Attitudes to Globalization in the Public, Private and NGO Sectors.

Over recent decades, the world has gone through tremendous economic, political and cultural change. This change is widely referred to as convergence of systems and structures as well as mindsets across societies and is recognized as globalization. Perhaps the most powerful dimension of globalization is the economic dimension, and nothing symbolizes the potency of globalization more than the rapid growth of the digital economy. Yet the digital economy is triggered and driven by digital technology although political decisions also play a significant role (Bukht and Heeks 2017). Therefore, any discussion of globalization or convergence of the world’s systems and structures, and related human behaviour, must acknowledge the role of digital technology as an enabler. When it comes to the role of human behaviour, it has been widely reported that global crises occur as a result of human agency. Yet, the subject of how policymakers, business leaders and key actors in the economies of Africa interpret globalization and global economic crises has not attracted the attention it deserves, in spite of the spread of globalization which now involves a significant influx of Chinese investments into Africa (Kamoche and Siebers 2015). While some scholars have considered the impact of globalization (Berman and Machin 2000; Chuang 2000; Pissarides 1997; Scholte 2005; Woods 2000), few have examined how leaders of institutions and organizations in Africa interpret the phenomenon let alone how they react to it in their strategies and practices.