The Critical Analysis of Globalization and Neoliberal Economic Primacy

Globalization: A Critical Introduction

Few social scientific concepts are currently in vogue like globalization. The term itself appeared in the 1980s in major North American schools of thought and management, yet its essential content, boundaries, and core profiles remain unclear.

The concept is heavily used in ideological and political struggles due to its ambiguity. It functions either as a mechanism *abetting the goals of the neoliberal right* or as a complex part of *left-wing groups and movements* who blame it for the ills afflicting the world. Globalization acts as an instrument for ideological diffusion and implementation, enforcing the so-called *Single Thought*.

The Primacy of the Economy and Neoliberal Dogma

The core dogma of neoliberal globalism dictates that all aspects—politics, economics, and culture—must be subject to the primacy of the economy. This aspect of neoliberal globalism is often contrasted with Marxism.

Neoliberal ideology defends intervention that ensures the continuation of global market laws, requiring the minimization of the state. The globalization process involves the reduction or phase-out of obstacles to the free circulation of:

• Ideas
• Decisions
• Capital
• Services
• Goods
• Factors of production (labor)

Anthony Giddens defines globalization as the *intensification of social relations* where distant places are linked, meaning that what occurs in one determined location is conditioned by events thousands of miles away. Globalization is a complex series of power processes that nations attempt to manage. It encompasses political, technological, and cultural dimensions alongside economic globalization.

C. Vaquero notes that neoliberal policies attempt to build the world in the image of their economic policies, aiming to restructure and reorder logic within social policies and cultural traditions.

Multidimensional Nature and Irreversible Processes

Globalization is a multidimensional phenomenon (economic, financial, technological, media, cultural, and criminal) characterized as *asymmetric, heterogeneous, and discontinuous*.

Key Drivers of Irreversible Globalization

The process is considered irreversible due to several factors:

• The widening of the geographical scope and density of international exchange.
• The global character of the network of financial markets.
• The growing power of multinational corporations (MNCs).
• The revolution in information and communication technologies (ICT).
• The global problems it highlights, such as poverty, ecological damage, and attacks.