CONTEMPORARY

WORLD MODULE
Prof. JOEL G. VEDASTO, AB, MPA, JD
Globalization
of Religion
Globalization vs Religion

Globalization Religion

 Globalization is the word used  A religion is a system of beliefs

to describe the growing usually involving the worship of
interdependence of the world's supernatural forces or beings.
economies, cultures, and Religious beliefs provide shape and
populations, brought about by meaning to one's perception of the
cross-border trade in goods and universe. In other words, they
services, technology, and flows of provide a sense of order in what
investment, people, and information. might otherwise be seen as a chaotic
existence.
The spread of religion

•Pilgrimage and tourism is a major force in the globalization of culture

•Christians often pilger to holy sites e.g. Jerusalem
•Muslims should travel to Mecca to undertake the haji at least once in
their life, connecting also to the Islamic communes around the world

Cultural exchange, missionary activity and pilgrimages are important

sectors, which promoted the process of globalization.
 The Silk Road– How Religions Crossed Barriers

• Globalization began already 3000 years ago as the Silk Road facilitated trade and cultural
exchange (textiles, spices and even religions were all exchanged along the Silk Road starting
around 1,000 B.C.)
• The Silk Road presented religious communities with the most efficient way to spread their
beliefs  Missionaries often joined caravans and traders.
• Buddhism was the first great missionary faith spreading from Northern India to Afghanistan
and Bengal and finally to China, Korea and Japan and back to Tibet
• Silk was extensively used in Buddhist ceremonies stimulating the demand and facilitating trade
along the Silk Road enhancing globalization.
• Islam was the dominant religion among Silk Road traders for most of the time
• Islamic scientific and medical advancements also had significant impact on Silk Road
travelers  Chinese Buddhist traders adopted Islamic medical knowledge in wound healing and
urine analysis
The most known Religions across the World

Christianity
Its deity is Jesus
(2.2 Billion adherents)

Islam Buddhism
The God is Allah Buddha
(1.57 Milliard adherents) (380 Million adherents)

Hinduism Judaism
Many Gods Buddha
(811 Million adherents) (300 Million adherents)
Role of religion in the Contemporary World

 Religion is a powerful and controversial force in the contemporary world, even in supposedly
secular societies. Almost all societies seek to cultivate religions and faith communities as sources
of social stability and engines of social progress.
 The basic tenets of globalization stand against religious parochialism. By diminishing the
barriers between different cultures, globalization lands religion in a quagmire of conflicts which
reinforce social identities as some do not accept the new realities and turn to religion to rediscover
their own identity.
 Religion can influence the culture of an entire community, nation, or region of the world. This
goes beyond a person's individual habits to affect much bigger issues, such as how the government
is run and what artistic and scientific advances are made.
 Globalization helps to increase greater religious tolerance and acceptance of other culture and
religion that enhances our mind, knowledge etc. With globalization religion becomes a culture of
pluralism that teach us to respect of other religions.
 Globalization brings a culture of pluralism, meaning
religions “with overlapping but distinctive ethics and
interests” interact with one another.
 Essentially, the world’s leading religious traditions—
Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—
teach values such as human dignity, equality, freedom,
peace, and solidarity.
 More specifically, religions maintain the Golden Rule:
“what you do not wish done to yourself, do not do to
others.”
 Therefore, through such religious values, globalization
engenders greater religious tolerance in such areas as
politics, economics, and society.
 Religion therefore has always been global, in
the sense that religious communities and
traditions have always maintained
permeable boundaries. They have moved,
shifted, and interacted with one another around
the globe. ... All this is part of the globalization
of religion.
 Religion or faith has gained considerable
significance and importance as a non-territorial
touchstone of identity. Being a source of
identity and pride, religion is being always
promoted by its practitioners to reach the level
of globality and be embraced by as many
people as possible.
Global Cities
 Global Cities

 A global city, also called a power city, world city, alpha

city or world center.
 is a city which is a primary node in the global economic
network.
 The concept comes from geography and urban studies, and
the idea that globalization is created and furthered in strategic
geographic locales according to a hierarchy of importance to
the operation of the global system of finance and trade.
Why important?

