risks: It is no longer only a distribution of wealth, as well as a distribution of risks (cf. Gane, 2001, p. 83). A second change related to the distribution of risks is the decreasing of the importance of borders: On the one hand the result of an event takes place in another part of the world and on the other hand a small local event can cause a global reaction (cf. Held et. al., 2008, p. 2). There are lots of economical, social and cultural examples for these phenomena. Because the following text will mainly focus on the enviromental issue, the given example is the climate change, facing Copenhagen, probably the most popular one right now. This risk is caused by the production of wealth and will, at least in the beginning, mainly effect the “undeveloped countries”, but furthermore as well the globalization in general (cf. Curtis, 2007). Further examples are decreasing biodiversity, pollution of atmosphere, oceans, soil etc.
The text focuses on biodiversity as a global environmental problem and shows how the loss of biodiversity is caused by globalization and if a further globalization is even necessary to face this challenge.  
Facing these complex environmental problems national states and multilateral contracts are important- but obviously not powerful enough. Held et. al. point out that there is no institution “able to amass sufficient political power, domestic support or international authority to do more than limit the worst excesses of some of these enviromental threats” (Held et. al., 2008, p. 9).  


That is why there is the discussion about a [[World Environment Organization]]. The following text will discuss the potential of such a global environmental governance, facing global environmental problems. Therefore first the idea of such an organization especially related to the UNEP will be presented, second arguments for and against this approach will be described and in the end a prospect of the future will be given.
To understand the correlation between globalization and biodiversity globalization as an abstract phenomenon causing risks is described in the beginning of the article. In addition a comprehension of biodiversity in general is necessary – therefore a short definition about biodiversity in general, its distribution and its significance is given, furthermore causes for reduction are presented. It turns out that not every cause for the loss of biodiversity is inevitably liked to globalization, but you can not either separate this two phenomena. In a further step the article deals with facing this challenge: Examples for actions by the private economic sector, NGOs and by the governmental sector are given – all of them are not effective (enough). The reason for this is an asymmetry between biodiversity and wealth. To face this asymmetry a further globalization is necessary: In terms of institutions and markets for compensation of this asymmetry and a [[World Environment Organization]] is needed. Furthermore every single person has to act by herself/himself.


===Corinna Lohrengel===
===Corinna Lohrengel===
'''Globalisation – boon or bane?'''
[[Media and culture in a globalized world]]
The globalization of media is a controversial topic concerning the debate of globalization. Many outcomes could be seen in a positive such as in a negative way and it’s not clarified which one has a bigger influence. This article analyzes these positive and negative aspects and gives an overview of their impacts.


Globalisation is an ambiguous term which is defined in different manners. It depends on what aspects are considered (politics, economics or environment), who’s the editor of the definition (a detractor of globalisation or a supporter) and which period is contemplated (past, present or future). But a fact is that everyone is affected by globalisation. With all its assets and drawbacks, all opportunities and problems, globalisation is an “uncontrolled process” (Mezřický, V.: The nature of globalisation. Global actors and driving forces, 2006) divided in “widening, intensifying, speeding up and growing impact of world-wide interconnectedness” (Held, D.; McGrew, A.: Globalization. Entry for Oxford Companion to Politics).
The following article deals with the term "global village" and the critical approaches to it. Does the globalization of media cause homogenization and standardization concerning products, experiences and lifestyle of generations? Do we have to give up our individualism for a collective identity? The text also gives an overview of the influence of media in a globalized world and how they are used for manipulation and marketing. One last point of this essay is the question of global or local media. How can the media be globalized when not everybody has the same conditions concerning the access to the Internet or the television?
 
Several circumstances could be seen as the decisive factors for the beginning of globalisation. One of these factors was the “deregulation of dependency of national currencies on the dollar [...] in 1971 – 1973” (Mezřický 2006).  The new system of free-floating exchange rates combined with the oil crisis in 1973 “led to the establishment of multinational corporations” (Mezřický 2006). New possibilities were given such as the split-up of manufacturing processes and the collaboration with other countries. Profit maximisation and asset formation became first priority.  
Since then, many changes were noticeable. New national organisations were founded, open boarders made travelling as easy as never before, the internet was invented so that getting information about any topic became possible for everyone. But there are also negative features of globalisation.
 
According to J.Rosenau, “the era of national states has passed” (Mezřický 2006). The cause is in international organisations which control and reduce the power and sovereignty of each state. But not only states lost their independence. Also the market is kept under surveillance by institutions as WTO or IMF. The new possibility is to give the less developed countries the chance to reach the level of the industrial countries with the help of those. But where are the drawbacks?
There are many theories concerning globalisation. One of them is the ''global risk society theory'' by U.Beck. The idea of this theory is that ecological disasters reinforce the awareness of globalisation. That leads to “an awareness of shared fate” (Mezřický 2006) as well as to a more cosmopolitan society.
 
The following exposition will analyse the new possibilities and limitations coming along with the process of globalisation. The focus will be on the less developed countries, but also individuals just as industrial countries will be taken into account. After reading, the reader will hopefully have an own opinion if globalisation is either boon or bane.
 
 
[[The effect of media on Globalisation - or the other way round?]]


=== Henning Strate ===
=== Henning Strate ===
[[Challenges to Energy Security - Is a demonization of conventional energy production under current global trends beneficial?]]


