How can we Measure Globalisation?
Indexes such as KOF, MGI, ATK, etc. The most famous one of all is KOF index, known as the most accurate index measuring globalisation of each countries'. However, it doesn't mean KOF is accurate enough to measure the globalisation. This post will be focusing on the critical analysis of KOF index, compare and contrast with MGI index.
The picture here shows the percentage of each indices took in a country's KOF index of 2009 data, percentage of indices and variables changes every year according to how much data they collected, with not changing too much percentage each indices and variables take compare to the previous year. Also, the method of KOF index are clear to people, which makes people believe the index is measured fairly, and it is reliable. KOF index measures 187 countries out of 194 internationally authorised countries, with 23 variables measured.
However, KOF has it's disadvantage on it's variables and indices measuring. Such as, it's not measuring every dimensions of globalisation. According to Cambridge Geography for IB Diploma - Global Interaction written by Paul Guinness (the picture below) there's more dimensions of globalisation than just politics, social, and economic. There's linguistic, environment, etc dimensions of globalisation could be mentioned and measure. Most importantly KOF index measures internationalisation rather than globalisation, the index are based on nations, but globalisation is consider as "one" globe. Also some indices and variables are consider as old way, such as television per 1000 people, trade in newspaper, trade in books. Now days increasing technology of internet, people tend to use their technology products such as smartphones and computers to watch television shows, read e-books/online news. For cultural proximity, rather than measuring the trade in books, measuring the cultural exchanges of pop music, movies may increase the accuracy due to the low literacy rate in LEDCs, thus trade in books can be any language of books trading. instead measuring some particular language of trade in books including ebooks may increase the accuracy of cultural proximity.
MGI index on the other hand, it measures not just politics, economics, and social/cultural dimension of globalisation, it also measures environment, technologies, and other dimensions of globalisation, which KOF index didn't cover (picture below shows the variables that MGI measures, with percentage it takes). From picture below, it shows that MGI index has equal weights on each variables, compare to KOF index, the weights of variables are determined by the data collected.
However, equal weights of variables in the index, brings some disadvantages. Not all of variables take place in the whole globalisation process big as the others, the fact MGI index measures all dimensions of globalisation may increase the accuracy, but equal weights on each variables, such as migrants and tourism doesn't take much as the cultural part of globalisation. Instead, each countries' pop culture exchanges may be more accurate, since not all mankind in this planet has the financial power to make them-selves able to touring other countries, or even migrate to other countries.
Each globalisation measuring index has their own advantage, but the biggest problem is that not containing recent trend of globalisation, the best example would be the cultural part, not all of us able to touring other countries, migrate, read.