Foundation and funding opportunities for globalization

Globalization is a market-driven phenomenon that attained special impetus and momentum with the demise of the Soviet Union and the simultaneous end of the Cold War era. It is the construction of a global economy largely through the activities of private firms that are moving their economic activities around the world. In this paper, we see the need for engaging in globalization as expressed by the American business community and the United States government that is funding educational institutions to promote globalization as a means of furthering U.S. economic interests in the world. We, in particular, describe the international implications of the rationale underlying the funding that the U.S. government has channeled through the Department of Education Business and International Education (BIE) program and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). We also discuss the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) as a case study that has received funding from the two mentioned arms of the federal government for the promotion of business-oriented educational programs and projects in Latin America and Africa as a foundation for more meaningful economic interaction between the U.S. and these parts of the world culminating in greater globalization. Our emphasis in this paper is the relationship between U.S. and the continent of Africa in the context of globalization.