Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Globalization and Democratization Nexus

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Globalization, Democracy and Oil Sector Reform in Nigeria

Part of the book series: African Histories and Modernities ((AHAM))

  • 408 Accesses

Abstract

In this chapter, I explore the concepts of democracy and globalization, and the relationship between the two. The chapter exposes the false assumptions about democracy and globalization, particularly the notion that presents globalization as the possible end-state of human development. Globalization’s inherent contradictions—which led to the global financial crisis and economic downturn of the late 2000s—reinforce this truth. The attendant resurgence of economic protectionism by advanced capitalist states after the crisis only makes the position stronger. Thus, it is imperative to explore the means in which the globalization of neoliberalism and the activities of global forces have engendered contradictions in their attempts to “democratize” the international system. In conclusion, globalization has failed to enhance the socio-economic development of the Nigerian state and society.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    See Cammack (1998, p. 225) for more understanding of liberal democracy.

  2. 2.

    For more information, see http://www.sdinet.org

  3. 3.

    For more information on this, see Li and Reuveny (2003, pp. 30–39).

  4. 4.

    This process of allowing the economy to fluctuate is referred to as “laissez-faire”. This is a French expression meaning “let it be” which allows industries to be free from state involvement in restrictions such as taxes and state monopolies. For more information, see Crockett (2011).

  5. 5.

    An autocrat is a leader exercising absolute power on behalf of the government.

  6. 6.

    The Nigerian Labour Congress is an umbrella organization of all employees in Nigeria . Its establishment pre-dated Nigerian independence in 1960. The Apena Cemetery Declaration of 1974 remains the most direct attempt to establish a unified union for the Nigerian employee. This brought together the Nigeria Workers’ Congress (NWC), United Labour Congress (ULC), Nigeria Trade Union Congress (NTUC), and Labour Unity Front (LUF), which signed a document to form a single central organization. The declaration was premised upon the Trade Union Decree of 1973 which allowed for union mergers and federations. The merger was put into effect on the 18th of December, 1975 at Lagos City Hall. According to Onuoha, the main mission of the congress is to protect, defend and promote the rights, privileges, and the interests of all trade associations and unions affiliated to the congress, their individual members and the working class in general; see Onuoha, Frank (2013) “Nigeria Labour Congress: A brief History”; available online at http://allnigeriahistory.blogspot.com/2013/07/nigeria-labour-congress-brief-history.html#!/2013/07/nigeria-labour-congress-brief-history.html

  7. 7.

    Proponents of the “efficiency thesis”, otherwise known as the “globalization thesis” hold that a greater exposure to trade puts national economies under intense competitive pressures. These efficiency-based perspectives predict that globalization may contribute to limited government, reduced government provision of social services, reduced government revenue-raising capacity, and lower levels of unionization. For more understanding, see Yi (2011, p. 476).

  8. 8.

    Adam Smith used this expression to describe the natural force that guides free market capitalism through competition for scarce resources. In a free market, each individual would try to maximize self-interest, and the interaction of market participants, leading to exchange of goods and services, enables each to be better off than when simply producing for himself/herself. He explains that in a free market, no regulation of any type would be needed to ensure that the mutually beneficial exchange of goods and services took place, acting under the assumption that this ‘invisible hand’ would guide market participants to trade in the most mutually beneficial manner. For better understanding, see http://www.investorwords.com/2633/invisible_hand.html#ixzz2fbAX3QrV

  9. 9.

    The world experienced an economic depression in countries like the United States, Britain, Germany, etc. This re-enacted mercantilism; states embarking on economic nationalism by injecting funds to the private sector.

  10. 10.

    The Obama administration in the United States had to fund many banks, while the United Kingdom financially rescued private company’s during the recent global economic crisis. This is a digression from the tenets of liberalization and capitalism , and “limited government” being promoted in Nigeria.

  11. 11.

    The “Arab Spring” that resulted in regime change from a dictatorial government in Libya and Egypt to a more inclusive system of government represented one of the ‘triumphs’ of liberal democracy.

  12. 12.

    UNDP in 2007 released the following as indices of sustenance of democracy; popular participation, governmental legitimacy and acceptance, promotion of equity and equality, promotion of gender balance, observation of rule of law, regulation rather than controlling governance , service oriented governance, and ability to define and take ownership of national solution. Globalization has not actually enhanced the attainment of some these values, like the lack of states’ sovereignty in the economy.

