GLOBALIZATION AND POVERTY IN ROŞIA MONTANĂ

             Lucia Ispas-Pascaru, “1 Decembrie 1918 University”, Alba Iulia, Romania
                 Mihai Pascaru, 1 Decembrie 1918 University, Alba Iulia, Romania


ABSTRACT: Globalization is a concept that, for the past decades, carried on dreadful fears, as well as
great expectations. Defined as a process of global intercommunication and interconnection of
economical, political, cultural forces and actors, globalization leads to a global network that enables
transnational spread of information, technologies, capital, commodities, structures, cultures and people,
representing a major change in the social structure of society. In this context we witness new fears and
also, new hopes considering the state of communities, democracies, freedom and identity. Romania
entered a transition process from a closed society to a hub in the global network with the dawn of
communist era, even though the forces of globalization per se empowered the struggle against the
communist regime. Roşia Montană, a mining locality in Apuseni Montains, in the context of the debates
over the mining project proposed by Roşia Montană Gold Corporation (RMGC), represents a natural
laboratory of observation for social scientists, gathering the main concerns of modernization: the
interaction between global economic forces and local cultures, the empowerment of local community and
civil society, the tension between economic interest and cultural and environmental preservation. In this
context, the study emphasizes the analysis of people`s life standard and expectations in Roşia Montană, in
the context of globalization. Admitting that globalization is a multidimensional concept, ambiguous and
ambivalent in its consequences, we analyze its possible risks and benefits on the quality of life in Roşia
Montană.

Key words: globalization, objective poverty, subjective poverty, corporate social responsibility, sustainable
development.

JEL code: E00.