Question

Thomas Friedman argues that the world has been flattened, i.e., the economic playing field has been made more level to more people than ever before. On the other hand, academics like Richard Florida argue that the playing field is not level but highly uneven. Who, and what sector of the economy is Friedman really referring to? What are some of the ways that the world is and is not flat?

please paraphrase it

Answer 1

According to Thomas Friedman, the world has been flattened i.e. the economic playing field has been made more level to more people than ever before.
And on the other hand academics like Richard Florida argue that the playing field is not level but highly uneven.
In this case, the sector of the economy which Thomas Friedman is talking about is industrial sector and the person is an entrepreneur according to him all the industrial units are doing on the four factors that is land labour capital and entrepreneurship and efficiency of the factors of production matters a lot in the productive and non-productive things, therefore, the concept is related to a simple principle where everything depends on the availability of factors and the factors of production are easily available and existing everywhere, if the cost of the factors of production is equal then the world productivity is constant and stable, as per this assumption the World is Flat.
But on the other hand, according to Richard Florida, the world is highly uneven it means all the factors are not equally efficient and the possibility of productive difference is practically existing in all over the world all types of economies are facing the problem of scarcity of resources and in the existence of comparative cost theory it is quite impossible to say that the world is Flat.