Global Local Debate

The global-local debate is the debate about the ideologies and principles to be considered for development at local levels. 

In easy terms, to act and think globally is what global means here. In the same way, local means to act and think locally. Many phrases like “Think global, act local” or  “Think globally, act locally” have been used in many contexts like environment, business, district and town planning, education etc.

The phrase “Think Globally, Act Locally” is now considered a depiction of a global concept. Not only do volunteers consider the environment, but also corporations, government officials, the education system, and local communities consider it. 

The phrase “Think Global, Act Local” was originated by Patric Geddes, who was a Scots town planner and social activist. The development and urban management have great impacts on the surrounding environment. When corporations expand their companies to new places, they need to be aware of the global communities.

Thinking Global

One can think of globalisation as the grouping of the world’s consciousness where the communication between people has the necessary potential to overcome the border of nations, and the power to satisfy the customer needs, needs of organisations and global market. It’s a unification process, bringing the world to cooperate together in each of the acts.

Acting local

Acting local in the context of “Think Global Act Local” implies the fact of using the world consciousness to tailor the structure for the act done locally specifically fit for that area or region. This comes specifically useful in public administration, and actions taken in specific regions. Actions should take care of the specific needs of a location the actions are going to affect.

Arguments in support of local adaptations

Philosophers and supporters of local arrangements support the idea of arrangements done locally because of them being relevant in that particular local area and the public being ready to adopt them due to immediateness.

The belief that they pertain is that requirements that are fulfilled through arrangements done locally vary from area to area in a substantial form.

Due to each region having relatively huge diversity and differences, it shall not be possible to apply the same arrangements for all the local regions. 

The arrangements that are done in a local manner for the local region are welcomed mostly and very less chances of that getting rejected by the local public is there. It is because such types of arrangements are done with the local needs and demands in consideration which then are served specifically for that region. Thus, it satisfies the specific needs of those people, therefore getting fewer rejections.

One another argument in support of local arrangements in contrast to global uniform arrangements is that local arrangements are more meaningful in comparison to global adaptations. The hindrance is less under this type of arrangement.

The resources used under local arrangements and the time spent are all almost optimised because of them being a better fit for the needs.

The solutions obtained under the adaptations done locally are possible to be more sensitive and receptive solutions.

Arguments in support of global adaptations

The supporters of global arrangements and thinkers in support of such adaptations have the idea that in absence of global guidance, the arrangements done in local regions would become isolated and short-sighted. That means, they think of global arrangements as a long term view or a plan on which short steps should be taken.

The aims, long-sightedness and long term growth may get affected due to local arrangements with the absence of global arrangements. The growth rate might become very slow.

The technological asset is a fund intensive area and also a manner of experiences, coincidences, revolution, occurrences of victory and collapses, etc that will help in adopting standards and best enactments in local development.

The risk of closed development increases due to local adaptations and arrangements being done on a local level. The boundaries get restricted and they cannot go far off the fixed boundaries of thoughts and ideologies. 

The world, according to Global philosophers and thinkers, is coming out as a global village and pertaining and displaying behaviour of neglect towards the emerging trend will most probably lead to a distorted sort of growth and risky development in local regions.

Conclusion

Global arrangements and local arrangements both cannot stand alone and should be included together with the phrase “Think Globally, Act Locally”.

Global adaptations try to bring uniformity with long term and widespread grouping of thoughts, but they lack to meet the specific needs for specific local regions.

Whereas if only local arrangements are applied and taken into effect, then the slow rate of growth, closed development, scatteredness etc effects come along the way.

For the solution of this problem, the organisations, development authorities, administrative authorities, all should gather the thoughts and trends of the global market and simultaneously at the same time, should consider the specific needs of the local region they’re going to work in. This fulfils the message of the phrase “Thinking globally, acting locally”

It has been detected and noted that bringing in technologies wherever seen handy and practical shall be tailor-made to meet the local needs so that they are highly welcomed and minimise opposition and hindrance to technological requisites.