Intro:

This semester, I took a CES 301 course. The focal point of this course was to understand globalization and how it impacts people around the world. In this course we were instructed to choose a topic relating to globalization and expand our knowledge of it through research, discussions, and blogging. My topic for this course was Bangladesh; with the focus being whether or not globalization has been an overall positive or negative change for the country.

Globalization’s Impact on Bangladesh

When I began doing my research on globalization and Bangladesh, I started by looking into Bangladesh’s history. This history consists of struggles; including wars, the battle for independence, storms and natural disasters, over population, water contamination, starvation, unemployment, political and militant corruption, etc… Unfortunately, what I also discovered in my research was that these struggles are not all history. In fact, many of these struggles are still present in Bangladesh today.

Based on this information alone, one may deduce that globalization has had no impact either positive or negative on Bangladesh. It could also be deduced that globalization is slowly taking affect in Bangladesh and as long as their struggles are not worsening, then globalization is having a positive impact on the country. Or, it could be argued just the opposite, that globalization has not improved life in Bangladesh, it has only changed it and made Bangladesh more modernized, causing the citizens of Bangladesh to lose parts of their culture. This is not necessarily an answer, but more of a means to spur thinking as I discuss various aspects of globalization and their impacts in greater detail.

In order to answer this question, I decided to dissect the impacts of globalization in Bangladesh, by analyzing each piece separately. Then, when finished, I would be able to compile my findings and make an overall evaluation. The pieces I chose to dissect in order to obtain a greater understanding of the impact of globalization on Bangladesh were the economic transformations, social transformations, tradition vs. technology, and dependence on other countries.

Economic Transformations:

To begin, let’s look at the economic transformations that Bangladesh encountered. Before globalization, Bangladesh was one in eight of the poorest countries in the world. However, when globalization emerged in Bangladesh, through apparel manufacturing and exporting industries, the economy began to grow at a rapid rate. Overall the result has been a significant decrease in poverty in Bangladesh over the past decade. At first glance, this seems to be a landmark improvement doesn’t it? Yet this rapid economic growth has brought with it a strong gap in individual financial status. Those who accepted this new form of work in apparel manufacturing began to make more money, but those who chose to pursue the traditional way of life in agriculture became increasingly poorer.

Another issue that comes to mind is whether or not the economy of Bangladesh will continue to expand at such rapid rates. According to the World Bank, the answer is, “No.” The World Bank, which is predominantly run by wealthier countries and countries with more economic power such as the U.S., stated, “There is not much hope for the economy of Bangladesh to keep expanding as it has.” Why? The country of Bangladesh depends so much on exporting their apparel that it is at high risk of falling prey to more powerful countries who eventually gain the capability of dictating prices to developing countries like Bangladesh. If countries, like Bangladesh, fail to meet the price demands requested of them, then the more powerful countries will discontinue purchasing their exports and Bangladesh's leading industry would be out of business. Although, this exploitation seems morally wrong, countries like the U.S. are the strongest supports of outsourcing, off-shoring, and purchasing merchandise from countries with cheaper labor.

So, when looking at strictly economic transformations in Bangladesh it appears that there was a brief period where globalization made a positive impact on the country. However, the majority outcome was negative. Globalization brought new jobs, but it also brought massive amounts of exploitation into Bangladesh.

Social Transformations:

Secondly, let’s look at social transformations in Bangladesh. Before globalization in Bangladesh, women stayed at home and often did agriculture/farm work to help the family; men were the dominant work force. After globalization emerged in Bangladesh, women became the dominant work force. This is good right; women being allowed to work outside of the home? This could be true, especially in countries like the U.S. and Europe, however in Bangladesh it is not the case. Agreeing that working women in Bangladesh is a good step, would be a failure to recognize that women are being placed into this new labor category because they could be exploited more easily. Women were chosen as the work force for the expanding apparel manufacturing industries, because women worked for cheaper wages than men and they were more easily controlled.

