Globalization and the emerging economies

Coming to this agreeable place to participate on this fascinating topic of discussion, I was wondering how to start my presentation. I was dialoguing with myself and I thought it would be good to bring that here and share with you. Did globalization come to my country as naturally as in other developing economies (as a process of interaction of markets, technologies, etc.)? Were we asked to answer on 'what we think of globalization'? If we were to be asked, would we be able to say 'yes, we favor globalization' or 'not - we disagree?' Do people at all places and in all times share the same opinion about this process? I found a very meaningful comment on the dichotomy of the public opinion poll, at an Irwin paper: "There is a strong public support for international trade when it is described broadly and without reference to trade policy. Nearly 70 per cent of Americans believe that trade is good for the US economy. However, when the public is asked about a particular trade initiative such as NAFTA ..., the degree of support is substantially less."

I would guess this is the situation we started entering the globalizes world. The starting of transition was supported by a very popular enthusiasm about the benefits the country was going to enjoy. There were no costs to be counted no need for a wise and studied trade policy, since there was no enterprise working, no farm competing. The whole economy of the country was in collapse. Trade policy was simply modeled based on budgetary considerations. Everyone believed that the wisest policy would be to just open the borders. But, as the
economy moves on and interest groups are formed, the pressure for more protection becomes an issue of political debate. Voices of opponents intensify and the number of supporters grows. What the developments of the last decade of transition taught us is that: in a globalizes world, you can not stay alone.

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