Question 1

Is the present system of globalization more vulnerable to contagion than previous systems?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Currently globalization has allowed the flow of individuals to accelerate. During previous phases of globalization, the main flows were goods. The merchants and longshoremen were the only ones that risked spreading disease. While migration was occurring, these individuals were part of dense networks and their moves were only a single direction. These aspects reduced the rapid spread of disease. Currently globalization has introduced the flow of people for tourism, business and work. Today individuals that travel between networks are moving between networks more frequently instead of previously moving from one network to another. This as a result has increased the chance of contagion

Question 2

Diagram an energy network. Identify nodes, connections, and types of flows. What is the degree of small-worldness? Is the network scale-free? How may disruptions occur? What interventions would effectively address the disruptions?

Accepted Answer

A diagram of an energy network could entail this diagram or a variation:
  Nodes: energy providers and end-use customers
Connections: electricity grids
Type of flow: electricity
Degree of small-worldness: high, most nodes are not neighbors but may reach each other with a small number of links
Scale-free: no, the characteristics of the network depend on the size of the network 
Disruptions: hacking, technological breakdown, natural disasters 
Interventions: methods to facilitate the flow of electricity

Question 3

Does the concept of globalization refer to the opening of international borders to flows of trade and investment? Or should the concept of globalization include additional flows such as information, migration, and technology?

Accepted Answer

Globalization refers to the widening and deepening interconnections among the world's people through all forms of exchange, including information, people, technology, and financial exchanges. It also refers to the opening of international borders to flows of trade and investment. However, globalization does not imply an inevitable movement toward integration. When resources, goods, and people flow from one area to another, specific networks of globalization, such as supply chains, may strengthen. When countries erect barriers and close their borders, integration declines. The point is that, over time, interconnections ebb and flow.

Question 4

Diagram a disease network. Identify nodes, connections, and types of flows. What is the degree of small-worldness? Is the network scale-free? How may disruptions occur? What interventions would effectively address the disruptions?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Diagram a disease network. Identify nodes, connections,...

Question 5

Study contagion in the articles by Zakaria (2020) and Acemoglu et al. (2015). How does contagion proceed? What interventions slow contagion? Does a positive counterexample to contagion exist? If so, explain.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Study contagion in the articles by Zakaria...

Question 6

Diagram a supply chain network. Identify nodes, connections, and types of flows. What is the degree of small-worldness? Is the network scale-free? How may disruptions occur? What interventions would effectively address the disruptions?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Diagram a supply chain network. Identify nodes,...

Question 7

With respect to countries, companies, and businesses, do you think Thomas Friedman's (2005) vision that the world is flat or Richard Florida's (2005) vision that the world is spiky best characterizes the process of globalization? Why?

Accepted Answer

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Question 8

Characterize the current epoch of globalization. Does 1991 serve as the beginning? In the current epoch, what economic factors are important?

Accepted Answer

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Question 9

Diagram an innovation network. Identify nodes, connections, and types of flows. What is the degree of small-worldness? Is the network scale-free? How may disruptions occur? What interventions would effectively address the disruptions?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Diagram an innovation network. Identify nodes, connections,...

Question 10

What are examples of positive and negative global flows? Over the epochs of globalization, what are the trends for each?

Accepted Answer

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Exam 3: Globalization, Networks, and Contagion