Chapter 8 Global Stratification Sociology in Our Times: The Essentials, Kendall, 10e

Questions for You Does poverty look different around the world? Have you ever wondered how your life would have been if you were born and lived in a different country? How is per capita gross national income related to life expectancy?

Chapter Outline Wealth and Poverty in Global Perspective Problems in Studying Global Inequality Classification of Economies by Income Measuring Global Wealth and Poverty Global Poverty and Human Development Issues Theories of Global Inequality Global Inequality in the Future

Sociology and Everyday Life: Leaving the Snare of Poverty Poverty has been increasing in the United States but decreasing in other nations because of globalization.

Sociology and Everyday Life: Leaving the Snare of Poverty The assets of the world’s 200 richest people are more than the combined income of over 50 percent of the world’s population.

Sociology and Everyday Life: Leaving the Snare of Poverty More than one billion people worldwide live below the international poverty line, earning less then $1.25 each day.

Sociology and Everyday Life: Leaving the Snare of Poverty Although poverty is a problem in most areas of the world, relatively few people die of causes arising from poverty.

Sociology and Everyday Life: Leaving the Snare of Poverty In low-income countries, the problem of poverty is unequally shared by men and women.

Sociology and Everyday Life: Leaving the Snare of Poverty The majority of people with incomes below the poverty line live in urban areas of the world.

Sociology and Everyday Life: Leaving the Snare of Poverty Two-thirds of adults (15 years and older) worldwide who are not able to read and write are men.

Sociology and Everyday Life: Leaving the Snare of Poverty Poor people in low-income countries meet most of their energy needs by burning wood, dung, and agricultural wastes, which increases health hazards and environmental degradation.

Wealth and Poverty in Global Perspective Global stratification refers to the unequal distribution of wealth, power, and prestige on a global basis, resulting in people having vastly different lifestyles and life chances both within and among the nations of the world.

Figure 8.1 Income Gap Between the World’s Richest and Poorest People <insert Figure 8.1>

Problems in Studying Global Inequality The “Three Worlds” Approach First World Second World Third World

The Levels of Development Approach Underdevelopment and underdeveloped nations

Consider This… Figure 8.2 Some analysts believe that growing global social and economic inequality is related to high rates of population growth taking place in underdeveloped nations. Why might this be so?

Polling Question Which approach resonates best with you?

Classification of Economies by Income Low-income economies Lower-middle-income economies Upper-middle-income economies High-income economies

<insert Figure 8.3> Figure 8.3 High-, Middle-, and Low-Income Economies in Global Perspective <insert Figure 8.3>

Consider This… Figure 8.4 Vehicle manufacturing is an example of the global assembly line, where jobs and economic resources move from one nation to another. This form of capital flight has contributed to the economic woes of millions of U.S. workers who have been unable to find similar employment after their jobs disappeared.

Concept Quick Review

Measuring Global Wealth and Poverty Absolute poverty Relative poverty Subjective poverty

Polling Question What are the pros and cons of each measure of poverty?

Figure 8.5 Proportion of World’s Population Living in Poverty <insert Figure 8.5>

The Gini coefficient measures the degree of inequality in the distribution of family income in a country.

Global Poverty and Human Development Issues Human Development index Life expectancy Education Living standards

Polling Question Are there other dimensions that could be useful in measuring human development?

Figure 8.6 Indicators of Human Development <insert Figure 8.6>

Consider This… Figure 8.7 In an effort to reduce poverty, some nations have developed adult literacy programs so that people can gain an education that will help lift them out of poverty. In regions such as Solomuna, Eritrea, women’s literacy is a particularly crucial issue.

Theories of Global Inequality Modernization theory is a perspective that links global inequality to different levels of economic development and suggests that low-income economies can move to middle- and high-income economies by achieving self-sustaining economic growth.

Consider This… Figure 8.8 Poverty and war continue to devastate low-income countries such as Afghanistan. Many low-income countries receive aid from industrialized nations through initiatives such as the World Food Program. Modernization theory links global inequality to levels of economic development, but factors such as war and internal conflict also greatly contribute to patterns of global inequality.

Dependency theory states that global poverty can at least partially be attributed to the fact that the low-income countries have been exploited by the high-income countries.

World systems theory is a perspective that examines the role of capitalism, and particularly the transnational division of labor, in a truly global system held together by economic ties.

Core nations are dominant capitalist centers characterized by high levels of industrialization and urbanization. Semiperipheral nations are more developed than peripheral nations but less developed than core nations. Peripheral nations are nations that are dependent on core nations for capital, have little or no industrialization, and have uneven patterns of urbanization.

Consider This… Figure 8.10 A variety of factors – such as foreign investment and the presence of transnational corporations – have contributed to the economic growth of nations such as South Korea.

The new international division of labor theory suggests that commodity production is being split into fragments that can be assigned to whichever part of the world can provide the most profitable combination of capital and labor.

Figure 8.9 Approaches to Studying Global Inequality

Global Inequality in the Future Inequality gaps Global corporate domination Global poverty

Quick Quiz The income gap between the richest and the poorest 20 percent of the world population: is greater in urban than in rural areas. has significantly decreased. is beginning to decline. continues to widen.

Quick Quiz Answer: D. The income gap between the richest and the poorest 20 percent of the world population continues to widen.

Quick Quiz Some analysts in developed nations have begun to link growing social and economic inequality on a global basis to relatively high rates of _____ taking place in the underdeveloped nations. divorce infant mortality population growth marriage

Quick Quiz Answer: C. Some analysts in developed nations have begun to link growing social and economic inequality on a global basis to relatively high rates of population growth, taking place in the underdeveloped nations.

Quick Quiz The unequal distribution of wealth, power, and prestige on a global basis is referred to as: global shift. global inequality. global stratification. global mobility.

Quick Quiz Answer: C. The unequal distribution of wealth, power, and prestige on a global basis is referred to as global stratification.

Quick Quiz Dependency Theory makes a positive contribution to our understanding of global poverty by noting that: underdevelopment is the root cause of inequality. underdevelopment is not necessarily the cause of inequality. underdevelopment is largely overlooked, and should be the prime focus of research. none of the choices.

Quick Quiz Answer: B. Dependency Theory makes a positive contribution to our understanding of global poverty by noting that underdevelopment is not necessarily the cause of inequality.

Quick Quiz World Systems Theory suggests that what exists under capitalism is a truly global system that is held together by economic ties. True False

Quick Quiz Answer: A. World Systems Theory suggests that what exists under capitalism is a truly global system that is held together by economic ties.

Quick Quiz What type of poverty involves a lack of resources that is life threatening? Absolute Relative Symbolic Working

Quick Quiz Answer: A. Absolute poverty means a life-threatening lack of resources. Relative poverty describes the economic condition of those who in one society might be considered below the poverty line, where in other societies that same level of income could be considered well above that line.

Quick Quiz Low-income countries typically have higher rates of illness and disease. True False

Quick Quiz Answer: A. Low-income countries typically have higher rates of illness and disease.