In our new CONVOCO! Podcast Corinne M. Flick speaks with Fredrik Erixon, Director of the European Centre for International Political Economy in Brussels, about:
A New Form of Globalization
Here’s what he said:
I don’t think the liberal world has come to an end. Rather, it is being challenged by different types of powers and different types of issues. We have to acknowledge that the world we’ve had has never really been a liberal world order in its true essence.
We can still see resonance for the argument that successful societies tend to be open societies … The liberal world order is always going to be an aspiration. It’s important that we keep on pushing the case for liberal principles and rules.
Ukraine is going to show to the rest of the world that you can combine nation building with liberalism.
The internal threats coming from within Western society are eroding its own confidence. The institutions we created have proven themselves to be very robust and inclusive, allowing citizens to participate in political decision-making and to be offered economic opportunity. But we’re growing increasingly confused about whether we should believe in these institutions.
Most European countries have seen a sharp rise of anti-liberal parties. I think many of them are now moving towards a sort of moderation, trying to find ways to find a compromise around some issues.
We’re seeing a very split development of world trade. The old form of world trade, trading goods, is declining ever since the global financial crisis … But there is a new form of globalization. A digital globalization of knowledge and research, integrating workplaces and integrating labor … This type of globalization is growing extraordinarily fast.