Another social transformation that has taken place in Bangladesh as a result of globalization is human trafficking. Once globalization came to Bangladesh, it meant that Bangladesh was no longer relying on its own products to sustain itself. Globalization brought with it the opportunity for world trade. The benefit of this is that Bangladesh could import foods and materials from other countries that it could not produce itself. The down side is that changes in the global economy would now impact Bangladesh more directly, and with the global economy declining and competition for the lowest sales prices rising, Bangladesh is put in a very tough position, with its citizens struggling to find work. This has made Bangladesh a prime location for human traffickers. Now that women were allowed to work outside the home, they made perfect targets for these human traffickers.

How does human trafficking work?

Men, predominantly from Pakistan, come to Bangladesh and offer women jobs in other countries as dancers and models, where they would be glorified and looked on with awe, because of their beauty. Women were told that this would be a chance of a life time and they would make enough money in a short time frame to support their families for years. Being desperate and uninformed about human trafficking, these women agree to go away with the men who are offering them jobs. After which point they are forced into prostitution, drugged, and kept as slaves. Human rights activists estimate that 200-400 young women are smuggled every month from Bangladesh into Pakistan, most of which end up in prostitution. According to newspaper reports, more than 200,000 women are smuggled from Bangladesh each year.

Now, when examining social transformations in Bangladesh it becomes apparent that globalization has not resulted in any positive changes. Because of globalization, women are being exploited at exceptionally high rates, forced into slavery and prostitution, and viewed as inferiors. A positive change that globalization should perhaps bring to Bangladesh now would be global knowledge of issues such as human traffickers. One major benefit of globalization around the world is access to knowledge, and knowledge of human trafficking is one thing that Bangladesh citizens need.

Technological Transformations:

A third transformation that has taken place in Bangladesh because of globalization is the emergence of technology. The need for faster and improved forms of technological development is in high demand in Bangladesh. According to the National Council for Science and Technology (NCST), “Development plans of Bangladesh have emphasized science and technological research to develop technologies through adoption of imported technology as well as development of indigenous technologies. As the country is heavily dependent on imported technologies, proper planning is required for its effective transfer through acquisition, assimilation and adoption.”

These new and improved technologies will be used in various locations, one of which being in schools and universities. The new technology and equipment is crucial for these students to have access to in the present day, without such technologies as computers and information systems these students make up what is referred to as the digital divide. Being in the digital divide and not having access or knowledge of computers and information systems will put Bangladesh behind other countries. Therefore, if Bangladesh wishes to compete in a global market it is crucial that students in grade school through college have access to technology.

Another location where technology is being used is in apparel manufacturing industries. These industries bring in technology for the workers to use in order to be efficient. The technologies brought into these industries are sewing machines, various office equipment, laundry machines, computers for tracking orders and financial information, etc… This technology is beneficial to the workers because it reduces the time it would take them to complete a project. For example: If a worker was sewing a shirt by hand it would take far longer than if the worker was sewing the shirt with a sewing machine. This technology is beneficial to the managers and executives of the companies as well, because they can track orders, finances, etc, more easily.

A down side to this new technology, particularly in manufacturing industries, is that citizens of Bangladesh are being forced into making the decision whether to carry on with their traditional ways of life in rural farming, with less pay, or to sacrifice their traditions and convert to technology, which gives them a chance to make more money; with the risk of uncertainties associated with the survival of the industry. Most citizens are converting to technology, because they have no other choice. This conversion is what caused such a rapid growth in Bangladesh’s economy when the apparel manufacturing industries began off-shoring in Bangladesh. Now the country is facing power surges that last for an hour or more at a time, due to the high use of electricity in these industries combined with the low supply of electricity. Given that these power surges hinder production at apparel manufacturing plants, which are the country’s primary source of income, the country is looking into implementing a new power policy. The new power policy will mean Bangladesh will spend a lot of money importing foreign technologies into Bangladesh in order to be able to compete in a global economy.

Now, as you can see with the emergence of technology into Bangladesh, there are positives, negatives, and gray areas. The positive side is that newer technologies are being brought into schools and universities. This gives students access to computers, the internet, and with these combined they have access to substantially larger quantities of global knowledge. The negative side is that the new technologies are being used in industries to exploit workers and the growth of such industries is depleting the traditional farming life style that once dominated Bangladesh. Another negative is that the push of technology into Bangladesh from other countries is so strong that Bangladesh is obligated to adhere and adopt these technologies that it can’t afford. A gray area is how the technology is being used. In the apparel manufacturing industries it is less laborious to have machines, such as sewing machines and laundry machines, to work with, however, these machines are being implemented in apparel manufacturing plants ONLY because they get the task done more quickly and with less error (resulting in more profit), not because they want to make work easier and less laborious for the workers.