Globalisation is the worldwide disappearance of ideological, political, scientifical and technological boundaries. It is not an entirely new event but a historical process, which however has gained enormous momentum in the last decades. Within this process peoples and nations come closer together, enabling a free flow of capital and economic exchange. Billions of people around the world can profit from this with the chances of improved working and living conditions. Emerging countries like India, China and Brazil are made into economic centers of gravity as a consequence, relinquishing their old image as cheap producers and transforming it into that of serious industrial providers.
In 2008 the worlds energy consumption reached about 740 Exajoules, with 85% of it being derived from the combustion of fossil fuels. The International Energy Agency expects worldwide energy demand to double by 2030. While there are many reasons to rightly believe that the excessive burning of fossil fuels is the cause of many changes to the environment and climate, it is also equally true that in the last centuries and decades fossil fuels have provided a considerable part of humanity with unparalleled economic and industrial success, indirectly triggering inventions in almost any field and improving man's living conditions on Earth over those of previous centuries. Within the process of meeting the future energy demand largely through the use of renewable energies it might also prove to be benificial looking at opportunities to improve upon conventional energy production – other than to demonize it. The following article will analyse some current global trends, especially in the field of electricity production, and the great challenges to a coherent energy policy.


The free flow of capital and an absence of an economic „global order“, however, makes problems inevitable as the current economic crisis is showing clearly. Also the old economic giants in Europe and the US are challenged by an additional and ever more skilled and educated workforce of 2 billion people that before had lived beside the world economy, creating a „War for Talents“ and defying the shrinking populations of the western world.
=== Marenka Krasomil ===
[[The New Economic Market: Water]]


The inevitable interdependence and cause of severe concern created by the process of globalisation, however,  becomes highly apparent in the field of energy supply. The International Energy Agency (IEA) suggests that with a world population of then 8,5 million people energy demand will double by 2030 ([[http://www.worldenergyoutlook.org/docs/weo2008/WEO2008_es_english.pdf]]). In 2005 the Hamburger Weltwirtschaftsinstitut (HWI) presented a study by which the future demand for oil grows by 1.7 % annually and the demand for gas by a whopping 2.4% a year should global economies retain their growth rates. Whether or not the reserve ranges in that study (42 and 63 years respectively) are accurate it is probable that both will lose their profitability within this century.
A big topic of globalisation is the environment, the sustainable management of limited recourses. Big parts of the world population still do not have access to healthy water. This water shortage will highly increase in the next years and wound stay a regional problem of developing countries. Through water pollution and other reasons as highly usage of water in the agriculture sector and the unequal distribution of goods in general this water shortage will be one of the biggest problems to be solved in the next years, to secure human living. With complex and costly methods attempts are made to compensate the approaching shortage. For example plans are made for river-linking in Spain, or the construction of pipelines from Canada to California. Another problem is the privatisation of the public water supply, caused through financial straits. Private investors have the chance to control the water supply and gain power over the formation of price and this will cause the widen of the gap between rich and poor. The process of privatisation in the last years always was a process of loosing codetermination of the population too. The interests of big companies were more important than civil rights. To solve the upcoming water problem the whole world has to work together to pursuit the goal of a world wide and equal water supply.  


This presents the world with wide ranging questions and challenges on which paths are to be taken in order to guarantee a secure and cheap energy supply. The following article will analyse some current trends, especially in the field of electricity production, and the question on how the growing demand will be met.
=== Josef Nový ===
 
== Marenka Krasomil ==
 
Globalisation contains a lot of different fields. One part is the process of word wide interaction and linking up between people, companies and nations. The interaction increases especially in the field of politic, economy, culture, environment and communication. This interaction effects individuals in the same way as institutions ore societies.
 
A big topic of globalisation is the environment, the sustainable management of limited recourses. I will focus especially on the supply of water. The secure supply of portable water of high quality is the condition for life on earth. Politicians as Boutros Ghali prophesised the war on water already in 1885. Others believe that in the 21.century water will takeover the interest that oil had the 20. century.
 
Big parts of the world population still do not have access to healthy water. This water shortage will highly increase in the next years and wound stay a regional problem of developing countries.
Water covers 75 % of the surface of the earth, but just 2,6 % of this water is freshwater and 0,6 % is usable, the rest is contained in the ice of glaciers or part of the eternal snow. The water deposit on earth is unchangeable but the regeneration cycle of water takes several of hundreds of years. Through water pollution and other reasons as highly usage of water in the agriculture sector and the unequal distribution of goods in general this water shortage will be one of the biggest problems to be solved in the next years, to secure human living.
With complex and costly methods attempts are made to compensate the approaching shortage. For example plans are made for river-linking in Spain, or the construction of pipelines from Canada to California.
 
An other problem is the privatisation of the public water supply, caused through financial straits. Private investors have the chance to control the water supply and gain power over the formation of price and this will cause the widen of the gap between rich and poor. The process of privatisation in the last years always was a process of loosing codetermination of the population too. The interests of big companies were more important than civil rights.


To solve the upcoming water problem the whole world has to work together to pursuit the goal of a world wide and equal water supply.
[[Integration and tolerance]]


Loewe,Jens: Das Wasser Syndikat.Dornach 2007 http://www.unesco.org/water/
The aim of this essay is to bring information about some aspects of Muslim integration process in Europe. The trigger of writing the text was one of many videos on Youtube suggesting that Muslim immigrants destroy our continent and are a threat for all the Europeans. I cited two scholars' works – Sami Zemni and Timothy Savage. One of the things people are afraid to loose because of the inflow of immigrants is European identity. This abstract unit is very hard to define and it is the first issue this text deals with.


=== Josef Nový ===
Multicultural Europe has to be Europe for everyone. To include all citizens in the process of creating it is another important topic. Generalization is the enemy of tolerance. We should not make snap judgements and create prejudice. One of the concrete affairs that is closely related to the topic is the French conflict considering Muslim girls wearing scarves. The essay will hopefully make someone think about these matters and maybe read more sources to understand it.
 
