What this lesson teaches
I can explain what globalisation is and how it links countries and people and makes them depend on each other.
Syllabus K230, Issue 3, Key Understandings. Globalisation shapes the interconnections and interdependence among countries and people.
Make a guess
Singapore imports over 90% of its food. What do you think happens here if a supplying country bans exports after a poor harvest?
- Food prices change by the same amount in each country that trades.
- Little, because Singapore can switch to its own farms for most food.
- Prices here can rise quickly, or the supply of some foods can be cut.
Show the answer
Prices here can rise quickly, or the supply of some foods can be cut.
Globalisation links places, so a problem in one country travels across borders. Singapore depends on others for food.
Globalisation is the process by which countries and people become more connected and dependent on each other across borders.
Think of a student's day in Singapore: a notebook made in Indonesia, an online lesson taught from India, a message to a cousin in Australia. Goods, services and information cross borders in different ways.
Globalisation means growing flows, or movements, of goods, services, money, people and ideas between countries. Businesses invest abroad, for example by setting up a factory. People travel for work and study, and teams share knowledge across continents. As connections repeat, activities in different places come to depend on one another.
Globalisation does not make every country the same. Countries keep their borders, laws and different circumstances. Some people and places are far more connected than others. And a global connection does not mean everyone benefits equally.
- Globalisation
- Countries and people becoming more connected and interdependent across borders.
- Flows
- Goods, services, money, people and ideas moving between countries.
Real examples to use
Food from abroad
Singapore imports over 90% of its food. A poor harvest or a ban on exports in another country can quickly raise prices or cut supply here.
Water from Johor
Under a 1962 agreement that runs until 2061, Singapore can draw water from the Johor River in Malaysia. It shows how neighbours depend on each other.
Worked example: Making a short film together
A Singapore film club works with students in Japan. They share scripts online, pay a composer in New Zealand for music and travel to Japan to film a scene.
- Ideas flow online.
- Money flows to New Zealand.
- People travel to Japan. Several kinds of global flows combine in one project, yet the students' languages and identities do not have to become the same.
Watch out for this
Globalisation means every country now has the same culture.
Countries become more connected, but they keep their own cultures, laws and circumstances.
Check your understanding
Which is an example of globalisation?
- A student buys a Japanese-style lunch set at a nearby hawker centre.
- A family in Tampines moves to a new flat in Punggol to be near relatives.
- A Singapore firm hires designers in Vietnam through an online work platform.
Show the answer
A Singapore firm hires designers in Vietnam through an online work platform.
Yes. Work and money flow across borders.