Does Globalisation Lead to Convergence or Divergence?
Again the debate is complex because there is a range of different perspectives. Many who see globalisation as westernisation or modernisation see it as leading to such convergenceleading to homogeneity among consumers and the replacement of existing cultures through the western mass media, Hollywood and the English language. Some critics also see it as leading to convergence, resulting in a ‘race to the bottom’, in regulatory standards. This argument we take up later along with the role of the state. Interest here is on ‘cultural’ convergence where there are also differences about whether convergence is probable and, in this case, whether cultural convergence is a positive or negative development. The increasing integration of global markets means that interactions among cultures have increased and will do so increasingly in the future, and many in the west claim universal applicability for western ideas. There is, consequently, a wide assumption that there is a tendency to impose unif