Quite a controversial topic frequently discussed in last years is the position of Islam and Islamists within the European society. The fact is that Europe has not yet been able to deal with this issue in a satisfactory manner and its importance is rising. The number of European inhabitants who profess this religion has been increasing rapidly. Public opinion remains divided on this trend. Considerable part of the citizens and even some intellectuals describe this situation in a very negative way, they find accepting these different people as spoiling our culture and speak about a danger or threat. With regard to the cultural heritage some voices talk about, professor Sami Zemni stresses the necessity of defining our European identity, thus what exactly is to be preserved, since a specific demarcating is very difficult. In the terms of their non-supporters, Islamists mostly deserve to be isolated (most of the Muslim immigrants live at the edges of cities in ghettos) because they are neither able nor willing to assimilate. The question is whether this lack of mutual understanding is entirely their fault. If they do not imitate our habits and mentality, they are often perceived as less developed intruders without any right to raise demands and should not be treated as equal. Because of this xenophobia and prejudice, immigrants feel deceived and come back to their roots disappointed, disgusted and less disposed to adapt than ever before. All the declared ideals of religious liberty, respect for all human beings etc. look like a shifty lie to them. That is why many academics speak of a great challenge for our democracy emphasizing the need of integration and tolerance. According to Savage: “Even though they (Muslims) may be third-generation citizens, they often are not viewed as fellow citizens by the general public but are still identified as foreigners and immigrants instead”. As we will see, the presence of Islamists in our continent is not new at all. What is new is just the fear spreading around, since their number is growing and the real integration is not progressing very well. To an uncommitted observer, it may seem as if democracy in our countries was a privilege for a certain group of chosen-ones. But then it would not be a democracy any more. On the grounds of several scholars' works I will try to outline where the problem is and the possible causes.


=== Julia Wolter ===
=== Julia Wolter ===


Research question:
[[Society and Globalization]]
Individual means –what? How is a society to be defined in a globalized world?


Subtitle:
How is the individual to be defined in a globalized world? The article discusses the role of society and how determinates are changing. Where do national borders end in the Globalization processes and how are individuality and society embedded in the process? How much power lies in the individuals of a society, or is everyone powerless, because of the increasingly process of Globalization, which seems to be nearly intangible. Might this feeling of powerlessness be accepted as an apology for the ignorance of individually responsibility? The role of consumers' choices could in this concern take an important part to strenghten the individual consciousnesss, and maybe even the society's.
How is the individual influenced by the Globalization process? Is the Global risk society more “risky” than former modern societies or does the difference lie in the society’s cognition of the increasingly process?
 
Introduction:
In this wiki the aspects of Globalization are analysed in relation to and in the disciplinary perspectives of sociology. To discuss the focussed theme the ideas of Zygmunt Baumann (Globalization: The Human Consequences, 1998), Ulrich Beck (What is Globalization?, 2000) and Anthony Giddens (Runaway World: How Globalization is reshaping our lives, 1999), summarized by Nicholas Gane in his article “Chasing the ‘Runaway World’: Politics of recent Globalization Theory”, which was published 2001, were critically disposed and were very useful to understand the different arguments this theme is implicating. Also the more shortening and assembling assignments of David Held, Anthony McGrew, David Goldblatt and Jonathan Perraton gave very good input, but in a wider perspective.
 
The article “The future of the Welfare State and Democracy: the effects of Globalization from a European Perspective” (2007) from the poland Professor Marek Kwiek analysed the results from his colleagues in some cases –mostly by analysing Ulrich Beck- nearly 10 years later, which makes his conclusions very up to date and it was really refreshing to get through his work. Also the often cited aspects sorted out from Jürgen Habermas enriched the sociological discussion about the risk society and it seems to be a very fascinating work to dive deeply into the different opinions and their resulting predictions which are very often spelled out.  
 
First it has to be underlined the historical development of society’s framework building, beginning with the Keynesian idea of Welfare State and what it meant for Europe. But what was the very shifting impact that forced this Welfare State to be constructed and later on to be changed?
The nations were no longer that much powerful during the ambivalent process of transformation. As HABERMAS pointed out the question for the 21st century ''“can democracies based on social welfare survive beyond national borders?”'' (HABERMAS, Jürgen (2001). The Postnational Constellation. Political Essays. Cambridge.), he is also including the –sometimes frightening- aspects of individual lifestyles, security and prosperity of the nation and the individual aswell. Because the actually operating process '''does''' influence and '''does''' shift societies around the world in different ways and this '''does''' implicate results for the societies’ individuals. And this has to be understood as one very indicating fact about our society when backlooking at the already completed transformation processes of the society.
 
In the transition from the first to the second modernity, we are dealing with a ''“fundamental transformation, a paradigm shift, a departure into the unkown world of globality, but not with ‘catastrophe’ or ‘crisis’, if the concept of crisis means that we could return to the status quo ante by taking the ‘right’ measures” .'' (BECK, Ulrich (2000). What is Globalization? Cambridge.)
 
This paradigm shift I hope to be able to highlight in this wiki.
How does individually resposibility changes its first attentions? What role does consumption play in this Globalization game? Does the opinion of “freedom” still fits together well with the item “individual”? Did it ever? Does the individual gets more powerless or powerful?


