Global Production and Domestic Divides

In this chapter we aim to study globalization and divides from different disciplines through the flows of commodity, money, and human. First, we demonstrate that economic globalization can simultaneously reduce international economic inequality by fostering successful economic growth in developing countries, and worsen domestic economic inequality, e.g., by increasing relative poverty levels in developed countries. Next, we outline a network analysis of global interdependence as mediated by flows of commodities, money, people, and knowledge. It is vital to acquire different perspectives on globalization and clarify its effects on isolated communities. With these empirical facts to hand, and taking theoretical considerations into account, we simulate how economic globalization reduces international economic inequality in developing countries and at the same time worsen domestic economic inequality in several developed countries by introducing a toy model adapted from condensed matter physics. Finally, we emphasize that data and network science offer a practical methodology for opening up new horizons in interdisciplinary academic research. Such a research methodology is characterized by “understanding the macro world using microscopic data, which is being developed around the world” and aims to provide a new measure of value.