 A global city has wealth, power and

influence to other countries as well as
hosts the largest capital markets. 
 This is because culture is one of important
businesses in a city that provides many
tourist attractions. 
 Rome for instance, has been very powerful
and influential in the development of world
culture.
 Samples of Global Cities
 Well rounded global cities
a) Very large contribution : London and New York
b) Smaller contribution & with cultural bias : Los Angeles, Paris
and San Francisco
c) Incipient global cities : Amsterdam, Boston, Chicago,
Madrid, Milan, Moscow and Toronto
 Global niche cities – specialized global contributions
a) Economic : Hongkong, Singapore and Tokyo
b) Political and Social : Brussels, Geneva, Strasbourg and
Washington
Characteristics of
Global Cities
Although criteria are variable and fluid, typical characteristics of
world cities are:

 A variety of international financial services, notably in finance,

insurance, real estate, banking, accountancy and marketing. 
 Headquarters of several multinational corporations.
 The existence of financial headquarters, a stock exchange and
other major financial institutions
 Domination of the trade and economy of a large surrounding
area
 Major manufacturing centres with port and container facilities
 Considerable decision-making power on a daily basis and at a
global level
Characteristics of Global Cities
 Centres of new ideas and innovation in business,
economics, culture, and politics
 Centres of media and communications for global
networks. Dominance of the national region with great
international significance
 High percentage of residents employed in the services
sector and information sector. 
 High-quality educational institutions, including
renowned universities, international student
attendance, and research facilities
 Multi-functional infrastructure offering some of the best
legal, medical, and entertainment facilities in the
country
 High diversity in language, culture, religion, and
ideologies
Attributes of Global City

 Economic Power
determines which cities are global
 Economic Opportunities
make it attractive to talents across the world
 Economic Competitiveness
criteria in market size, purchasing power of citizens, size of the middle class and
potential growth.
 Center of Authority
State power
 Political Influence
powerful political hubs exert influence on their own countries as well as on
international affairs
 Center of High Learning and Culture
A city’s intellectual influence
 Global Cities

Economic Functions Non-Economic Functions Size

Financial & Producer Services Political Center Population
Industry Center Cultural and Media Center GDP
Transport Hub Tourism Center
Investment Safe Zone

Perfomance & Success Indicator

Democracy, Rule of Law, Free Press, Property Rights, Public Safety, Human Capital
Fiscal Regime, Infrastructure, Dynamism, Environmental Quality, Human Capital – Education Level
Scale, History of “Cross Cycle Success”, Affordability, Income Distribution
Global Demography
What is Demography?

 Demography is a combination of two Greek words,

‘Demos’ meaning people and ‘Graphy’ meaning
science. Thus, demography is the science of people.
 is the study of the statistical and mathematical size,
territorial distribution, and composition of population,
changes therein.

 Components of Global Demography:

Variables presented for five-year periods are: crude
birth rate, crude death rate, total fertility rate, infant
mortality rate, life expectancy, population growth
rate, migration rate and number of migrants.
10 Most
Populous
Countries
Objectives of Global
Demography
 To achieve knowledge about the size, composition,
organization and distribution of the population.
 To study the trend of population growth which
describes the past evolution present distribution and
future changes in the population of an area.
 To study the trend of population growth and the
population distribution, which describes the trends of
population and its relationships with the different
aspects of social parameters like education level,
extent of urbanization, employment, living standard in
an area.
 To protect the future demographic evaluation and its
probable consequences.
Terminology of Demography
 Crude Birth Rate: the annual number of live births per 1,000 people.
 General Fertility Rate: the annual number of live births per 1,000 women of childbearing age (often
taken to be from 15 to 49 years old, but sometimes from 15 to 44)
 Age-specific Fertility Rates: the annual number of live births per 1,000 women in particular age
groups (usually age 15-19, 20-24, etc.)
 Crude Death Rate: the annual number of deaths per 1,000 people.
 Infant Mortality Rate: the annual number of deaths of children less than 1 year old per 1,000 live
births.
 Expectation of Life (or Life Expectancy): the number of years which an individual at a given age
could expect to live at present mortality levels.
 Total Fertility Rate: the number of live births per women completing her reproductive life if her
childbearing at each age reflected current age specific fertility rates.
 Replacement Level Fertility: the average number of children a woman must have in order to replace
herself with a daughter in the next generation.
Gross Reproduction Rate: the number of daughters who
would be born to a woman completing her reproductive life at
current age specific fertility rates.

