What Do Globalization and Technology Do to Canada?
This is not the first time in history that societies have faced the consequences of a truly global market. The world economy was possibly even more integrated at the height of the British colonial empire in the 19th century than it is now. Trade volumes between North America and Europe continuously increased between the late 19th century and the First World War. But research shows that this “first round” of globalization also had a negative impact on income distribution: in the 19th century, inequality rose in rich ountries in a way similar to what is happening today.(15) Research also indicates that the inequality trends which globalization produced prior to World War I were at least partly responsible for rising protectionism and for the interwar retreat from globalization.(16) The question that arises now is clear: Will the world economy of the next century also retreat from its commitment to globalization because of its unequal sharing of burdens and rewards? After the Second World
