The World is Flat - But Whose World and at What Cost?
Thomas L Friedman's book "The World is Flat" is very exciting. It brings together a vast catalogue of journalistic material showing the speed of change brought about by the new technologies and globalisation. It's a great work of synthesis.
Anyone who wants to know how the wind blows worldwide right now and what's likely to happen in the next few years should read it. The book has much on the outsourcing from USA Europe and Japan etc of, not only factory work, not only office work (such as call centres), but also any kind of straightforward professional work e.g. completing tax forms for accountants' clients. PA work for executives who can have their Powerpoint presentations reserached and created overnight in India for them to use next day is also possible. The papers are also pointing out the availability of bespoke essays for students done by Indian students v.cheaply (any students reading this, we know, you see, :) ).
So all very exciting and dramatic. There is also much more in the book about the empowerment of anyone, anywhere, with a computer and an internet link and the right skills, regardless of the organisation they belong to or their location. I can't do it justice by way of summary.
However, Friedman seems to accept the free market view pretty much whole. How many people in India benefit from this? Likewise in China? Are we relying on "trickle down" to deal with the real poverty and that still exist all over the world? What of Africa which has inadequate infrastructure and difficulties joining the party? What about the effects on the planet of the economic growth the free marketeers rely on? Can this work under the authoritarian regimes that run most countries? Will it undermine them or provide them with more weapons to suppress dissent? No answers to any of this but we need to think about these issues.
But, in fairness, if you want to see the major future trends read this book. For people in the West/North it shows personally and, in a Clintonesque liberal way (nothing wrong with that, either), politically, some of the directions to be taken to avoid unemployment and stagnation in these countries. Personal service jobs and creative, imaginative "right brain" approaches seem to be one part of the answer. And education a major part.
I think more open source, co-operative, mutual support, sharing, fair trade, environmentally friendly, organic, approaches are also very urgent. Political pressure for trade rules that give the developing world a chance and for sensible internationally agreed environmental rules also matter.
Anyone who wants to know how the wind blows worldwide right now and what's likely to happen in the next few years should read it. The book has much on the outsourcing from USA Europe and Japan etc of, not only factory work, not only office work (such as call centres), but also any kind of straightforward professional work e.g. completing tax forms for accountants' clients. PA work for executives who can have their Powerpoint presentations reserached and created overnight in India for them to use next day is also possible. The papers are also pointing out the availability of bespoke essays for students done by Indian students v.cheaply (any students reading this, we know, you see, :) ).
So all very exciting and dramatic. There is also much more in the book about the empowerment of anyone, anywhere, with a computer and an internet link and the right skills, regardless of the organisation they belong to or their location. I can't do it justice by way of summary.
However, Friedman seems to accept the free market view pretty much whole. How many people in India benefit from this? Likewise in China? Are we relying on "trickle down" to deal with the real poverty and that still exist all over the world? What of Africa which has inadequate infrastructure and difficulties joining the party? What about the effects on the planet of the economic growth the free marketeers rely on? Can this work under the authoritarian regimes that run most countries? Will it undermine them or provide them with more weapons to suppress dissent? No answers to any of this but we need to think about these issues.
But, in fairness, if you want to see the major future trends read this book. For people in the West/North it shows personally and, in a Clintonesque liberal way (nothing wrong with that, either), politically, some of the directions to be taken to avoid unemployment and stagnation in these countries. Personal service jobs and creative, imaginative "right brain" approaches seem to be one part of the answer. And education a major part.
I think more open source, co-operative, mutual support, sharing, fair trade, environmentally friendly, organic, approaches are also very urgent. Political pressure for trade rules that give the developing world a chance and for sensible internationally agreed environmental rules also matter.
posted by Ian Snaith at 6:25 AM
2 comments
