From enthusiasm to apathy: dwindling support for globalization among future generations

Irfan Nooruddin and Nita Rudra

Journal of International Economic Law, 2024, vol. 27, issue 4, 697-705

Abstract: This essay examines support for globalization in developing countries, challenging the prevailing intellectual and policy consensus that globalization predominantly benefits less developed countries (LDCs). While globalization has been linked to economic growth and poverty reduction, rising inequality and discontent in both developing and developed countries raise critical questions about its long-term sustainability. In developed nations, populist leaders channel discontent with job precarity and wage pressures to criticize globalization, often portraying developing countries as the beneficiaries of global markets at the expense of blue-collar workers in richer nations. Conversely, in LDCs, scepticism about globalization is growing, particularly as income disparities widen and employment insecurity rises. We report three key findings: citizens in developing countries become more disillusioned with globalization over time, especially low-skilled workers and younger generations. This disenchantment mirrors the backlash seen in wealthy nations, suggesting that without substantial reforms to global trade systems, support for openness may erode across both developing and developed countries. A collapse of the international economic order, with negative global consequences, including supply chain disruptions and slower economic growth, is a potential outcome. The essay highlights the need for a reassessment of globalization’s role in developing economies to prevent further political and economic instability.

Date: 2024
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/jiel/jgae053 (application/pdf)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:oup:jieclw:v:27:y:2024:i:4:p:697-705.

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://academic.oup.com/journals

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of International Economic Law is currently edited by Kathleen Claussen, Sergio Puig and Michael Waibel

More articles in Journal of International Economic Law from Oxford University Press Oxford University Press, Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP, UK.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Oxford University Press ().