===Svea Marie Wehling ===
===Svea Marie Wehling ===


(Eligible Concern or headless Fear? The Individuals' Handling with a Challenge called Globalisation)
([[Svea Wehling: Justifiable Risk or headless Fear? The Difference between experienced and factual Disadvantages of a Process called Globalisation]])


Globalisation is a concept nowadays every single one of us has heard of. However, not many people deal with the subject of globalisation. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for instance refers to this mistakable term as “a process of closer economic integration of global markets“ ([1]) and although quite simple it can be regarded as a reasoned definition for an organisation, which deals primarily with economical issues. Nevertheless, this definition is too limited in order to stress the complexity and duality of the process of globalisation. The German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology adds, that “this development is being driven forward by world-wide information networks and communication technologies“ ([2]), while the U.S. Department of Commerce focusses on the “potential to affect each other more quickly and to a higher degree than ever before“ (Globalization and Minority-owned Businesses in the United States: Assessment and Prospects (2003), p. 4). Hence, misunderstandings and information of dubious origin lead ([[http://cozpserver1n2.jinonice.cuni.cz/vcsewiki/index.php/User:Wehling]])
Are the concerns we have in terms of the globalisation process in accordance with the actual problems? Or do we stand in our own light and our appraisal is blurred by the fear of personal disadvantages? If so, what are the real problems we need to solve and how are we ought to identify them?


== Ilknur Yilmaz ==
This essay is supposed to allow the reader another view on which issues the world actually ''has'' to fear and which we ''do'' fear.
After outlining the importance of definitions, since globalisation and its associated terms are as diverse as the process of globalisation itself, this essay will evaluate the connection between the actual risks and experienced fears, such as the reduction of jobs, cultural conflicts and environment protection and put them into a global context. It will provide different arguments and analyses on which of these fears differ from the actual risks the modern society has to face. After examining the major concerns and risks it will refer to whom the term "society“ eventually refers and who consequently is affected by the globalisation and draw conclusions on the resulting required action steps.


The word “globalisation” is a term almost everybody has already heard of, but although quiet everybody has got an idea concerning the term globalisation, it is doubtful if everybody associates the same with this term. The reason for this is the fact that there is no standard definition and moreover the meaning if this term contains different areas of widespread different topics. 
=== Ilknur Yilmaz ===


In general the word globalisation describes a process of changes and developments and global integrations of different fields like economics, politics, environment, communication, technology, culture. It can be defined as a “process which embodies a transformation in the spatial organization of social relations and transactions, generating transcontinental flows and networks of activity, interaction and power” (Held, McGrew, Goldblatt & Perrat, 2008, p. 2). Moreover this process of changes contains the four interacting types of development, stretching, intensification, speeding up and growing extensity, intensity and velocity. Stretching means that activities in politics and economy cross frontiers and borders, secondly the intensification describes for example the growing dimension of interconnection and global trade. The speeding up relates to the faster global interactions concerning communication and transport while the growing extensity, intensity and velocity is referring to the disappearing boundaries between local and global matters (Held, McGrew, 2008, p. 2). These mentioned types of change can be seen in different fields of politics, economies, communication, society, culture and the environment, as mentioned before.
[[Security –  global safety or collective danger?]]


To give some examples, the base of globalisation and thus one of the mostly named reasons for globalisation, the technological progress can be mentioned. Concerning the economical globalisation the increase of global trade and more and more global corporations of different businesses can be indicated.  
This part first gives an introduction about the term “globalisation” in general, concerning the difficulty of its definition and its perimeter. Furthermore this introduction deals with the current process and the actuality of globalisation, besides the different areas that are affected by this term of globalisation and its process. After this introduction this elaboration gives an insight into the topic of security within this process of globalisation. Thus it is about how the global security is affected by this process, that is to say the chances and risk that appear for the globalised world are mentioned. After clarifying the conditions of globalisation, the security risks that result from the process will be illustrated. This leads to a short description of the necessity of solutions on national just as international level, to guarantee a safe and stable living all over the world. This elaboration terminates with a conclusion that should make clear the difficulty of achieving global security and safety, and the unpredictable effects and consequences of security arrangements.


The aspect most depressing seems to be the issue of environment. The increase of the global production and manufacturing causes an increase of the environmental pollution just as the ozone problem. Nevertheless these environmental problems are not to be solved by only one region or nation, but it is consequently a global matter, that is to be solved also in a global integration, what leads again to the integrating process of globalisation.
=== Lina Samoske ===


The cultural aspect describes the blending, border-crossing and the spreading of different cultures. There are different chances and risk that can be discussed, therefore advantages and disadvantages of the globalisation for all these different areas concerning every single person as part of the social life and the global living. The different chances and risk concernin one of this fields (eventually social, culutural aspect)in detail will be discussed later in this text.
'''Sustainable Energy''' - [[Solar Energy]]


== Lina Samoske ==
In the face of the climate change and the narrowness of the fossil resources it is clear that the sustainable energies like water, wind and the sun belong to the future. The text „Solar energy“ will give a short introduction of different systems for using sustainable energy and will also clarify that globalisation and the climate change has a lot to do with the narrowness of the fossil resources like oil. The essay demonstrates the disadvantages and advantages of different systems, it will go into detail of solar energy and it shows that not every system is ecologically worthwhile for each country. At the end there is a perceptive in the future, what the politicians and companies do for using sustainable energy. In conclusion there was claimed that there is still a lot of work to do and that every country should invest in our earth and make progress in using sustainable energy systems. In this respect, a lot has already happened in the past twenty years.


