Globalization = Global Prosperity
Just a few days ago, I made a few snide comments about Lenovo, the Chinese company which has produced and sold the “IBM” ThinkPad (laptop) since 2005. So you can imagine my surprise when I read a well-written editorial about the positive effects of globalization on reducing poverty in the world and saw that it was written by William J. Amelio, the CEO of Lenovo.
Not that I don’t think that CEOs are, in general, an intelligent and articulate bunch, but not that many of them get editorials published.
If you are fascinated by globalization the way I am, you should read the editorial in full, but here is a quick summary.
The World Bank estimates that over 400 million Chinese rose out of severe poverty between 1990 and 2004. Globalization is bringing prosperity to so many areas that the Brookings Institute forecasts that one billion people will join the middle class by 2020.
Amelio then goes on to describe what some people are calling “Global 2.0″ - the second wave of globalization which is less about moving factory jobs to the cheap labor countries and more about utilizing talent and innovation on a global scale. Simply put, factory jobs in China and call-center jobs in India have helped millions of people improve their lot, giving them (or their children) a chance at higher education (and thus even better jobs), while growing markets for all types of products.
I like the fact that Amelio is an optimist and confronts critics (”resources are growing scarce, we can’t afford higher living standards in developing countries”) with a simple “innovation will help us figure it out” coupled with a reminder that folks in developed countries have a moral obligation to “share” the wealth.
Image from jpl.nasa.gov
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