EUROPEANISATION
AND
SECULARISATION
WOUT ULTEE
RADBOUD UNIVERSITY NIJMEGEN
PRESENTATION AT THE COLLOQUIUM OF THE CENTRE FOR GLOBALISATION AND GOVERNANCE
UNIVERSITÄT HAMBURG, JANUARY 17, 2007
AS THE WEBSITE OF THE CGG SAYS:
GLOBALISATION AND GOVERNANCE ARE CONTESTED CONCEPTS
BUT: CONCEPTS ARE UNIMPORTANT
PERTINENT ARE PROPOSITIONS
AND THE PROPOSITION THAT
GLOBALISATION WEAKENS EXISTING FORMS OF GOVERNANCE
IS A WORTHWHILE RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
Although that hypothesis needs elaboration and some findings speak against it
THE INITIAL QUESTION:
WHERE IS THE WORLD GOING?
THE ANSWER:
THE WORLD IS GLOBALISING!
THIS INITIAL DIAGNOSIS IS NOT BAD.
BUT:
GLOBALISATION OF WHAT?
HOW STRONG IS THE TREND?
AN UNCONDITIONAL TREND?!
HOW STRONG A GLOBALISATION OF WHAT?
PRODUCTION FACILITIES ARES BEING SHIFTED FROM THE HYPERINDUSTRIAL COUNTRIES
TO WHICH COUNTRIES?
THE DUTCH CORPORATION PHILIPS IS SHIFTING ITS LIGHTING DIVISION
NOT TO AFRICA BELOW THE SAHARA
NOR TO SOUTH-EAST ASIA
BUT TO EASTERN EUROPE
AND THIS SHORT SHIFT IS NOT EXCEPTIONAL
HOW STRONG A GLOBALISATION OF WHAT?
THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE PLACE WHERE GOODS ARE PRODUCED AND GOODS ARE CONSUMED IS GETTING
LARGER
BUT THERE ARE LIMITS:
THE BORDERS OF THE
ENLARGED EUROPEAN UNION
HOW STRONG A GLOBALISATION OF WHAT?
THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE PLACE WHERE CAPITAL IS OWNED AND THE PLACE
WHERE IT IS EMPLOYED IS GETTING LARGER
BUT:
DO NOT OVERDO THE DEVALUATION OF THE BRITISH POUND AND THE THAI BAHT
EVEN GIVEN CONTEMPORARY WEAK STANDARDS
CURRENCY TRADERS MAY HAVE COMMITTED WHITE COLLAR CRIMES
HOW STRONG A GLOBALISATION OF WHAT?
THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE PLACE WHERE PEOPLE WERE BORN AND THE PLACE WHERE
THEY NOW WORK IS GETTING LARGER
BUT
THERE ARE LAWS MAKING LABOR MOBILITY ILLEGAL, EVEN WITHIN THE ENLARGED
EUROPEAN UNION
U.S. CORPORATIONS ARE RENT-SEEKING ON FOREIGN STATES BY PLEADING FOR LEGAL
ENTRY OF HIGHLY QUALIFIED LABOR
HOW STRONG A GLOBALISATION OF WHAT?