Net Reproduction Ratio: It is the ratio of the expected

number of daughters per newborn prospective mother, who
may or may not survive to and through the ages of
childbearing.

Stable Population: A population that has had constant crude

birth and death rates for such long time that the percentage of
people in every class remains constant or equivalent the
population pyramid has an unchanging structure.

Stationary Population: it is the population that is both stable

and unchanging in size (the difference between the crude birth
rate and the crude death rate is zero)
 For Economy
• a) it helps to understand the growth of the economy and the growth rate of the
population.
• b) if the population is increasing at a faster rate, the pace of development of
the economy will be slow.
For Society
• a) rapid population growth reduces per capita income, lowers the standard of
Importance of living, resulting to mass unemployment and underemployment.
• b) it puts stress on basic services like water, electricity, transport and
Demography communication, public health, education, etc.
• c) it may result in migration and unplanned urbanization which further lead to
unavailability to civic amenities and the law and order problem.

For Government
• a) the government has to tackle and find solution to the problems arising from
the growth of population.
• b) Rapid population growth leads to unplanned urbanization and leads to
problem like coming up shanty towns, pollution, drainage, water, electricity,
transport, etc in cities.
  Finite population - is also known as a countable population in which the
population can be counted. In other words, it is defined as the population
of all the individuals or objects that are finite.
Examples of finite populations are employees of a company, potential
consumer in a market.
 Infinite population - is also known as an uncountable population in
Different which the counting of units in the population is not possible.
Example of an infinite population is the number of germs in the patient’s
Types of body is uncountable.

Population  Existing population - is defined as the population of concrete

individuals. In other words, the population whose unit is available in
solid form is known as existent population.
Examples are books, students etc.
 Hypothetical population - in which whose unit is not available in solid
form is known as the hypothetical population. A population consists of
sets of observations, objects etc that are all something in common. In
some situations, the populations are only hypothetical.
Examples are an outcome of rolling the dice, the outcome of tossing a coin.
  Poverty is believed to be the leading cause of overpopulation. A
lack of educational resources, coupled with high death rates
leading to higher birth rates, result in impoverished areas seeing
large booms in population.
 Population growth increases food demand and therefore the
Cause & demand for agricultural land.
 Rapid growth has led to uncontrolled urbanization, which has
Effects of produced overcrowding, destitution, crime, pollution, and
Global political turmoil.
 Rapid growth has outstripped increases in food production, and
Population population pressure has led to the overuse of arable land and its
destruction.
Global Migration
 Migration
 The United Nations defines
migration as the movement of a
person or persons from one place
to another, involving a
permanent move of home for
over one (1) year.
 “Human migration is the
permanent change of residence
by an individual or groups,
excluding such movements as
nomadism and migrant labor.”
 Trends in Migration
 During the colonial period (British period) millions of
laborers were sent to countries Mauritius, Caribbean
islands, Fiji and South Africa by British to work as
plantation workers.
 In the 20th Century semi-skilled are migrated to the
countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore,
Indonesia, Brunei and African countries as artisans,
traders and factory workers.
 In recent times, professionals like doctors, engineers,
software engineers, management consultants, financial
experts, media persons, are migrated to countries such as
USA, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Germany,
etc. These professionals are highly educated and get the
highest paid.
Migration is Global
 There are an estimated 272
million international migrants –
3.5% of the world’s population.
 While most people leave their
home countries for work, millions
have been driven away due to
conflict, violence and climate
change.
 Most migrants come from the
different countries; the United
States is the primary destination.
Top 20 destinations (left) and origins (right) of international migrants in 2019 (millions)
Different types of Migration
 Migration – the movement of people from one place to another.
 Forced migration – migrant has to move because of intolerable circumstances or a genuine fear for
their life.
 International migration – movement of people across national frontiers for a minimum of 0ne (1)
year.
 Rural-urban migration – movement of people between the countryside and the city.
 Voluntary migration – migrant has chosen to migrate usually for economic reasons.
 Temporary migration – migrant has migrated but does not intend to remain in their new location
permanently.
 Permanent migration – migrant does not plan on returning to their own country.
 Internal migration – migrant has moved location within their own country. 
 Reasons for Migrating

