Globalization and the Free Market Economy

Globalization and the Free Market Economy

The free market economy explicitly claims that globalization is good for us, specially the ones in the developing countries. I do not dispute their claims in this forum because it is not the place to do so. However, one thing is for sure. As a part of the globalization efforts by the wheelers dealers of the World Bank and its cronies, the income disparities have increased. So has the digital divide among the masses. This is the thrust of my post here.

I feel extremely lucky to be able to own a computer and perhaps connect to Internet. It has opened up vast resources for me and helped me to grow as a person. The same can be said for most of us who might be reading this post. Yet has it really mattered to any one of us that there are a vast majority of people who cannot read at all? The illiteracy has its own problems and extremely distressing to me that even after 50+ years of independence, there are people who have not been able to experience the joy that comes with learning. In order to bring about this change, efforts are being made, yet the fact remains that much more need to be done. Assuring universal access to electronic resources can cure these disparities to a large extent.

Linux offers a ray of hope to achieve the same. Open Source refreshingly remains a credible alternative to the established players in the world. It is as if one voice that has shook the very foundations of those who claim the earth.

What does one do when one is faced with a credible alternative to a software product? The logical answer is that you design a better one to take on the competition. Mind you, I did not mention that you crush the opposition by whatever means it takes. I was horrified to read the antitrust cases against Microsoft today. What they did was “steal” or rather incorporate someone else’s patented product and sell it as their own. This explains as to why Microsoft has become brain dead in implementing new ideas. Now the offended company in question chose to settle the matter quietly and get a pay out of millions of dollars. I guess the latest get rich scheme. No lottery, nothing. If you have a genuine grouse against Microsoft, sue them!

How are they able to achieve their objective? This is done by aid of friendly journalists and tech magazines. In fact through charities too. People get woolly eyed whenever there is a mention of charity for the “poor” people across the nations. Indeed, I could do something on my behalf too but without making a song and dance sequence about the same.

I would like to go in that aspect further. Charity business involves celebrities because minus that they would not have anything to do. Currently AIDS is one raging epidemic. Indeed. However, the fact is that the global disease burden is far more with the neglected diseases in the tropical areas. There are innumerable studies for the same. I find it indeed amusing that the global race for vaccine is on. What would happen if that is patented for some reason? The fact is that AIDS can only be stopped in its tracks by bringing about a radical change in the behavioral attitudes towards sexual relationships. However, this is not the thrust of the post here.

In all, the paid media exposures work for these big corporations. I remember when Bill Gates had been here to pitch in for his Windows Operating System for Andhra Pradesh government. At that time, it was planning big on its e-governance initiatives. A massive deployment of Microsoft would have meant huge amount of outflow of money for licensing and upgrades. Not to mention anything about the virus attacks or third party applications. Why resource poor countries like India opt for the same?

In this backdrop, what was advertised was his huge amount of funds for some charity. Then as everyone does, India’s non-existent IT prowess in the world was praised. Every idiot worth his/her name was falling head over heels to have a photo op with the richest man on this earth. Well, it did leave me with a sick feeling indeed.

With this background, I seriously believe that we need to have a reality check for the better. The globalization debate would go on forever. Yet as it steam rolls local economies and tries to integrate in the World economy, there is a serious risk of imbalances blowing up in the face. There have been many instances as far as that is concerned. The standard refrain is that a period of imbalance is followed on by the reign of happiness all around. It has not happened so far and it would not happen in the near future either.

It is for this reason I stand by my convictions that we ought not to sell our precious resources for a song. The money belongs to us and we have the full reasonable right to use it the way we wish to. Why should a businessman from across the shores come and dictate us as to what is best for us?

Basically, it is a matter of trust. And that has been broken. Ever since I shifted to Linux and OpenOffice, I have forgotten what spyware is. No more hassles of updating the anti-virus definitions. No more hassles of Ad-aware or Spybot. No more hassles of firewalls or any conflict of any software. I do not have to feel guilty about using any pirated product. Add to that, excellent support from the same community that bends over backwards to accommodate you in the fold. Admittedly, it is a little problematic for a newbie to get used to it, but anyone with below average intelligence can manage it. Well, I did it!

I have nothing against Microsoft or its cohorts. My only concern is that one should look for better credible alternatives that abound. Matter of just looking around and not be taken on the face value of what their claims are. I sincerely hope that most of us are capable of thinking on their own.

This post was submitted by Dr. Abhishek Puri on Techwhack.