Passage

It is often forgotten that globalization, is not only about policies on international economic relationships and transactions, but has equally to do with domestic policies of a nation. Policy changes necessitated by meeting the internationally set conditions (by WTO etc.) of free trade and investment flows obviously affect domestic producers and investors. But the basic philosophy underlying globalization emphasizes absolute freedom to markets to determine prices and production and distribution patterns, and view government interventions as processes that create distortions and bring in inefficiency. Thus, public enterprises have to be privatized through disinvestments and sales; sectors and activities hitherto reserved for the public sector have to be opened to the private sector. This logic extends to the social services like education and health. Any restrictions on the adjustments in workforce by way of retrenchment of workers should also be removed and exit should be made easier by removing any restrictions on closures. Employment and wages should be governed by free play of market forces, as any measure to regulate them can discourage investment and also create inefficiency in production. Above all, in line with the overall philosophy of reduction in the role of the state, fiscal reforms should be undertaken to have generally low levels of taxation and government expenditure should be kept to the minimum to abide by the principle of fiscal prudence. All these are policy actions on the domestic front and are not directly related to the core items of the globalization agenda, namely free international flow of goods and finance.
QUESTION

CSAT

Easy

Comprehension

Prelims 2014

According to the passage, which of the following is/are necessary for ensuring globalization?

  1. Privatization of public enterprises
  2. Expansionary policy of public expenditure
  3. Free play of market forces to determine wages and employment
  4. Privatization of social services like education and health.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Select an option to attempt

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct. The passage states that public enterprises have to be privatized through disinvestment and sales as part of globalization. This aligns with the philosophy of reducing government intervention and promoting market-driven efficiency.

Statement 2 is incorrect. The passage advocates for fiscal prudence, meaning that government expenditure should be kept to a minimum. An expansionary policy of public expenditure contradicts this principle, as it would increase state intervention in the economy.

Statement 3 is correct. The passage explicitly mentions that employment and wages should be governed by the free play of market forces and that restrictions on workforce adjustments, such as retrenchment, should be removed to encourage investment.

Statement 4 is correct. The passage states that the logic of privatization extends to social services like education and health, meaning that globalization also promotes the privatization of these sectors.

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