Globalisation and the nation state

There are at least as many definitions of globalisation as there are people with anything to say about it. However, among the numerous descriptions of it, it is possible to identify a number of common elements that constitute the main distinguishing features of globalisation processes. In her essay ‘Globalisation and Democracy in Historical Perspective’, Emma Rotshield argues that most of the themes of the current globalisation discussion were formulated as early as the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries by thinkers such as Smith, Condorcet and Herder. They noted the shrinking of the world and the increase in interdependence on a global scale. It goes without saying, of course, that the foundations of these processes are different. While 100 years ago globalisation processes were linked to the colonial order and real phenomena (flows of goods and services, corresponding flows of money), today the foundations of globalisation lie in a qualitatively new division of labour, unprecedented information and transport ties and the policies of multinational corporations.