 High standard of living  Poverty

 Declining neighborhood  Harsh climate
 Hazard-free environment  Divorce
 Marriage  Scenic quality
 Freedom of speech  Unemployment
 Inaccessibility  Family or ethnic ties
 Heavy taxes  Good wages/salary
 Political asylum  Children leaving home
 Natural disaster  Promotion at work
 Personal safety and security  Good welfare services
Factors influencing migration
Socio-political Factors
 Social push factors can include ethnic, religious, racial, and cultural persecution. Warfare, or the threat
of conflict, is also a major push factor.
 Individuals migrating due to social or political conditions are more likely to do so as humanitarian
migrants.
Economic Factors
 Economic factors relate to the labor standards of a country, its unemployment situation and the overall
health of its economy.
 If economic conditions are not favorable and appear to be at risk of declining further, a greater number
of individuals will probably emigrate to one with a better economy. 
Ecological Factors: Climate Disruption Exacerbates Other Forces
 Of the ecological factors that push individuals to migrate, climate change is, arguably, the most serious.
 Climate change has the potential to intensify the impacts of the social, political and economic push
factors
Sustainable Development
 Sustainable Development
 The term “sustainable development” first came to
prominence in the World Conservation Strategy (WCS) in
1980.
 Development – is the gradual growth of a situation that
becomes more advanced and strong than previous one.
 Development is intended to bring a positive change for
human being and its surroundings. Development may take
place by bringing about a change in policy, projects and
legislation.
 Development is unfolding of human potentials for
meaningful participation in economic, social, political and
cultural process and institutions, so that people can
improve their conditions.
 Sustainable Development is development that meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future generations to met their own needs.
 Gro Harlem Brundtland first introduced the concept of sustainable development in
1987.He was then the Prime Minister of Norway and Chairman of the World
Commission on Environment and Development.

Improvement of lifestyles Preserving natural

and well -being Sustainable resources and ecosystem
Development
 Four Pillars of Sustainability
Human sustainability
 Human sustainability aims to maintain and improve the human capital in society. Investments in the health
and education systems, access to services, nutrition, knowledge and skills are all programs under the
umbrella of human sustainability. 
Social sustainability
 Social sustainability aims to preserve social capital by investing and creating services that constitute the
framework of our society. The concept accommodates a larger view of the world in relation to
communities, cultures and globalization.
Economic sustainability
 Economic sustainability aims to maintain the capital intact. If social sustainability focuses on improving
social equality, economic sustainability aims to improve the standard of living.
Environmental sustainability
 Environmental sustainability aims to improve human welfare through the protection of natural capital (e.g.
land, air, water, minerals etc.). Initiatives and programs are defined environmentally sustainable when
they ensure that the needs of the population are met without the risk of compromising the needs of future
generations. 
Global Food Security
Food Security
 Food security is the state of having reliable
access to a sufficient quantity of affordable,
nutritious food.
 Food security is a condition related to the
availability of food, and an individual’s
accessibility and affordability to it.
 A household is considered food secure
when its occupant do not live in hunger or
fear of starvation.
 Stages of food insecurity range from food
secure situations to full-scale famine.
 In simpler terms … Food security refers to the availability and accessibility of
an individual to get sufficient quantity of food that is reliable and affordable to
the individual.
 The United State is leading international efforts to address the need that people
around the world have for reliable sources of quality food.
 American aid is, in part, directed to Food Security – ensuring every nation has
the ability to feed its population adequate amounts of nutritional foods.
 The World food Summit of 1996 defined food security as “when all people at
all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy
and active life”.
 Food security, as defined by the United Nations’ Committee on World Food
Security, means that all people, at all times, have physical, social, and
economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their food
preferences and dietary needs for an active and healthy life.
 What are the global challenges on food
security?