'''Sustainable Energy – Solar energy'''
=== Fabian Siggemann ===


There are a lot of different ways to create energy, but because of the limited capabilities and the growing ozone hole, it is important to use sustainable energy.  On one hand the ozone hole gets bigger because of the globalisation, flying by plane, using cars etc., on the other hand the globalisation can help to get new systems of using energy and to get all the materials for it. But the global warming and the accumulation of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere brings extreme weather events and rising sea levels. Just to name some of the consequences.
[[Shaping globalization: Braindrain in times of globalization]]


The other problem are the limited capabilities. Oil is getting low, the oil price already rose from $20 per barrel in 2001 to $70 per barrel in 2006. Either we will run out of oil or it is getting to expensive that just rich people can use it in the future. And because of the ecologically harmful power station, also the electricity will be running out and will be getting expensive. And especially of the globalisation, the transportation, the high living standard we will use more and more electricity, heat and all the capabilities. That is why it is important to think about other ways of producing energy.
Developed countries use migration to gain advantage in the globalized economy. But the developing countries can also benefit from the migration, if the diaspora transfers money or know-how in their home home country. Emigration of creative minds from developing countries brings rather disadvantages in the short term but in the medium and long term enormous benefits. These advantages and disadvantages will be discussed in the text and explained chances of emigration. Examples will be given which shows us the chances. India is one developing country which shows us many benefits of migration in part of globalization. Not only industrialized countries enjoy the benefits of migration, in return, the developing countries, too. The battle for the best brains were won by the industrialized countries but years later the developing countries get back more and more advantages.


One form of using sustainable energy is the sun. Solar energy is one of the sustainable methods. There a more techniques like wind power or using water for getting energy, but the following text will be written about solar energy; what it is, how it works and what the advantages and disadvantages are. In the beginning it will describe in short form the technical way of this system, afterwards there will be a short term about some other forms of sustainable energy systems. Following the text will move on to the advantages and the disadvantages of using solar energy. And at the end there will be written a conclusion of this way of using sustainable energy.
===Stefan Marx ===


Already in the 18th century the solar cell was made up. Horace-Bénédict de Saussure was a successful naturalist and came up with the solar cell, similar to the one which is used today. In the 19th century Augustin Mouchot was the first person who used the convex mirror. This was the first step to refine this technique. It was also the first time when the energy of the sun was used for electricity.
[[National laws for global capital markets - A contradiction?]]


Solar energy means the energy which is produced throw atomic fusion. Lately it is not known that the energy of the sun decreases, it stays constant. Parts of the energy gets reflected and other components of the energy gets absorbed and already changed into heat energy. And the rest gets throw, down to the earth. How much of the sun energy will get to earth depends on the humidity, the cloudiness and the length of the way the sunbeams needs to put back. The energy of the sun is five thousand times higher then the energy the mankind needs. This already is one point why using the energy of the sun. There will still be enough electricity and the limited capabilities of the earth won‘t be used.
Capital markets are a place where different financial instruments are listed. Through globalisation this process has become very unclear and sophisticated. Also the quantity of money which is traded on capital markets has increased. As a result this trade has to be regulated. Primarily companies, supranational institutions and governments can influence capital markets. Governments are donors of framework conditions while companies choose where and in which way their money will be invested. Institutions like the IMF have the task to stabilize financial markets. Governments had the power to fix the conditions of the market. But the power relations between governments and companies have changed in recent times. Multicorporate enterprises gain more influence on conditions of the market, because of their huge financial power. Governments have to play along if they want to maintain jobs and tax receipts in the country. By reason of their global validity capital markets operate different from national markets. In fact capital markets can’t be regulated by national states because they operate globally. For this reason a supranational institution with wide warrants of regulation is required. Actual existing institutions’ structures are inappropriate to fulfill this task. The IMF could be equipped with more responsibilities or another institution could be built to get stable capital markets.


Bibliography:
===Irmawan Rahyadi===
 
Curtis, Fred: Climate, Peak Oil, and Globalization: Contradictions of Natural Capital
 
http://www.handelsblatt.com (14.11.2009)
 
http://www.ht-handelsagentur.de (14.11.2009)
 
== Fabian Siggemann ==
 
Globalization: More or less than a blessing?
 
Globalization is a very far-reaching concept. It is defined differently by people around the world. People from the area of policy define it differently than people from the industry. Fact is, therefore, that globalization affects everyone. Globalization brings benefits and disadvantages for everyone. Mezricky described globalization as "an uncontrolled process." (Václav Mezricky. The nature of globalization. Global actors and driving forces. 2006). An important step towards globalization was the regulation for the conversion of other currencies to the dollar from 1971-1973. Companies now could trade easier over the borders of their countries to other countries. It emerged multinational corporations. (Václav Mezricky. The nature of globalization. Global actors and driving forces. 2006). International organizations were founded. Furthermore the loosening of borders between countries could be seen in the context of globalization. Almost free travel was now offered internationally. The developing of communication technology makes it possible to exchange information rapidly. Globalization involves four types of activities: development, stretching, intensification, speeding up and growing Extensity. These four areas influence each other, the developments in communication technology influence the expansion or the growing Extensity of global organizations. (Held, McGrew, 2008, p. 2)  If, according to Held affect all areas of globalization, then it could be that globalization also brings disadvantages.
 
Globalization in its current speed overwhelms the adaptability of many people. In the western industrialized countries, many workers are facing unemployment or have been affected. For older workers, it is difficult to adapt to the new situation. A whole generation of workers thus falls into a deep crisis.
 
In developing countries, many people feel that they can’t prosper.
In those countries, although come to something, but this is unevenly distributed. There are extremely rich man on the other hand, many very poor people living in slums.
In the coming years we will recognize where the globalization will lead us. Economic crisis will bring us to other ways that we previously believed not to go.
 
