New Labour and Globalisation - Essay Example

This research will begin with the statement that New Labour’s economic policies are focused on sustained economic growth for the country, emphasis on cutting down inflation and unemployment rates and use of measures to cope with globalization for the best economic interests of UK. New Labour has also focused on globalization as the best political strategy for promoting British economic growth. Whether this has been done to exploit or cope with the social and political consequences of a global economy remain a controversial issue.

Barry and Patterson discuss globalization policies within the context of ecological modernization and environmental reforms suggesting that globalization has to be understood in terms of political, social and environmental issues. Barry and Patterson analyze New Labour’s approach to globalization as aimed to create opportunities for ecological modernization and in some policy areas and hinder in some others. Thus Labour’s focus on globalization has its own advantages and disadvantages as far as environmental policy measures are concerned.

Some of the prime areas of development are renewable energy strategy, transport policy, and genetically modified food. The issues of environmental degradation and environmental policy measures have direct implications for globalization and thus it is important to consider environmental aspects of globalization within Labour policy measures.. and equity, Hopkin and Wincott suggest that the European states are less flexible and may have to become more open to changes for successful social and economic reforms.

Considering this, the economic reforms and approach to globalisation as taken by New Labour may be considered as comparatively rigid and a more flexible policy could be recommended. Cerny and Evans (2004) argue that the state policies are always aimed at restructuring the state to stabilise national polity and promote domestic economic growth. Some state political approaches are focused on reform of political institutions, functions and processes in keeping with the needs of globalisation. Apart from adapting to internal social and political problems, national political leaders take on processes of political and social coalitions to overcome structural and even functional constraints in the form of state intervention.

All of state's policies are focused on promoting, sustaining and expanding an open and liberal global economy to take full advantage of the benefits of such systems. However Cerny and Evans claim that too much emphasis on the role of individual political leaders can undermine the generic functions of the state in terms of public interest and social justice and can also lead to social conflicts. Considering the case of New Labour's policy agenda, in UK, Cerny and Evans note that the British state has been undergoing a continual transformation to adapt to global realities through state action.

The fact that Blair's government is focused on adapting to the changing needs of globalisation only highlights policy issues that are established by New Labour to promote economic and social growth. The question of whether New Labour is exploiting, coping with or actively supporting globalisation