a Rasgos generales de las crisis económico-financieras de la década noventa 27

In the actual state of international labor division we find countries with different degrees of international specialization. Ergo, developed countries, which are based on modern technology and a fast circulation of information, have an efficient specialization which ensures them a larger percentage of total international trading. We can observe a larger and larger number of products being created by a high international specialization, so at a quick glimpse, we may find that we can not even identify the producer anymore. The economic agent is super specialized, and may

79 The Ceausescu case is mostly in the same category 52

manufacture everything without even producing anything, this being more and more the case, as low costs and high profits are the results of this specialization. On the other hand we have poorly developed countries, with a unilateral specialization and with a small GDP quota in global exports.

The main characteristics and tendencies on the global market may be the following:

- the tendency towards the restructuring of the international labor division, of affirmation for developing countries on manufactured goods markets, with a high percentage of lohn

- the specialization of developed countries regarding research with results in modern and ultramodern techniques, while developing countries are specialized as suppliers of raw materials and basic or classic industrial products

- a reorientation towards basic products of developed countries by increasing the correlation between the extractive and manufacturing industry in order to limit their dependency on external sources. The phenomenon is present mostly in Japan and Europe

- a regrouping of developing countries which may generate a restructuring in the international labor division. Edifying results have been obtained by the Asian “tigers”: Hong Kong, Singapore, etc.

- a decrease of the number of countries involved in international financial flows and at the same time their rapid growth both in terms of quantity and also in financing other countries

- the growth of the amount and the role of economic structures and areas in the international labor division, the apparition of mixed or new economic systems (as in Hong Kong, the E.U. or China)

- a tendency toward “repatriating” classic production industries, which, by very sophisticated equipments – but also costly as capital – reach superior profit and performance quotas in comparison with the period when they were present in third world countries. For example, clothing factories which are capable of producing, in just a few hours, a suite made exactly on the shapes and specifications of the client.

As a consequence it is estimated that the global market will mean a more and more accentuated competition between producers, which will deepen the international labor division. The techno – scientific revolution, the Cultural Revolution, information revolution and also the telecommunications revolution and the increase of the political factor are bound to bring forth major changes in international labor division. Still unsuspected, bio-technology and genetics may create similar changes, within human nature itself. Unfortunately the phase of unequal trading is not foreseen as diminishing in the near future, although more and more reunions and international accords have stated to surpass this state.

The main form of economic relations between states was, at the beginning, and still is, from a quantitative perspective, international goods exchange or foreign commerce. Around the First World War, direct capital investments became significant, and they became preponderant, some being found in belligerent countries. After the Second World War, the need for bigger investments, mainly lead to the development of economic and technical and scientific cooperation between states. Immediately followed by – this being visible in the last decade even for the uninitiated – transfers, huge capital flows which move instantaneously thanks to real time computer and telecommunication systems. All these links form the international economic flows, defined as the movement of material, monetary or spiritual values, from one country to another, which are also the main way for globalization to expand.

Add two other ways to this, which both have a larger contribution than all others: information monopoly and persuasion power and/or origin state pressure.

The general trend of international flows is one of diversification. They are influenced by a multitude of technical, economic and extra-economic factors, etc. which can act at a given time or in perspective. The appearance of a new flow usually means replacing an old one. Between existent economic flows we have stronger or weaker connections, given different periods.

The sum of international economic flows, regarded in their interdependency, form the world economic circuit. It expresses the reciprocal change of activities between different national

economies regarding trading, production, scientific research, in essence the total profit obtained by more performing economies, by major actors which have that country as a base. External economic relations represent a whole for a country. Each flux is autonomous, with specific forms of expression and measurement but it is integrated, leading to the notion of general efficiency for existing external economic relations, with specific methodologies for measuring integrated effects. We insist upon the fact that, at this time, multinationals, which seem to be the characteristic of globalization do not abolish the state, only subordinate it. Furthermore, each flux has its own historical time of manifestation, thus resulting asynchronies between the effort made by generating it and its effect. For example, the forming of the labor force requires 15-25 years. Many times its effects are reaped by other countries, as a consequence.

The evolution and manifestation forms of the international circuit mainly rely on: the degree of development for national economies, the degree of deepness of the labor division, the stage of international political relations. One must also underline the fact that the world economic circuit may influence international political relations and thus the world economy.

The globalization phenomenon is a complex and lively debated one. Many times both its partisans and detractors forget an essential thing: IT EXISTS!