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Globalization is a cultural phenomenon reflected in contemporary artwork, population migration and linguistic changes. Globalization entails economic, cultural, political and environmental integration (Kendall,2008). Like most phenomenons, globalization has its pros and cons. For example,   it reduced transportation and communication cost and removed barriers for the exchange of goods, services, capital and people across boarders. However, it perpetuates polarization of wealth.

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Over the years the Caribbean has made efforts towards integration through organizations such as CARICOM and CSME. The removal of trade barriers and allowance of mobilization has aided in the region's rapid growth, much faster than it would have as individual countries. Greater mobility due to integration has served ameliorate shortages within the region as some regional economies grow faster than others. These efforts towards convergence within the region has been instrumental in achieving regional integration and by extension its development. The introduction of regional human development through CXC and UWI came about due to the want for integration in the Caribbean and has been extremely helpful in its development.

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Is regional integration necessary for Caribbean Development?

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Is regional integration necessary for Caribbean Development?

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Integration is not necessary for the development of the Caribbean, however it propels the process forward. Individually countries will be able to achieve development but at different levels and time periods and the islands will be less competitive in the global market. With globalization come economies of scale which is the competitive advantage that large entities have over smaller ones. Without integration, Caribbean countries would be at a disadvantage because these larger entities are able to produce at a larger scale and thus their goods and services would be cheaper and more competitive on a global market. With regards to the region, once integration occurs it gives us the opportunity to be more competitive as a region in the global economy and by extension, it would aid in development. Once proper policies are in implemented, the region would have more bargaining power when it comes to negotiating with the larger entities in the global market such as the European Union. This would then promote specialization and trade which would limit the vulnerability of the region and promote its economic development.
With the introduction of the CSME, Caribbean countries were provided with better opportunities to produce and sell goods and services and to attract foreign investment. There is a Council for Trade and Economic Development(COTED) that evaluates, promotes and establishes measures to enhance production,quality control and marketing of industrial and agricultural commodities so as to ensure their international competitiveness.This is one of the biggest examples of regional integration which has encouraged full employment of labour and other factors of production, both natural resources and capital which has increased its competitiveness. This step towards regional integration has undoubtedly affected Caribbean development positively.

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Is it possible and relevant to achieve both regional and global integration?

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Is it possible and relevant to achieve both regional and global integration?

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Regional integration is critical if developing countries are to survive  the disadvantages of globalization. Global integration is key to taking advantage of the opportunities afforded by globalization, however in some parts of the world globalization has failed to bring the predicted economics improvements (Stiglitz, 2002). Developing countries have faced adverse consequences and challenges because they were vulnerable to the developed countries. Therefore, regional integration is incumbent to overcome the unavoidable forces of globalization and bring safety against vulnerability. The region needs to develop a strategy and policies via integration that can help it withstand these forces and increase its competitiveness in the global economy to ensure financial stability.
Globalization means increased competition for resources. For example due to the allowance of mobilization, the emigration rate of the skilled labour force has increased. There has been a continuous loss of tertiary educated labour force due to the better job availability in the global village. One benefit of this however is that the region's standard of living has increased due to remittances. There has also been competition for the regional universities as some students take the initiative to study abroad. This to some extent motivates regional universities to improve their quality and standard of education. Also globalization can encourage change in the regional educational system to educate students on a global scale and improve its diversity. For example the addition of more languages to the curriculum. Proper regional integration can be complementary to the process of global integration, in both seizing the opportunities presented by globalization and in protecting against the attendant vulnerabilities and challenges. Thus, both can be said to be relevant.
Additionally, with global integration comes a larger market for what the Caribbean specializes in, tourism. Tourists from the UK, US and other parts of the world come to the Caribbean for the sun, sand and sea bringing with them foreign exchange. This money can be used for further development of the region as it can be used to make investments in tourism and other sectors of the Caribbean economy. One of the largest generator of foreign exchange in the tourism sector is Carnival. The Caribbean is well known for this festival and more so its music. Over the years, it can be seen that this culture has move from a pure form (religious festival)  with folklore traditional mas and calypso music to a more diluted form that resembles the global festival celebrations. Caribbean music no longer carries a message however it allows relaxation and can be used for exercise and to relieve stress. Soca more specifically allows person to experience pleasurable emotions that encourages sexual dancing. More and more it can be seen that the culture is losing its “purity” as it becomes increasingly integrated in the global musical movement. Famous soca artistes like Faye Ann Lyons, who is seen to be diluting the culture for global recognition in music internationally, has faced criticism for her art. On the contrary, her husband gained global exposure with his song Differentology which appeared on internationally known tv show Grey’s Anatomy. However, regionally he got the same negativity as his wife as the song was boycotted in the year is was released. This is an example of how the culture is being manipulated to generate profits as artistes become remiss to its purity. Sports has also been providing a platform to export the Caribbean culture as famous cricketer DJ Bravo has made a name for himself internationally through a mix of regional and global music. The international market is where the money is, so dilution will occur as a consequence of wealth acquisition and the desire for global recognition.

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Can globalization cause cultural erasure?

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Can globalization cause cultural erasure?

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The region is very diversified with a rich amalgamation of cultures, such as food, clothing, music, festivals, religions. There is a common history among countries   of migration and exploitation and as such it was important to form an alliance and Caribbean identity. Identity can be defined a multi-layered concept that is a combination of social identity, personal identity and ego identity (I. Woodard and F. Grace, 2006).  National identity is the depiction of a country as a whole encompassing its culture, traditions, language and politics. Identity can be shaped through  Education, Religion, Race Politics, History, Gender, Sexual Orientation, Geography, Linguistics, Economic activity or Class.

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It is evident that benefits can result in the acceptance and integration into the global financial economy. However to mitigate the possible risks much is required for smaller developing countries of the region.  Greater regional integration of product and factor markets necessary to facilitate adjustments to the very large exogenous shocks the Caribbean is frequently subject to and has very detrimental impacts on competitiveness.