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5.2<br />

The impacts of globalisation and possible<br />

strategies in a globalising world<br />

Silja Lassur, Erik Terk<br />

In order to ascertain the attitude of the different elite groups<br />

of Estonia about globalisation, the Turu-uuringute AS conducted<br />

an expert survey in early 2013, which included 177<br />

experts – 43 politicians, 55 people active in the economic<br />

field and 35 in the cultural field, as well as 44 scholars who<br />

have defended their doctoral theses during the last three<br />

years. The politicians’ sample included both opposition as<br />

well as coalition members from the Riigikogu and representatives<br />

of bigger municipalities, as well as people working<br />

for the larger political parties. The group of economic decision-makers<br />

included 42 economic policymakers (the Ministries<br />

of Economic Affairs and Finance, the Bank of Estonia<br />

and the Estonian Development Fund, members of the Riigikogu’s<br />

committees on economics and finance, leaders of the<br />

national business associations, and economists who have<br />

actually participated in economic policymaking) as well as<br />

13 representatives of companies and commercial banks,<br />

who have been active in the sectoral business associations,<br />

or who have spoken out about Estonia’s economic situation<br />

and economic policy. For brevity, the latter are referred to,<br />

hereinafter, as entrepreneurs. The sample of cultural figures<br />

also encompassed those, including journalists, who have<br />

participated in public discussions on the Estonian culture<br />

and issues related to Estonia’s general development. Since<br />

the sample included people who are in important positions<br />

and actively participate in making key decisions related to<br />

Estonia’s politics, economy and cultural life, this survey can<br />

be described hereinafter as an “elite survey”.<br />

5.2.1<br />

How are the results of globalisation<br />

being perceived?<br />

The survey shows that the assessments of the results of<br />

globalisation in Estonia are relatively positive, especially<br />

considering the impact of the international economic<br />

recession that hit Estonia recently. On a scale of one to<br />

five, 85% of the entrepreneurs, 88% of the economic<br />

policymakers, 65% of the politicians, 69% of the cultural<br />

figures and 73% of the newly graduated PhDs chose the<br />

option “globalisation has predominantly provided development<br />

opportunities” or “has provided more opportunities<br />

than risks for development.”<br />

In order to ascertain in detail which consequences the<br />

respondents were more satisfied with, and which less, they<br />

were given a list of nine potential results of globalisation,<br />

and were asked to assess them separately (see Table 5.2.1).<br />

We see that, as a rule, the most positive assessments<br />

were given by the representatives of the economic elite.<br />

The fact that the economic circles strongly support globalisation<br />

is not surprising. It was not the first time – a<br />

Table 5.2.1<br />

Assessments of the potential impacts of opening up<br />

Estonia to the world<br />

Improvement of export<br />

opportunities for Estonian<br />

companies<br />

Increased diversity of lifestyles<br />

and areas of activity<br />

Inflowing foreign investments<br />

for Estonian companies<br />

Access to international<br />

financial capital<br />

Opportunity for Estonians to<br />

work abroad<br />

Increasing movement of<br />

people across state borders<br />

Increased competition in<br />

various spheres of life<br />

Opening of Estonia to foreign<br />

labour<br />

International crime related to<br />

globalisation<br />

survey conducted among Estonian economic policymakers<br />

in 2000 showed that over 90% of them were positive<br />

about globalisation. It was less obvious that the politicians<br />

that had unanimously conducted pro-globalisation policies<br />

over a long period of time, and in various governments,<br />

were more critical about some social results of globalisation<br />

than the respondents from the cultural sphere. The<br />

entrepreneurs are not as unanimously positive about the<br />

increase of competition and about Estonia opening up to<br />

foreign labour as are the economic policymakers. It should<br />

be remembered that in the assessment of some influences<br />

different respondents may base their assessments on dif-<br />

Entrepreneurs<br />

Economic policymakers<br />

Politicians<br />

Cultural figures<br />

PhDs<br />

Ranking of the sample<br />

as a whole<br />

4.9 4.8 4.6 4.3 4.3 1<br />

4.6 4.4 3.9 4.3 4.1 2<br />

4.6 4.4 4.2 4.1 4.0 3<br />

4.6 4.1 3.9 3.9 4.0 4<br />

4.2 4.1 3.7 4.1 3.9 5<br />

4.2 3.9 3.7 4.0 3.6 6<br />

3.8 4.1 3.5 3.9 3.6 7<br />

3.2 3.6 3.4 3.5 3.4 8<br />

2.6 2.6 2.7 2.5 2.7 9<br />

Average value on a scale, where 1 = impact has been very negative;<br />

5 = impact has been very positive<br />

For the last option in the table (international crime related<br />

to globalisation) it is difficult to expect the answer to be “the<br />

impact is positive”. However, almost 60% of the respondents<br />

found that this impact is difficult to assess, and 31% felt that<br />

the impact of globalisation is negative.<br />

Estonian Human Development Report 2012/2013<br />

197

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