==Stefan Marx ==
The notion of globalisation can be defined as a “process (...) which embodies a transformation in the spatial organization of social relations and transactions, generating transcontinental or interregional flows and networks of activity, interaction and power.” (Held, D./McGrew, A./Goldblatt, D./Perraton, J. (1999) What is Glabalisation?). So it affects nearly every aspect of human life and is ubiquitous. But globalisation is not narrowed to the spatial coherence. It’s also taking place in digital space which is getting more and more important.
 
A historical overview of globalisation is very difficult, because a starting point is hard to distinguish. It deviates depending on who is considering it. Mezřický points out the beginning of globalisation in “...the deregulation of dependency of national currencies on the dollar” (Mezřický, V. (2006) The nature of globalisation. Global actors and driving forces). This is a very onesided view only at the economical or monetary part of globalisation.
 
But like industrialization or the expansion of western society globalisation marks a new epoch in human history (cf. Held, D./McGrew, A./Goldblatt, D./Perraton, J. (1999). Despite everything the term globalisation is very controversial and can split society. Because it brings along some negative side effects. Companies displace branches in countries with lower labor costs and workers they can exploit. Globalisation goes hand in hand with pollution, degradation and destruction as well as ecosystems and confronts primitive people and other cultures with western society by an “Americanisation of the world’s culture and the American way of life as an imitated and imported model” (Petrusek, M. The social dimension and sociological treatment of globalisation). For a reason there is a strong movement of antiglobalists. The risk theory by Beck says that global disasters are able to weld the world together. It means bad happenings like ecological catastrophes as a final result of globalisation can bring people together e.g. when they have a common aim.
 
Positive aspects of globalisation are the growing of total assets e.g. produced goods or financial capital. The prosperity of western society is a model for developing countries and an aim for their inhabitants. Globalisation also encounters people and makes it possible that the world population is able to see places of the planet which were inconceivable or unreachable in the past.
 
Very important and new in global economy is the aspect that national states have less power over huge companies or even the whole market: “Since the authority of states is territorially bound, global markets can escape effective political regulation.” (Held, D./McGrew, A. (2006) Globalization). Governments of countries have to make out the framework conditions but companies can choose in which country they want to build a factory. So states try to attract companies with tax savings, subsidies or smooth laws. Those who don’t play along are falling by the wayside.
 
*Helena Radoňová
 
 
==Irmawan Rahyadi==
 
''' Skillful-labor within Global Welfare'''
 
Is it beneficial or the other way around?


[[Global-labor, Risk or Opportunity?]]


As we live around "fast-flows" society, people interact, intersect, intermingle and intermix with each other. International policy portrays the world as a relationship within. Each member of this global village knows each other business just like the next-door neighbor. Each country has their own agenda to empower and develop the wealth of their inhabitant.
As we live around "fast-flows" society, people interact, intersect, intermingle and intermix with each other. International policy portrays the world as a relationship within. Each member of this global village knows each other business just like the next-door neighbor. Each country has their own agenda to empower and develop the wealth of their inhabitant.
The social nature of human as the inhabitant of country is to interact. The country as well needs to interact one another.  The relationship between countries could be done through politic, economic, military, and educational type of interaction. Economic relationship between countries has been extensively increased due to the world financial condition. Every country tries out any opportunity to relate to international scheme in order to increase or maintain its welfare. Welfare affects people as a production factor. When one couldn’t taste welfare in their own area, he will seek out in the neighbor’s area. This phenomena lead to mobility of labor. Labor moves to other country to pursue better life on the other hand neglecting its own country welfare. The small quantity of labor mobility reduces the country welfare.
The social nature of human as the inhabitant of country is to interact. The country as well needs to interact one another.  The relationship between countries could be done through politic, economic, military, and educational type of interaction. Economic relationship between countries has been extensively increased due to the world financial condition. Every country tries out any opportunity to relate to international scheme in order to increase or maintain its welfare. Welfare affects people as a production factor. When one couldn’t taste welfare in their own area, he will seek out in the neighbor’s area. This phenomena lead to mobility of labor. Labor moves to other country to pursue better life on the other hand neglecting its own country welfare. The small quantity of labor mobility reduces the country welfare.


===Jule Kathinka Plawitzki ===
[[World Environment Organization]]


Facing global environmental problems with increasing frequency there is the general call for a reform of the institutional global environmental policy or even more for a global environmental organization. What exactly is this reform-process about, what kind of institution is needed and is there a chance for a World Environment Organization in a foreseeable future?


=== Jonas Schier ===


[[Food shortage - a global problem?]] - not finished article


The article will discuss the main reasons for and the consequences of massive food shortage.


== Jonas Schier ==


Societies all over the globe are faced with the effects of a process referred to as Globalization. This process amplifies the worldwide interconnectedness. Thus former boundaries disappear and local actions and developments easily can have consequences for other regions and even the whole world. The world literally gets smaller.


Nature, Nations, societies and individuals are affected by globalization, but the allocation of its benefits is highly unequal. A large number of the world’s population still lives in poverty. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) claims in its world hunger report 2009 that 1.02 billion people are undernourished worldwide [http://www.fao.org/publications/sofi/en/]. The food shortage especially concerns most Asian countries and sub-Saharan Africa [http://www.fao.org/hunger/en/].
'''[[List of possible sub-themes]] for the Global Risk Society theme'''
 
Already in the late fifties the first Federal Chancellor of Germany, Konrad Adenauer, has indicated most of the main challenges for societies nowadays:
 
“Our enemies of today are not other nations. Our enemies of today are poverty, ignorance, disease and discrimination. What we need is co-operation based on the idea that the entire world is one human family. Ignorance and lack of understanding among Asian, African and Western nations is the greatest danger we are facing today” (Konrad Adenauer, 1957).


