In the past, almost all the major policies or laws of independent countries were made by the individual governments of those countries. Now, many policies and laws are made or greatly influenced by international political bodies. The European Union, for example, has made laws on environmental protection and trade that all EU countries must follow. This is an example of political globalisation .
The table below shows the 2021 KOF Globalisation Index. This index measures how globalised a country is and gives it a ranking. The higher the ranking, the more globalised the country is. Many small countries can have a high score. This is because they need to reach out globally for their economies to thrive and to access all of the goods and services that their populations need. Large countries such as the United States can have a low score because they are capable of trading to a high level within their own borders. Many developing countries can also be placed low on the index because they have lower levels of economic, social and political development.
2021 KOF Globalisation Index
Rank 1
2 3 4 5 6
12
204 205 206 207 208
Country
Netherlands Switzerland Belgium Sweden
United Kingdom Germany Ireland
West Bank and Gaza Afghanistan
Central African Rep. Eritrea
Somalia Managing information and thinking
1. (a) What is Ireland’s overall position on the KOF Globalisation Index? (b) Give two reasons why you think Ireland appears above the United States on the KOF index? 2. Look at the countries in the bottom of the list. Why do you think they have such a low score on the index?