Globalisation, uneven development and the North–South ‘big switch’

An apparent ‘big switch’ in attitudes towards and discourse over economic globalisation has occurred since the turn of the Millennium. Economic globalisation was formerly widely identified as being orchestrated in the interests of the global North. Sceptics, mostly left-leaning, expressed particular concern for its impacts in the global South. However, a recent backlash against globalisation has emerged within the global North from the political right, while some support for globalisation has been expressed within the global South. This ‘big switch’ defies many theoretical predictions, and can be situated in relation to a shifting geography of global uneven development.