The following article will discuss the main reasons for and the consequences of massive food shortage. Then will give a short outlook on the agricultural production in the future.
[[Category:Instructions]]

Latest revision as of 13:50, 29 August 2017

Overview of students' work which was focused on the Globalisation process and risks associated with it - not only global risks, but also those that everybody could face in the everyday life. The work was collaborative in later stages and resulted in a Globalisation Risks and Opportunities handbook.

Isoman copper mine (hypothetical case study) - what are the solutions?

Is globalisation a neutral process? - introductory thesis & discussion with Jana Hybášková

Jule Kathinka Plawitzki

Loss of Biodiversity- caused and solved by Globalization?

The text focuses on biodiversity as a global environmental problem and shows how the loss of biodiversity is caused by globalization and if a further globalization is even necessary to face this challenge.

To understand the correlation between globalization and biodiversity globalization as an abstract phenomenon causing risks is described in the beginning of the article. In addition a comprehension of biodiversity in general is necessary – therefore a short definition about biodiversity in general, its distribution and its significance is given, furthermore causes for reduction are presented. It turns out that not every cause for the loss of biodiversity is inevitably liked to globalization, but you can not either separate this two phenomena. In a further step the article deals with facing this challenge: Examples for actions by the private economic sector, NGOs and by the governmental sector are given – all of them are not effective (enough). The reason for this is an asymmetry between biodiversity and wealth. To face this asymmetry a further globalization is necessary: In terms of institutions and markets for compensation of this asymmetry and a World Environment Organization is needed. Furthermore every single person has to act by herself/himself.

Corinna Lohrengel

Media and culture in a globalized world

The globalization of media is a controversial topic concerning the debate of globalization. Many outcomes could be seen in a positive such as in a negative way and it’s not clarified which one has a bigger influence. This article analyzes these positive and negative aspects and gives an overview of their impacts.

The following article deals with the term "global village" and the critical approaches to it. Does the globalization of media cause homogenization and standardization concerning products, experiences and lifestyle of generations? Do we have to give up our individualism for a collective identity? The text also gives an overview of the influence of media in a globalized world and how they are used for manipulation and marketing. One last point of this essay is the question of global or local media. How can the media be globalized when not everybody has the same conditions concerning the access to the Internet or the television?

Henning Strate

Challenges to Energy Security - Is a demonization of conventional energy production under current global trends beneficial?

In 2008 the worlds energy consumption reached about 740 Exajoules, with 85% of it being derived from the combustion of fossil fuels. The International Energy Agency expects worldwide energy demand to double by 2030. While there are many reasons to rightly believe that the excessive burning of fossil fuels is the cause of many changes to the environment and climate, it is also equally true that in the last centuries and decades fossil fuels have provided a considerable part of humanity with unparalleled economic and industrial success, indirectly triggering inventions in almost any field and improving man's living conditions on Earth over those of previous centuries. Within the process of meeting the future energy demand largely through the use of renewable energies it might also prove to be benificial looking at opportunities to improve upon conventional energy production – other than to demonize it. The following article will analyse some current global trends, especially in the field of electricity production, and the great challenges to a coherent energy policy.

Marenka Krasomil

The New Economic Market: Water

A big topic of globalisation is the environment, the sustainable management of limited recourses. Big parts of the world population still do not have access to healthy water. This water shortage will highly increase in the next years and wound stay a regional problem of developing countries. Through water pollution and other reasons as highly usage of water in the agriculture sector and the unequal distribution of goods in general this water shortage will be one of the biggest problems to be solved in the next years, to secure human living. With complex and costly methods attempts are made to compensate the approaching shortage. For example plans are made for river-linking in Spain, or the construction of pipelines from Canada to California. Another problem is the privatisation of the public water supply, caused through financial straits. Private investors have the chance to control the water supply and gain power over the formation of price and this will cause the widen of the gap between rich and poor. The process of privatisation in the last years always was a process of loosing codetermination of the population too. The interests of big companies were more important than civil rights. To solve the upcoming water problem the whole world has to work together to pursuit the goal of a world wide and equal water supply.

Josef Nový

Integration and tolerance

The aim of this essay is to bring information about some aspects of Muslim integration process in Europe. The trigger of writing the text was one of many videos on Youtube suggesting that Muslim immigrants destroy our continent and are a threat for all the Europeans. I cited two scholars' works – Sami Zemni and Timothy Savage. One of the things people are afraid to loose because of the inflow of immigrants is European identity. This abstract unit is very hard to define and it is the first issue this text deals with.

Multicultural Europe has to be Europe for everyone. To include all citizens in the process of creating it is another important topic. Generalization is the enemy of tolerance. We should not make snap judgements and create prejudice. One of the concrete affairs that is closely related to the topic is the French conflict considering Muslim girls wearing scarves. The essay will hopefully make someone think about these matters and maybe read more sources to understand it.

Julia Wolter

Society and Globalization

How is the individual to be defined in a globalized world? The article discusses the role of society and how determinates are changing. Where do national borders end in the Globalization processes and how are individuality and society embedded in the process? How much power lies in the individuals of a society, or is everyone powerless, because of the increasingly process of Globalization, which seems to be nearly intangible. Might this feeling of powerlessness be accepted as an apology for the ignorance of individually responsibility? The role of consumers' choices could in this concern take an important part to strenghten the individual consciousnesss, and maybe even the society's.

