Which of the following is a central tenet of globalization?

• A. Global governance
• B. Free trade alone
• C. International Economic Integration
• D. Cultural diffusion

Answer: (C)

Globalization is about growing links among economies and societies across borders through trade, investment, technology, and shared institutions. A central feature of this process is International Economic Integration, which describes how economies become more interconnected through trading goods and services, cross-border investment, financial flows, and coordinated policies. This broad integration captures the core way globalization unfolds, tying together markets, capital, and rules that knit countries closer together.

Other options point to important aspects, but they aren’t the defining feature. Cultural diffusion happens as ideas and practices move between societies, often as a result of integration. Free trade is a mechanism that facilitates cross-border exchange, but globalization encompasses much more than trade alone, including investment and policy alignment. Global governance refers to international rule-making and institutions, which are related, yet globalization is fundamentally about the deepening economic and relational links that integration describes.