World System Theory - Essay Example

Globalization is the process by which the capitalist world system spreads across the whole globe. It does not constitute a new phenomenon since the world system has maintained some of its main features over several centuries. At the turn of the twenty-first century, the capitalist world economy is in crisis and thus, the globalized world economies are in celebration (Weinstein, 2005). Policy-oriented intellectuals in countries at a medium level of development created approaches to the problem of economic development to account for the inability of their society to catch up with the rich countries. One approach is the world system theory which has broadened into a more purely academic enterprise designed to explain the historical rise of the West as well as it also explains the existing poverty in most non-Western societies. 

It views world events and interrelationships through labor, goods production, capital investment, and their movement. The capitalist world economy has no single political center; its precise flourish results from its bounds to not one but multiple political systems (Mossman, 2007). This gives it the freedom of maneuver and constant expansion of the world system. Due to globalization, many people have moved and others wish to move from their countries in search of labor in developed countries, which too are in search of a labor force for their developed and developing industries.

Many people over the world have been in wait for immigration reforms in America, which would give them opportunities to look for employment in the country. The immigration reforms focus on capitalist opportunities in the country as Stokes puts in his introduction. Learned immigrants have long waited for the reforms, which would see them get a U. S employment–based visa to take the advantage of globalization the world that gives people the ability to work everywhere in the world. However, despite the political rhetoric originating from Washington and reports from the U.S. Senate, many Americans, especially from the Republican Party are not for the reform (Stokes, 2013).

Globalization calls for changes in countries’ administrative systems to accommodate the rising economic advancements. In his February State of the Union address, President Obama said that the time had come to pass comprehensive immigration reforms to take care of the current situation (Stokes, 2013). The president added that the group of Republican Congressional leaders who once opposed such measures now sees the need for loosening visa requirements. The group denied these measures since they looked at the self-preservation of their party, but the party is losing ground among Hispanics and Asian Americans.

On the other hand, organized labor and the business community have struck a deal on work permits, and the public longs for a change in principle. The different waiting durations for reunification visas are a social concern for different cultural groups living in the United States. Stokes points out that there is an estimation of 11 million undocumented immigrants currently living in the United States, most of whom need a visa and a path to citizenship (Stokes, 2013). However, according to world system theory, many Americans have the preservative attitude of seeing a strengthened Washington economy and cut deficits.

There is a feeling that the immigrants come with capitalist agenda, which might affect the country’s economy. Although Republicans remain troubled by the cultural implications of immigration, the reform is on the front burner in Washington. This is because 10 percent of American voters in the 2012 election were Hispanics, and 71 percent of them voted for Obama, as Asian Americans gave 73 percent of their votes (Stokes, 2013). Half of the Democratic Party is comprised of ethnic minorities, and the Republican Party needs to attract immigrant voters to increase its political strength.

Using world system theory to analyze American division over immigration reform, several conclusions emerge. Political divisions are existing between the Republicans and Democrats, which challenges United State’States’ mic’ growth. The republicans see the social change brought by immigration as a strain to the Washington economy while the democrats see it as a forward step in economic growth since it would allow human resources in the country. Globalization has brought different cultural intermingling, with foreign workers immigrating to developed countries in search of employment and a change of citizenship (Weinstein, 2005). The United States immigration reform aimed at ensuring immigrants with advanced education would get American employment-based visas that would help them in contributing to the economy.