A Smaller World

The "world's coming closer together", "distances are shortening", "global integration" are terms i hear frequently. I often wonder at what's the evidence for this "increased global integration" phenomenon.

Yes, international tourism is one aspect of it but frankly i don't have the figures for how this has increased over the years. Though i realize that "Indians travelling abroad" has become a more frequent phenomenon.

We see more Indian expatriates than before but is this a trend across countries?

Companies from emerging economies (China, Brazil, and India) are spreading their wings globally but what percentage of global trade do the revenues of these companies account for?

Internet has made information easily accessible but how many "cross-boundary" pages do we access and how frequently ?

I came across a study by Professor Pankaj Ghemawat of IESE Business School in which he attempts to answer some of these questions. The study gives an interesting perspectives on the subject.

http://www.economist.com/node/18584204

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Sourav