 The main threats to food security are

(1) world population growth
(2) the increase demand for food
(3) food price
(4) the disappearance of the variety of
agricultural plant species
(5) the increase in the area of scarcity water and
the limitation of the availability of land
(6) the food losses and food waste.
 10 Solutions to improve Global Food Security
1. Make better use of data.
 Support better decision making on farms through advances being made in data collection,
connectivity and computing power. These advances need to be applied more directly on farm
providing better data and analysis on agricultural systems, helping farmers to choose the most
efficient practices and inputs and respond to changes in weather and markets with greater
effectiveness.
2. Start a “Love your ugly fruit and veg” campaign
 Start a consumer-facing campaign to address the nonsensical practice of throwing away food that
does not meet cosmetic supermarket standards. The aim would be to get people to share images and
stories of their misshapen fruit and veg and recipes for how they used it to produce a wholesome
meal.
3. Educate consumers
 Educate consumers about the environmental, social and financial value of food. Curb demand for
year-round supply of seasonal produce through clearer explanations of food miles and reduce
consumption of luxurious, protein-rich foods that require more money and land to produce.
4. Train farmers to make most of new technology
 Technological advancement is moving faster in agriculture than the capacity of farmers to apply
this technology in food production. More time and money needs to be invested in training
farmers to make best use of the technologies at their disposal.
5. Create more efficient food chains
 Invest in increasing the efficiency of food production from field to fork. This means further
research and development in agricultural practices such as pest resistance and best use of
agrochemicals. It also means shortening supply chains, using new technology to reduce wastage
from farm to fork and encouraging consumers to purchase local and seasonal produce.
6. Adopt more integrated growing practices
 Increased regulatory pressure on use of agricultural inputs means farmers need to adopt a
collection of different practices to maintain agricultural productivity. These could include a
mixture of different varieties, cultural controls and use of modern technologies such as precision
farming. Further education of farmers is needed to ensure all these practices are being applied on
farm.
7. Invest in skills and training of women 
 Women account for the majority of the developing world’s agricultural workforce and produce half of the
world’s food. Increasing the productivity of farmland managed by women through investing in training
and technology would bring significant gains in overall agricultural productivity.
8. Cookery lessons 
 Tackle food waste by educating schoolchildren about where their food comes from and how to prepare a
quick and healthy meal without wasting any ingredients. The aim would be to give children a better
insight into food purchasing so that they learn how to plan meals and buy only what they need.
9. Develop perennial cash crops
 Use modern plant breeding advances to develop perennial versions of existing annual cash crops. These
crops would require fewer inputs, less machinery and field work and would improve water storage and
soil conservation as well as mitigate climate change through carbon capture.  
10. Reap the benefits of GM crops
 Modifying the genetic structure of arable and horticultural crops may be controversial but the technology
has the potential to boost yields and increase efficiency in areas where environmental constraints such as
drought and wet weather limit productivity.
 The three components of food security

1) Availability - having sufficient quantities of appropriate

food available
2) Access - having adequate income or other resources to
access food
3) Utilization/consumption - having adequate dietary intake
and the ability to absorb and use nutrients in the body
Food security is required to ensure that each individual of a country has
access to safe and healthy food at all times of the year.
During a natural disaster, the rates of food rise (due to shortage of food).
food security ensures that food grains are distributed at cheap rates to the
poor, so that they do not starve.
Thank you!