User:Alcarillo/neofeudalism scratch pad
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Neofeudalism is a term used pejoratively by the anti-globalization movement to describe certain economic and political policies concerning globalization and multinational corporations. Critics claim these policies widen the gap between rich and poor, increase the scope and severity of poverty and concentrate a majority of the world's wealth in the hands of a few.
Feudalism was an older form of socioeconomic organization prevalent in medieval Europe and pre-industrial Asia, whereby political and economic control was maintained by a small group of feudal lords within a decentralized state. The vast majority of the population living in a feudalist society had little to no political and economic freedoms, and were legally bound to provide farming, husbandry and other agricultural services on their lords' land. In return, the lord offered protection and some measure of localized stability.
The argument over neofeudalism is part of the controversy over income redistribution borne out of massive societal shifts during the industrial revolution. At time the issue was wealth disparity between classes — landholders, entrepreneurs, peasants, workers and so on. Neofeudalism encompasses the current debate over globalization to include entire societies, countries, regions ("North" versus "South", "Western" versus "non-Western"), and supra-national non-state actors. Unlike other geopolitical issues such as environmentalism and security, neofeudalism largely focuses on economics.