Dependence on Other Countries:

The fourth and final topic that I would like to discuss is Bangladesh’s dependence on other countries. Before globalization, Bangladesh was forced to be self sustaining. However, after globalization emerged with its global networks, countries started to pay more attention to one another. This attention was not merely to look for economic prospects, but also to help other countries that were in need. In the case of Bangladesh, globalization affected the country’s dependence in different ways.

One of which is Bangladesh’s dependence on other countries for sanitary water. For decades, citizens of Bangladesh relied on surface water for drinking, bathing, and watering their crops. Even into the 1970's Bengali people obtained a majority of their drinking water by dipping into ponds, rivers, and hand-dug wells. This water however contained bacteria that caused infection and disease, such as cholera, to spread throughout Bangladesh; killing Bengali citizens and making others very ill. As globalization and global knowledge began to spread, other countries began to recognize the water problem that Bangladesh was experiencing. In an attempt to help, organizations and relief agencies such as the United Nations Children's Fund, the World Bank, and Britain's Overseas Development Administration stepped in to lend a hand by providing millions of pounds of tubewells to Bangladesh. Bangladesh was then forced to depend on these organizations and relief agencies to implement and maintain their tubewells, because the country could not afford to do it itself.

After the tubewells were implemented in Bangldesh, they became the main source of water. According to the World Health Organization, there are over 3 million tubewells in use today, providing 95% of all drinking water in Bangladesh. However, these tubewells brought about a new problem – arsenic poisoning. After implementing tubewells in Bangladesh, no one bothered to test the waters for contamination until just recently, when Bengali citizens began developing debilitating marks on their skin such as melanomas on chests and hands; white skin blotches known as leukomelanosis; keratosis, painful warts that begin on palms and soles and gradually cover the body; acute conjunctivitis and breathing difficulties… Results from such tests show that several tubewells contain water that has arsenic levels of 50 ppb; which is 5 times the amount considered acceptable by the World Health Organization. Bangladesh is now experiencing the world's largest human poisoning. As one can imagine, this puts Bangladesh in a new state of dependence on other countries. Bangladesh cannot afford to provide treatments to all of its ill citizens and it cannot afford to implement an entirely new water treatment and distribution system, so again, Bangladesh must depend on other countries to help supply them with funding, technology, and sanitary water.

Another way in which Bangladesh has become increasingly dependent on other countries as a result of globalization is through its industries. According to an economics professor who also served as the former Minister of Finance and Planning for the Bangladesh government, “Bangladesh must now rely on their cheap labor in producing apparel to attract other countries to buy from them, even if it means exploiting their women.” After globalization brought new industries and opportunities into Bangladesh, the citizens were forced to conform and accept working in these new industries in order to survive and provide for their families. Now apparel manufacturing and exporting is Bangladesh’s major source of income, so Bangladesh must rely on other countries to purchase their apparel. This dependence was not as crucial before globalization; when Bangladesh traded goods and services throughout its own country and occasionally with India. Additionally, Bangladesh must also rely on other countries for imported foods, due to the shift in labor resources from agriculture to apparel manufacturing.

As you can see, Bangladesh has become entirely dependent on other countries, meaning that Bangladesh would not be able to sustain its population in terms of food, water, resources, or jobs if it was removed from the global market. This is a very poor position for any country to be in, especially a country like Bangladesh; which had little hope of developing into a self-sustaining country.

Conclusion:

After dissecting the impact of globalization into four primary pieces; economic transformations, social transformations, technological transformations, and its dependence on other countries, it is easier to analyze the impact that globalization has had on Bangladesh as a whole. What I found from each piece was that the impact of globalization was more negative on Bangladesh than it was positive. Globalization has not only kept Bangladesh from advancing ahead in economic development, but it has changed the traditions and ways of life for the indigenous people for the worse.