THE PART OF THE WORLD ABOUT WHICH PEOPLE HAVE KNOWLEDGE IS GETTING
LARGER
BUT WESTERN TEENAGERS ARE USING THE INTERNET TO CHAT WITH THEIR SCHOOL
FRIENDS
AND WESTERN ADULTS ARE GOING ON HOLIDAY TO FAR-AWAY PLACES BECAUSE
THEY ARE CERTAIN OF SUN THERE
SUMMING UP
THE TREND TOWARDS GLOBALISATION IS MORE OF A
TREND TOWARDS EUROPEANISATION
AND WILL STOP AT THE BORDERS OF THE ENLARGED EUROPEAN
UNION
IN EASTERN EUROPE THERE IS CHEAP AND QUALIFIED LABOR
ALTHOUGH PERHAPS NOT ALWAYS ENDOWED WITH A WORK ETHIC
THE GLOBALISATION PROPOSITION HAS BEEN TAKEN
TO PERTAIN TO AN UNCONDITIONAL TREND
YET ITS SUPPOSED CAUSE HAS BEEN STATED
ALL KINDS OF FORMAL BARRIERS ARE BEING ELIMINATED
MARKETS ARE BECOMING MORE FREE
GIVEN THIS CONDITION FOR A TREND
THE DIAGNOSIS THAT THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD IS
GLOBALISING
IS SO-SO
FIRST REASON WHY THE WHOLE WORLD AND WILL NOT BECOME ONE FREE MARKET
AFTER WORLD WAR 2 AND WITH DECOLONISATION THE INDUSTRIAL
COUNTRIES ALLOWED FREE IMPORTS OF RAW MATERIALS ONLY
SINCE 1975 THEY HAVE LOWERED TARIFFS ON FINISHED GOODS
BUT THERE STILL IS NO WORLD WIDE FREE TRADE IN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS
WHEREAS AGRICULTURE IS WORLD WIDE THE MOST IMPORTANT SECTOR OF
EMPLOYMENT
SECOND REASON WHY THE WHOLE WORLD IS NOT AND WILL NOT BECOME ONE FREE
MARKET
AFTER WORLD WAR 2 AND WITH DECOLONISATION THE INDUSTRIAL
COUNTRIES BECAME DEPENDENT ON OIL AND THESE COUNTRIES HAVE TO IMPORT OIL
SINCE 1973 THE OPEC COUNTRIES HAVE FORMED A CARTEL
FOSSILE ENERGY WILL REMAIN THE LINCHPIN OF ANY INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY IN THE COMING
DECADES
THIRD REASON WHY THE WHOLE WORLD IS NOT AND WILL NOT BECOME ONE FREE
MARKET
THE CORPORATIONS DOMINATING CURRENT HYPERINDUSTRIAL SOCIETIES DEPEND UPON
PATENTS FOR ALL KINDS OF INNOVATIONS
THESE PATENTS LAST SO LONG THAT THESE CORPORATIONS HAVE BECOME QUASI-
MONOPOLIES
THE PERIOD COVERED BY PATENTS WILL NOT BE GETTING SHORTER
AND PATENTS NOWADAYS ARE MORE OFTEN ENFORCED
FOURTH REASON WHY THE WHOLE WORLD IS NOT AND WILL NOT BECOME ONE FREE
MARKET
AND NOT EVEN THE INITIAL EUROPEAN UNION WILL BECOME SO
THE COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD ARE MOVING FROM AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES BY WAY OF
INDUSTRIAL SOCIETIES TO HYPERINDUSTRIAL OR SERVICES SOCIETIES
AND EVEN AND PARTICULARLY IN SERVICES SOCIETIES LANGUAGE DIFFERENCES ARE STRONG BARRIERS AGAINST LABOR AND
HOUSEHOLD MOBILITY
EFFECTS OF GLOBALISATION AND EUROPEANISATION ON
GOVERNANCE
– GOVERNANCE OF WHAT?
THE DEBATE CENTERS ON THE ABILITIES OF CURRENT STATES TO LESSEN INCOME
INEQUALITIES
BEFORE PLAYING OFF
THE THESIS THAT FREE MARKETS BENEFIT EVERYONE
AGAINST THE THESIS THAT FREE MARKETS INCREASE
INEQUALITIES
IT IS WISE TO DETERMINE WHAT EXACTLY THESE THESES
SAY AND WHAT EARLIER THESES SAID
THE THESIS THAT FREE MARKETS BENEFIT
EVERYONE DOES NOT PREDICT SMALLER
INEQUALITIES
SINCE THE RICH MAY BENEFIT MORE THAN
THE REST
THE DEBATE BETWEEN THE PRO-GLOBALISTS
AND THE ANTI-GLOBALISTS
IS A REPRISE OF THE DEBATE AROUND 1900 WITHIN THE GERMAN SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC
PARTY ON THE EFFECTS OF PERSISTING
CAPITALIST PRODUCTION RELATIONS
BERNSTEIN 1899
THE SHIFT FROM UNSKILLED TO SKILLED AND HIGHLY SKILLED WORK MAKES FOR HIGHER WAGES IN
EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
LUXEMBURG 1912
WAGES ARE RISING BUT NOT FOR THAT REASON, HIGHER WAGES ARE PAID OUT OT PROFITS MADE IN
COLONIES, WHERE WAGES ARE GOING DOWN
REVISIONIST RETORT
ORTHODOX MARXISTS THINK THAT MARKETS ONLY CAN BECOME LARGER BY COLONIALISM
RISING STANDARDS OF LIVING IN A COUNTRY AMOUNT TO AN INTERNAL ENLARGEMENT OF MARKETS
STERNBERG 1926
PROFITS FROM BRITISH COLONIES ARE NOT LARGE ENOUGH TO ACCOUNT FOR WAGE RISES IN BRITAIN
GERMANY HAS HARDLY ANY COLONIES AND WAGES HAVE BEEN RISING THERE TOO
WALLERSTEIN 1973
COLONIALISM MAY HAVE COLLAPSED BUT ECONOMIC DEPENDENCIES STILL ARE IN PLACE
AND ABSOLUTE POVERTY RISES IN THE THIRD WORLD
KLEIN 2000
NOW INCOME INEQUALITIES ARE RISING IN THE FIRST WORLD TOO
HOW USEFUL IS EMPIRICAL
RESEARCH GIVEN THIS THEORETICAL
QUAGMIRE?
