The Handbook of Global Science, Technology, and Innovation

Chapter 22Global Governance and Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Information Society: At the Crossroads of IPRs and Innovation

Paolo Davide Farah and Riccardo Tremolada

Introduction¹

Globalization is the common word we use to describe the phenomenon of a contemporary world which is more and more interconnected and has no borders. Globalization is the result of a combination of factors. The role of technology is a fundamental feature in shaping what globalization is and what it means for society as a whole. The improvement of telecommunications, in particular Internet and the fast-growing development of transportation, has reduced production costs related to the circulation of goods and services. This allows multinational corporations and their supply chains to integrate assets located in different countries and centralize their production in low-cost regions. However, globalization is not only trade in goods. The world of the nation-states has to tackle problems which are no longer internal within the borders. Everything has become global, not only trade.

Challenges and risks for society such as environmental crisis, energy security, or terrorism are not local; private companies are no longer national, they are multinational, sometimes with annual turnovers higher than the GDP of certain developing countries, and they influence the life of the population of the states in which they operate and beyond.

At the same time, it has to be taken into account that there are also important ...