Globalisation | Edexcel A-Level Geography (9GE0)

Globalisation

  • 273 questions
  • 20 subtopics
  • Paper 2: the compulsory human topics
  • Paper 2 and Paper 3

Covers how the world became connected and who has gained and lost by it: the flows and technologies behind globalisation, the global shift in production, migration, cultural change, and the widening gaps it has left..

It covers widening, deepening and the global flows, the five global flows defined, transport, ICT and the shrinking world, political and economic decision making in globalisation, measuring globalisation: the AT Kearney and KOF indices, tNCs, glocalisation, outsourcing and switched-off places, the global shift and who gains from it, the social and environmental costs of the global shift, deindustrialised regions in developed countries, rural-urban migration and the growth of megacities, global hub cities and international migration, the costs and benefits of economic migration, cultural diffusion and the spread of a global culture, cultural erosion and opposition to globalisation, measuring development: GDP, HDI and the Gender Inequality Index, environmental measures, the Gini coefficient and the Lorenz curve, winners, losers and the widening development gap, social, political and environmental tensions from global change, local sourcing and its costs and benefits and fair trade, ethical consumption and recycling.

Sample questions from Globalisation

Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.

  1. Widening, deepening and the global flows

    What would happen to global interdependence if a major disruption occurred to international shipping routes?

    Show the answer
    Countries and regions would struggle to access goods and raw materials they depend on, demonstrating their mutual reliance on commodity flows.
  2. Transport, ICT and the shrinking world

    If fibre optic cable networks were damaged, what impact would this have on globalisation?

    Show the answer
    The speed and capacity of data transmission would be severely reduced, slowing information flows and disrupting global communication and commerce.
  3. TNCs, glocalisation, outsourcing and switched-off places

    Define offshoring.

    Show the answer
    Offshoring involves relocating business operations or production facilities to another country to reduce costs.
  4. The social and environmental costs of the global shift

    Why does the global shift lead to over-exploitation of resources in developing countries?

    Show the answer
    High demand for raw materials drives excessive extraction of minerals, timber and water beyond sustainable levels.
  5. Global hub cities and international migration

    Name an example of a global hub city in Southeast Asia that attracts high-wage economic migration.

    Show the answer
    Singapore.
  6. Cultural diffusion and the spread of a global culture

    What would happen to local food cultures if western fast food chains expanded rapidly into a region?

    Show the answer
    Traditional cuisines would likely decline as consumption patterns shift towards western fast food and processed foods.
  7. Environmental measures, the Gini coefficient and the Lorenz curve

    How do environmental measures of development differ from economic and social measures?

    Show the answer
    Environmental measures focus on ecological conditions such as pollution levels and resource quality, rather than wealth or human wellbeing.
  8. Social, political and environmental tensions from global change

    Why do governments play a key role in attempting to control globalisation?

    Show the answer
    Governments have the authority to implement policies such as censorship, immigration controls and trade barriers that can regulate the extent to which global flows of information, people and goods affect their countries.

The 20 subtopics

One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.

Subtopic What it covers Questions
Widening, deepening and the global flows Recall questions on what widening and deepening mean, interdependence, and the flows that carry it. 14
The five global flows defined Recall questions on capital, commodities, information, migrants and tourists as distinct global flows. 11
Transport, ICT and the shrinking world Recall questions on railways, steam-ships, jet aircraft and containerisation, and on the internet, mobiles and fibre optics. 17
Political and economic decision making in globalisation Recall questions on the WTO, IMF and World Bank, free trade, privatisation, special economic zones and China's Open Door policy. 22
Measuring globalisation: the AT Kearney and KOF indices Whether globalisation is experienced equally, the economic integration, personal contact, technological connectivity and political engagement dimensions of the AT Kearney Globalisation Index, the economic, social and political dimensions of the KOF Globalisation Index, and how such indices are built from raw data. 9
TNCs, glocalisation, outsourcing and switched-off places How TNCs spread globalisation through production networks, glocalisation, new markets, outsourcing and offshoring, and the historical, physical, political, economic and environmental reasons some places stay switched off, with North Korea and rural Niger as examples and maps used to explain them. 15
The global shift and who gains from it The shift of world economic output towards Asia, China as a receiver of manufacturing and India of outsourced services, and the infrastructure investment, waged work, poverty reduction and education and training that receiving countries gain. 10
The social and environmental costs of the global shift Growing inequalities, loss of productive land and unplanned settlements in countries receiving the global shift, and the environmental and resource pressures it brings, including air and water pollution, land degradation, over-exploitation of resources, loss of biodiversity and harm to people's health. 10
Deindustrialised regions in developed countries Recall questions on dereliction, contamination, depopulation, crime and unemployment where industry has left. 13
Rural-urban migration and the growth of megacities Push and pull factors in rural-urban migration, megacities and the 10 million threshold, growth through migration and natural increase in Mumbai and Karachi, and the social and environmental challenges of rapid urban growth, from informal settlements to pollution and the urban heat island. 14
Global hub cities and international migration What a global hub city is and why international migration to such places has increased, with Singapore and London attracting high-wage migrants and the UAE and Saudi Arabia attracting low-wage migrants. 8
The costs and benefits of economic migration Recall questions on remittances, brain drain, and the economic, social, political and environmental effects on both ends. 18
Cultural diffusion and the spread of a global culture Cultural diffusion through TNCs, global media, tourism and migration, changing diets in Asia and the decline of local food cultures, and the opportunities a global culture opens up, with the Paralympic movement as an example. 9
Cultural erosion and opposition to globalisation Cultural erosion of indigenous languages, food, music, clothing and social relations, Papua New Guinea as an example, how it devalues local and larger-scale ecosystems, the cultural, economic and environmental grounds for opposing globalisation, pro- and anti-globalisation arguments, and brand value data as a measure of westernisation. 18
Measuring development: GDP, HDI and the Gender Inequality Index Recall questions on GDP and GNI per capita, the three HDI dimensions, and what the Gender Inequality Index measures. 14
Environmental measures, the Gini coefficient and the Lorenz curve Recall questions on pollution indices, and on reading a Lorenz curve and interpreting a Gini coefficient. 11
Winners, losers and the widening development gap Recall questions on which countries and environments have gained, and on how globalisation has changed the gap. 13
Social, political and environmental tensions from global change How open borders, deregulation and foreign investment created culturally mixed societies and migrant diasporas, the social, political and environmental tensions of rapid change such as extreme nationalism in Europe, censorship, immigration limits and trade protectionism as controls, and groups such as First Nations in Canada retaining their culture and resources. 22
Local sourcing and its costs and benefits Transition towns and local pressure groups promoting local sourcing for sustainability, and its economic, social and environmental costs and benefits, from higher prices and less variety to local jobs, stronger communities and fewer food miles. 12
Fair trade, ethical consumption and recycling How fair trade aims to reduce inequalities in global trade and improve working conditions, ethical consumption and the role of NGOs and pressure groups, recycling and why its use varies by material and place, local authorities and Keep Britain Tidy, and how concern about consumption has encouraged localism. 13
Globalisation is 273 of the 3,433 questions in the guide.Get the guide, £7

How the guide is worked

Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.

  1. Step 1 · Closed book

    Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.

  2. Step 2 · Open book

    Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.

  3. Step 3 · Closed book again

    Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.

Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.

Nearby topics

All 11 topics Guide overview

Edexcel A-Level Geography Active Recall Guide

Every topic, not just this one. 3,433 questions with their answers.

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