IT IS WISE TO DEVISE HYPOTHESES ABOUT
EFFECTS OF SPECIFIC FORMS OF
GOVERNANCE
ON SPECIFIC FORMS OF INCOME INEQUALITY
BUT FIRST FIREBAUGH’S PARADOX
EVEN IF INCOME INEQUALITIES AS MEASURED BY GINI’S AND INCOME SHARES
IN EVERY COUNTRY OF THE WORLD IS RISING
IT STILL MAY BE THE CASE THAT WORLD INCOME INEQUALITY DROPS
WITH WORLD INCOME INEQUALITY DETERMINED IN THE SAME WAY BUT BY TAKING WORLD POPULATION RATHER THAN COUNTRY POPULATIONS AS THE
UNIT OF ANALYSIS
ACCORDING TO FIREBAUGH
THIS POSSIBILITY RIGHT NOW IS A FACT
WORLD INCOME INEQUALITY
EQUALS
INEQUALITY WITHIN COUNTRIES
PLUS
INEQUALITY BETWEEN COUNTRIES
AND FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD POPULOUS CHINA AND INDIA WITH BELOW WORLD AVERAGE INCOME HAVE HAD A STRONGER RISE IN AVERAGE INCOME
MY OWN HYPOTHESIS
THIS PARADOX RIGHT NOW IS OCCURRING WITHIN THE ENLARGED
EUROPEAN UNION
EUROSTAT HAS BEEN MISLEADING ABOUT THIS POSSIBLE PARADOX
EUROPEAN UNION INCOME INEQUALITY IS NOT (A WEIGHTED BY POPULATION) AVERAGE OF
GINI’S FOR ALL EU-COUNTRIES
EUROPEAN UNION
INCOME INEQUALITY IS NOT AN
AVERAGE OF INCOME
QUINTILE SHARE
RATIO’S FOR EACH
MEMBER STATE OF
THE EUROPEAN
UNION
HERE IS
A COMPARATIVE RESEARCH PROJECT
TO BE FUNDED WITH EU MONEY
OR ESF MONEY
FIRST SPECIFIC HYPOTHESIS
IF IN SOME COUNTRY LEGAL MINIMUM WAGES ARE LOWER THAN IN ANOTHER COUNTRY
UPON ECONOMIC UNIFICATION
IN THE COUNTRY WITH THE HIGHEST LEGAL MINIMUM WAGES
MINIMUM WAGES WILL BE GOING DOWN
SECOND SPECIFIC HYPOTHESIS
IN THE COUNTRIES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION THERE WILL BE A
CONVERGENCE OF SOCIAL SECURITY SCHEMES TOWARDS A LOW POINT
THIS CONVERGENCE TAKES A FORM RESEMBLING THE DEVALUATION OF
CURRENCIES IN THE 1930S
IF ONE COUNTRY LOWERS SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS OTHER COUNTRIES WILL FOLLOW
WITH THE BEGINNER IN THE END LOWERING BENEFITS AGAIN
THE UNITED KINDGOM STARTED A BEGGAR-MY- NEIGHBOUR ROUND UNDER THATCHER
AND THE NETHERLANDS FOLLOWED SUIT UNDER LUBBERS
BECAUSE FRANCE AND GERMANY DID NOT JOIN IN
DUTCH UNEMPLOYMENT GOT FROM A EUROPEAN HIGH TO A EUROPEAN LOW
KORPI & PALME SHOWED THAT IN PERIODS OF SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE,
SOCIAL SECURITY CUTS WERE LOWER
THIRD SPECIFIC HYPOTHESIS
IN COUNTRIES DIFFERING IN THE EXTENT TO WHICH INDIVIDUAL INCOME
TAXES ARE PROGRESSIVE
UPON ECONOMIC UNIFICATION
THE COUNTRY WITH THE HIGHEST PROGRESSION
LOWERS TAXES FOR THE INDIVIDUALS WITH THE HIGHEST INCOMES
FOURTH SPECIFIC HYPOTHESIS
