Sustainability

**Should economic globalization contribute to prosperity for all people?**
© Douglas Rial/iStockphoto Does a rising tide lift //all// boats? It is said that “a rising tide lifts all boats.” What does that mean? In the ocean, when the tide rises, anything floating on the water will rise along with it. In economic terms, the phrase //a rising tide lifts all boats// means that as the world becomes richer and richer, everyone will benefit. In the last few decades, the world as a whole has become wealthier. Through trade and improved technology, there is greater wealth than there used to be.

In this section you will think about this message, coined by the prime minister of Ireland in the late 1950s and famously repeated by former U.S. president John F. Kennedy. You will explore this issue question: **Should economic globalization contribute to prosperity for all people?**

//**Inquiry into the Issue**//
Is everyone richer because of the tide of wealth caused by economic growth and greater global economic ties? Or has the gap between rich and poor increased? What recent factors influence the global economy? How have free trade, trade organizations, and transnational corporations influenced the increase in wealth for all? There are many perspectives about the impact of globalization, especially its impact on financial equality between people around the world.

// **Inquiry Activity** //
© Christine Glade/iStockphoto //**Is there any kind of economic balance in the world today?**// Global prosperity and global poverty are complex issues. It’s very hard, even for people who are experts in economics and politics, to really decide how globalization affects people around the world. While it is possible to see how much the global economy is growing, and it is possible to see how incomes are distributed around the world, it’s not as easy to see what all the reasons are. People have many perspectives about the impact of globalization. You have your own perspective, based on your own knowledge and experiences. Are your views influenced by hard, cold facts, or are they affected by biased opinions?

You can practise telling the difference between a fact, or something that can be proven, and an opinion, or a personal view based on someone’s own judgment. Examine the statements in the following multimedia activity, and determine whether they can be proven or not. Drag each term into the correct box, and note the feedback. You do not need to indicate whether the statements are true or false. You only need to decide whether information could be found to support the statement or if it’s an opinion that cannot be proven or disproven.

[[image:http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/t4tes/courses/senior/social_studies_10_2_web/images/icons/icon_selfcheck_f.gif width="40" height="40" align="bottom"]] Self-Check
Click on Prove It!