References

  • Aghion, P., Burgess, R., Redding, S., & Zilibotti, F. (2003). The Unequal Effects of Liberalization: Theory and Evidence from India. Retrieved from http://econ.lse.ac.uk/staff/rburgess/wp/abrz031002.pdf

  • Aka, P. C. (2002). The Dividend of Democracy: Analysing U.S. Support for Nigerian Democratization. Third World Law Journal, 22(2).

    Google Scholar 

  • Ake, C. (1981). A Political Economy of Africa. New York: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ake, C. (2000). The Feasibility of Democracy in Africa. Dakar: CODESRIA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Akinboye, S. A. (2008). Globalization and the Challenge for Nigeria’s Development in the 21st Century. Lagos: University of Lagos.

    Google Scholar 

  • Asobie, H. A. (2001). Globalization: A View from the South. Annals of the Social Science Academy of Nigeria, 13, 36–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Attina, F. (n.d.). International Relation and Contemporary World Issues. International Relations, II. Retrieved from http://www.eolss.net/Sample-Chapters/C14/E1-35-03.pdf

  • Beck, U. (2000). What Is Globalization. Cambridge: Polity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cammack, P. (1998). Globalization and the Death of Liberal Democracy. European Review, 6(2), 249–263.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cerny, G. P. (1999). Globalization and the Erosion of Democracy. European Journal of Political Research, 36, 1–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chua, A. (2003). World on Fire: How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability. New York: Anchor Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clapham, C. (2002). The Challenge to the State in a Globalized World. Development and Change, 33(5), 775–795.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crockett, S. (2011). Has Globalization Spread Democracy Around the World? Retrieved from http://www.e-ir.info/2011/08/27/has- globalization-spread-democracy-around- the-world

  • Dahl, R. A. (1971). Polyarchy: Participation and Opposition. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dahl, R. A. (1982). Dilemma of Pluralist Democracy. New Haven: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Doces, J. A. (2006). Globalization and Democracy: An Empirical Analysis Using a Simultaneous Equation Approach. Prepared for the First Annual International Political Economy Conference, Princeton University, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, November.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dunklin, A. L. (2005). Globalization: A Portrait of Exploitation, Inequality, and Limits. Globalization, 5(2).

    Google Scholar 

  • Dye, T. R., & Zeigler, H. (1990). The Irony of Democracy: An Uncommon Introduction to American Politics. Wadsworth Publication Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Finley, M. I. (1985). Democracy Ancient and Modern. London: The Hogarth Press, for the Full Interpretation and Limitation of the Definition.

    Google Scholar 

  • Foster, A. (2010). Three Major Schools of Thoughts. Retrieved from http://www.studymode.com/essays/Three-Major-Schools-Of-Thoughts-476652.html

  • Grugel, J. (2002). Democratization: A Critical Introduction. New York: Palgrave.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grugel, J. (2003). Democratization Studies Globalisation: The Coming of Age of a Paradigm. British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 5(2), 258–283.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Held, D., & McGrew, A. (2000). The Global Transformations Reader. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Held, D., McGrew, D. G., & Perraton, J. (1999). Global Transformations: Politics, Economics and Culture. Cambridge: Polity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hirst, P., & Thompson, G. (1996). Globalization in Question: The International Economy and Possibilities of Governance. Cambridge: Polity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaarbo, J., & Ray, J. L. (2011). Global Politics. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaldor, M. (2000). Transnational Civil Society. In T. Dunn & N. Wheeler (Eds.), Human Rights in Global Politics (pp. 195–213). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Khor, M. (2001). Globalization and the South: Some Critical Issues. Ibadan: Spectrum Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kura, S. Y. B. (2005). Globalization and Democracy: A Dialectical Framework for Understanding Democratization in Nigeria. Globalization, 5(1).

