The Backlash against Globalization

"Globalization was not unavoidable and is not irreversible," says Gianmarco Ottaviano, Achille and Giulia Boroli Chair in European Studies at Bocconi, in the latest episode of the Clarity in a Messy World podcast. "It is it is a political choice and as any political choice it has consequences that are good for some and less good for others".

One's position in the job market seems to define winners and losers in times of globalization. "So, a loser is typically someone who's involved in a production process in a sector or in specific occupation within the production process that is moved to another country." The emergence of such effects ignited a backlash against globalization, and something should be done to mitigate this disparity in the future.

The COVID pandemic has exacerbated this kind of inequality. "If there would be changes in our way of living in terms of leisure and in the way we work, the risk is once more the segregation of the happy few," Professor Ottaviano warns.

Clarity in a Messy World, hosted by David W. Callahan, is the Bocconi podcast that looks at the causes behind the most confounding issues of our time. You can follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker, and YouTube.