Svea Marie Wehling

(Svea Wehling: Justifiable Risk or headless Fear? The Difference between experienced and factual Disadvantages of a Process called Globalisation)

Are the concerns we have in terms of the globalisation process in accordance with the actual problems? Or do we stand in our own light and our appraisal is blurred by the fear of personal disadvantages? If so, what are the real problems we need to solve and how are we ought to identify them?

This essay is supposed to allow the reader another view on which issues the world actually has to fear and which we do fear. After outlining the importance of definitions, since globalisation and its associated terms are as diverse as the process of globalisation itself, this essay will evaluate the connection between the actual risks and experienced fears, such as the reduction of jobs, cultural conflicts and environment protection and put them into a global context. It will provide different arguments and analyses on which of these fears differ from the actual risks the modern society has to face. After examining the major concerns and risks it will refer to whom the term "society“ eventually refers and who consequently is affected by the globalisation and draw conclusions on the resulting required action steps.

Ilknur Yilmaz

Security – global safety or collective danger?

This part first gives an introduction about the term “globalisation” in general, concerning the difficulty of its definition and its perimeter. Furthermore this introduction deals with the current process and the actuality of globalisation, besides the different areas that are affected by this term of globalisation and its process. After this introduction this elaboration gives an insight into the topic of security within this process of globalisation. Thus it is about how the global security is affected by this process, that is to say the chances and risk that appear for the globalised world are mentioned. After clarifying the conditions of globalisation, the security risks that result from the process will be illustrated. This leads to a short description of the necessity of solutions on national just as international level, to guarantee a safe and stable living all over the world. This elaboration terminates with a conclusion that should make clear the difficulty of achieving global security and safety, and the unpredictable effects and consequences of security arrangements.

Lina Samoske

Sustainable Energy - Solar Energy

In the face of the climate change and the narrowness of the fossil resources it is clear that the sustainable energies like water, wind and the sun belong to the future. The text „Solar energy“ will give a short introduction of different systems for using sustainable energy and will also clarify that globalisation and the climate change has a lot to do with the narrowness of the fossil resources like oil. The essay demonstrates the disadvantages and advantages of different systems, it will go into detail of solar energy and it shows that not every system is ecologically worthwhile for each country. At the end there is a perceptive in the future, what the politicians and companies do for using sustainable energy. In conclusion there was claimed that there is still a lot of work to do and that every country should invest in our earth and make progress in using sustainable energy systems. In this respect, a lot has already happened in the past twenty years.

Fabian Siggemann

Shaping globalization: Braindrain in times of globalization

Developed countries use migration to gain advantage in the globalized economy. But the developing countries can also benefit from the migration, if the diaspora transfers money or know-how in their home home country. Emigration of creative minds from developing countries brings rather disadvantages in the short term but in the medium and long term enormous benefits. These advantages and disadvantages will be discussed in the text and explained chances of emigration. Examples will be given which shows us the chances. India is one developing country which shows us many benefits of migration in part of globalization. Not only industrialized countries enjoy the benefits of migration, in return, the developing countries, too. The battle for the best brains were won by the industrialized countries but years later the developing countries get back more and more advantages.

Stefan Marx

National laws for global capital markets - A contradiction?

Capital markets are a place where different financial instruments are listed. Through globalisation this process has become very unclear and sophisticated. Also the quantity of money which is traded on capital markets has increased. As a result this trade has to be regulated. Primarily companies, supranational institutions and governments can influence capital markets. Governments are donors of framework conditions while companies choose where and in which way their money will be invested. Institutions like the IMF have the task to stabilize financial markets. Governments had the power to fix the conditions of the market. But the power relations between governments and companies have changed in recent times. Multicorporate enterprises gain more influence on conditions of the market, because of their huge financial power. Governments have to play along if they want to maintain jobs and tax receipts in the country. By reason of their global validity capital markets operate different from national markets. In fact capital markets can’t be regulated by national states because they operate globally. For this reason a supranational institution with wide warrants of regulation is required. Actual existing institutions’ structures are inappropriate to fulfill this task. The IMF could be equipped with more responsibilities or another institution could be built to get stable capital markets.

Irmawan Rahyadi

Global-labor, Risk or Opportunity?

As we live around "fast-flows" society, people interact, intersect, intermingle and intermix with each other. International policy portrays the world as a relationship within. Each member of this global village knows each other business just like the next-door neighbor. Each country has their own agenda to empower and develop the wealth of their inhabitant. The social nature of human as the inhabitant of country is to interact. The country as well needs to interact one another. The relationship between countries could be done through politic, economic, military, and educational type of interaction. Economic relationship between countries has been extensively increased due to the world financial condition. Every country tries out any opportunity to relate to international scheme in order to increase or maintain its welfare. Welfare affects people as a production factor. When one couldn’t taste welfare in their own area, he will seek out in the neighbor’s area. This phenomena lead to mobility of labor. Labor moves to other country to pursue better life on the other hand neglecting its own country welfare. The small quantity of labor mobility reduces the country welfare.

Jule Kathinka Plawitzki

World Environment Organization

Facing global environmental problems with increasing frequency there is the general call for a reform of the institutional global environmental policy or even more for a global environmental organization. What exactly is this reform-process about, what kind of institution is needed and is there a chance for a World Environment Organization in a foreseeable future?

Jonas Schier

Food shortage - a global problem? - not finished article

The article will discuss the main reasons for and the consequences of massive food shortage.


List of possible sub-themes for the Global Risk Society theme

Retrieved from "https://vcsewiki.czp.cuni.cz/w/index.php?title=Students:2009/2010_student_themes&oldid=4709"