    Google Scholar 

  • Li, Q., & Reuveny, R. (2003). Economic Globalization and Democracy: An Empirical Analysis. British Journal of Political Science, 33(1), 29–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Linz, J., & Stepan, A. (1996). Problems of Democratic Transition and Consolidation: Southern Europe, South America and Post-Communist Europe. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mimiko, N. O. (2012). Globalization: The Politics of Global Economic Relations and International Business. Durham: Carolina Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mubangizi, J. C. (2010). Democracy and Development in the Age of Globalisation: Tensions and Contradictions in the Context of Specific African Challenges. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.4314/ldd.v14i1.5

  • Nabudere, W. D. (2000). Globalization, the African Post-Colonial State. In W. D. Nabudere (Ed.), Globalization and the Post-Colonial African State (pp. 13–55). Harare: AAPS.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nwabueze, B. O. (1993). Democratization. Ibadan: Spectrum Law Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Offiong, D. A. (2001). Globalization, Post-Neocolonialism and Poverty in Africa. Enugu: Fourth Dimension Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ohmae, K. (1995). The End of the Nation-State. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ojo, B. A. (2004a). Africa’s Triple Dilemma: The State, Democratization and the Challenges of Globalization. Retrieved from http://www.beyondintractability.org/citations/12244

  • Ojo, E. O. (2004b). The Military and Political Transitions, in Agbaje, Adigun, Ebere Onwudiwe and Larry Diamond Nigeria’s Struggle for Democracy and Good Government: A Festschrift for Oyeleye Oyediran. Ibadan: Ibadan University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olayode, K. (2005). Reinventing the African State: Issues and Challenges for Building a Developmental State. African Journal of International Affairs, 8(1&2), 23–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Omotola, S. J., & Enejo, E. K. (2009). Globalization, World Trade Organization and the Challenges of Sustainable Development in Africa. Journal of Sustainable Development in Africa, 10(4), 520–539.

    Google Scholar 

  • Onigbinde, A. (2003). Development of Underdevelopment: Conceptual Issues in Political Economy. Ibadan: Frontline Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ostrowski, J. (2012). Does Democracy Promote Peace? Retrieved from http://mises.org/pdf/asc/2002/asc8-ostrowski.pdf

  • Pevehouse, J. C. (2002). Democracy from the Outside-In? International Organizations and Democratization. International Organization, 56(3), 515–549.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pevehouse, J. C. (2008). Democratic Survival and the Third Wave of Democratization, Harris School of Public Policy. Chicago: University of Chicago.

    Google Scholar 

  • Power, T. J., & Gasiorowski, M. J. (1997). Institutional Design and Democratic Consolidation in the Third World. Comparative Political Studies, 30, 123–155.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Przeworski, A., & Limongi, F. (1997). Modernization: Theories and Facts. World Politics, 49(2), 155–183.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rapley, J. (2004). Globalization and Inequality: Neoliberalism’s Downward Spiral. London: Lynne Rienner Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, R. (1992). Globalization: Social Theory and Global Culture. London: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rudra, R. (2005). Globalization and the Strengthening of Democracy in the Developing. American Journal of Political Science, 49(4), 704–730.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sachs, J. (2001). The Strategic Significance of Global Inequality. The Washington Quarterly, Summer, 187–198.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scholte, J. A. (2000). Globalization: A Critical Introduction. London: Palgrave.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sirgy, M. J., Lee, D. J., Miller, C., & Littlefield, J. E. (2004). The Impact of Globalization on a Country’s Quality of Life: Toward an Integrated Model. Social Indicators Research, 68, 251–298.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, B. C. (2003). Understanding Third World Politics: Theories of Political Change and Development. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stiglitz, J. E. (2002). Globalization and Its Discontents. New York: WW Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tsai, M.-C. (2007). Does Globalization Affect Human Well-Being. Social Indicators Research, 81(1), 103–126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Umezurike, C. (2012). Globalization, Economic Reforms and Democracy in Nigeria. Africa Development, XXXVII(2), 25–61.

    Google Scholar 

  • Uzodike, U. O. (1996). Democracy and Economic Reforms: Developing Underdeveloped Political Economies. Journal of African Asian Studies, XXXI(1–2), 21–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yi, D. J. (2011). Globalization, Democracy, and the Public Sector in Asia. Asian Survey, 51(3), 472–496.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Public Administration, University of Zululand, KwaDlangezwa, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa

    Adeoye O. Akinola

Authors
  1. Adeoye O. Akinola
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Akinola, A.O. (2018). Globalization and Democratization Nexus. In: Globalization, Democracy and Oil Sector Reform in Nigeria. African Histories and Modernities. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70184-4_2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70184-4_2

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-70183-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-70184-4

  • eBook Packages: HistoryHistory (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation