The reasons globalisation is contested at different scales, from anti-globalisation movements and localism to alternative models such as transition towns and policy responses including protectionism.

What this dot point is asking

Edexcel wants you to explain why globalisation is contested at different scales, from global anti-globalisation movements and national policy responses to local localism and alternative models, and to evaluate how far these challenges reshape an interconnected world.

Why globalisation is contested

These objections come from different players. Workers and trade unions fear job losses and a race to the bottom; environmental NGOs target emissions and resource extraction; communities resist threats to local identity; and some voters and politicians frame globalisation as undermining the nation. The same process is therefore contested for economic, social, cultural, political and environmental reasons at once.

Movements and localism

Anti-globalisation movements operate mainly at the global and national scale: the Seattle WTO protests of 1999 brought together NGOs, unions and activists against free-trade rules, setting a template for later protests. Localism works at the local scale, favouring local businesses, food and environments over global supply chains, sometimes shading into NIMBYism when residents resist specific developments such as new warehouses or fracking sites. Anti-fracking campaigns in the UK illustrate local resistance to globally driven energy projects.

Alternative models

Beyond transition towns, alternative models include degrowth, which questions endless economic expansion, the circular economy, which designs out waste, and fair trade, which seeks fairer returns for producers. These offer practical, local routes to a less globalised economy but remain small in scale relative to global flows.

Policy responses

States contest globalisation through policy. Protectionism uses tariffs, quotas and other trade barriers to shield domestic industries; capital controls and migration controls limit cross-border flows; and populism mobilises political opposition to free trade and immigration. The recent rise of these tools, from US-China tariffs to Brexit, shows globalisation being rolled back at the national scale even as economic integration continues elsewhere.

Examples in context

Example 1: Totnes, Devon, UK. Totnes launched the first UK transition town in 2006, introducing the Totnes Pound local currency, community energy projects and local food schemes to build resilience and cut carbon. It demonstrates localism in practice, though its impact is symbolic and small-scale, dependent on volunteers, and unable to replace global trade for most goods.

Example 2: Brexit, UK, 2016 onwards. The 2016 referendum vote (around $51.9\%$ Leave) and subsequent withdrawal from the EU expressed national contesting of one form of integration, framed around sovereignty, migration control and trade. It shows policy-scale resistance to globalisation while the UK simultaneously sought new global trade deals, underlining that contesting globalisation is selective rather than total.

Try this

Q1. Explain one reason why some groups oppose globalisation. [4 marks]

• Cue. Loss of sovereignty, rising inequality, environmental damage or cultural homogenisation each threaten particular groups or places.

Q2. Suggest how protectionism can be used to contest globalisation. [3 marks]

• Cue. Tariffs, quotas and trade barriers shield domestic industries from foreign competition, as in US-China tariffs.