IF IN SOME COUNTRY CORPORATE TAXES ARE LOWER THAN IN ANOTHER COUNTRY
UPON ECONOMIC UNIFICATION
IN THE COUNTRY WITH THE HIGHEST CORPORATE TAXES
CORPORATE TAXES WILL BE GOING DOWN
HEILBRONER
SOCIETIES HAVE THREE INSTITUTIONS TO COORDINATE HUMAN ACTION
MARKETS
STATES
COMMUNITIES
BLOSSFELD – MILLS HYPOTHESIS ABOUT THE RELATION BETWEEN MARKETS AND
COMMUNITIES
GLOBALISATION MAKES IN HYPERINDUSTRIAL STATES FOR JOB PRECARITY
AND JOB PRECARITY MAKES FOR COHABITION OR MARRIAGE AT A LATER AGE
FOR COHABITATION RATHER THAN MARRIAGE
AND FOR POSTPONEMENT OF CHILD BIRTH AND A SMALLER NUMBER OF CHILDREN
MY ALTERNATIVE HYPOTHESIS TAKES CHANGES
IN NUCLEAR FAMILY FORMATION
AS INFLUENCED TOO AND MORE STRONGLY
BY THE DECLINE OF RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES IN HYPERINDUSTRIAL STATES
THE MORE SECULARIZATION IN HYPERINDUSTRIAL SOCIETIES
THE MORE OPPOSITE-SEX BONDING WILL TAKE THE FORM OF COHABITATION RATHER THAN MARRIAGE
NOT ONLY AMONG IRRELIGIOUS PERSONS
BUT ALSO AMONG CHURCH MEMBERS AND CHURCH VISITORS
WITH SIMILAR EFFECTS FOR CHILD-BEARING
ADDITIONALLY, THE MORE SAME-SEX BONDING WILL TAKE PLACE
AND THE MORE LIKELY SAME-SEX MARRIAGES WILL BE ALLOWED
BUT SECULARIZATION HAS MORE EFFECTS
SINCE GALLIE & PAUGAM
JOB PRECARITY IS HAVING A TEMPORARY CONTRACT OR
WORKING PART-TIME
YET IS SOME COUNTRIES
PERSONS IN PART-TIME JOBS HAVE FIXED CONTRACTS
WITH PROTECTION EQUAL TO FULL-TIME WORKING PERSONS
IF THE VARIOUS CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS OF THE WEST HELD THAT A MAN SHOULD
PROVIDE MONEY FOR HIS FAMILY AND A WOMAN SHOULD KEEP THE HOUSE AND
TAKE CARE OF THE CHILDREN
THEN SECULARISATION EMBODIES AN EQULAITY NORM
MAKING THAT WOMEN ENTER THE LABOR FORCE
NOT NECESSARILY FOR FULL-TIME JOBS
AND FOR MEN WITH PART-TIME JOBS TO SHARE WITH THEIR PARTNER THE CARE
OF CHILDREN
SO MY HYPOTHESIS IS THAT WORKING PART-TIME FOR WOMEN IS AN EARLY CONSEQUENCE OF SECULARISATION
AND WORKING PART-TIME FOR MEN A LATER CONSEQUENCE OF
SECULARISATION
THE RISE OF PART-TIME JOBS IN HYPERINDUSTRIAL STATES DOES NOT HAVE MUCH TO DO WITH PRECARITY
AND GLOBALISATION
TO ARRIVE AT A RICHER ANSWER TO THE QUESTION WHERE EUROPE IS
GOING
NOT ONLY MORE BONDING BETWEEN
SOCIAL ECONOMISTS AND POLITICAL SOCIOLOGISTS
BUT ALSO BETWEEN THESE SOCIAL SCIENTISTS
AND SOCIOLOGISTS OF RELIGION
I HAVE POSTED THIS PRESENTATION ON MY WEB SITE
TYPE IN GOOGLE THE TWO WORDS
WOUT ULTEE
THE FIRST HIT IS MY WEB SITE
GO TO FOREIGN PRESENTATIONS
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