1. Population And Global Inequality
Chapter 16
Population And Global Inequality

2. Population by the Numbers
About 2,000 years ago the world’s population was around 300 million
Little changed until the Industrial Revolution
At the onset of the Industrial Revolution population began to grow
1800- first billion
1930- second billion

3. Population by the Numbers
Population was rising during the nineteenth century but so was the rate of increase
1962-three billion
1974-four billion
1987-five billion
1999-six billion
Over the twentieth century, the worlds population grew four-fold
billion

4. Causes of Population Increase
Demography- study of human population
Fertility- incidence of childbearing in a country’s population
One measure of a society’s fertility is the crude birth rate- number of live births in a given year for every thousand people in a population

5. Demography: Explaining Population Increase
The crude birth rate is seen as a cruder indicator of the birth rate because it includes in the calculation the entire population not just women that give birth
Higher the fertility = the faster the growth

6. Demography: Explaining Population Increase
One measure of death is the crude death rate-number of deaths in a given year for every thousand people in a population
Everything being equal the lower the mortality = the higher the growth
In sum, we are seeing in some parts of the world high fertility with falling mortality

7. Demography: Explaining Population Increase
Infant mortality as a measure of a society’s quality of life
Infant mortality rate-number of deaths among children under one year of age for each thousand live births
World’s infant mortality rate is 55
U.S. infant mortality rate is 6.7
Low-income countries vary from a high of 145 to 31

8. Measuring Population Increase
Natural growth of a society is based on the variables of fertility and mortality
To calculate the doubling time for a nation’s population divide 70 by the growth rate
Another factor behind growth of a nation is immigration

9. The Low-Growth North North America and Western Europe
Zero population growth-level of reproduction that maintains population at a steady state
High cost of raising children
Contraceptives
Delayed marriage
High income countries losing population

10. The High-Growth South
Population growth is a major problem for poor nations
High births and declining deaths
Culture and the status of women

11. Explaining Population Increase: Malthusian Theory
Robert Malthus ( ) – English economist, clergyman and pioneer demographer
Populations grow in a geometric pattern
Food supplies grow in an arithmetic pattern
Population growth would exceed the available supply of food, the result being starvation and war

12. A More Recent Approach: Demographic Transition Theory
Thesis linking demographic change to a society’s level of technological development
Population is affected by four levels of technological development

13. A More Recent Approach: Demographic Transition Theory
Stage One – Pre-industrial society is associated with high birth rates and high death rates, very little or no growth
Stage Two - Early industrial society is associated with the onset of demographic transition, high births and declining deaths
Stage Three – Mature industrial society is associated with decline in births and deaths and a slow down in growth
Stage Four- Postindustrial society is associated with low births and deaths with little or no growth

14. Global Inequality
The world’s income and wealth is unequally divided among nations
The world’s three richest individuals equal the annual economic output of the world’s forty-eight poorest countries

15. High-Income Nations Forty high income nations
Industrial high-tech economies
About 18% of the world’s population or 1.2 billion live in high-income countries
Annual income is at least $10,000 or more

16. Middle-Income Nations
Ninety middle-income countries
Industrialized but also rural (about one third of the population are rural)
About 50% of the world’s population or 3 billion live in middle-income countries
Income ranges between $2500-$10,000

17. Low-Income Nations Sixty low-income countries Agrarian and rural
About 28% of the world’s population or 1.8 billion live in low-income countries
Earn only 3% of the world’s income

18. The World’s Poverty Problem
About 1 billion of the world’s population lack enough food
Undernourishment increases the risk of disease

19. Relative versus Absolute Poverty
Relative poverty- lacking the resources that most take for granted in a society
Cuts across rich and poor nations
Absolute poverty- lack of resources that are life-threatening
Nutrition
Water
Housing/shelter
Health

20. Poverty and Children
At least 100 million children in the world live at the extreme edge of economic deprivation
Are in state of poor health
Poor nutrition
Under schooled
Homeless children
Victims of abuse and crime

21. Poverty and Women Women are subordinated in many societies
At much higher risk of poverty
Few choices in patriarchal cultures
Seventy percent of adults facing poverty are women

22. Slavery Global poverty and slavery
According to ASI, Anti-Slavery International, some 400 million men, women and children (7 percent) of the world’s population are enslaved today
Child Slavery- 100 million poor children are forced into a life of hustling for money on the streets

23. Slavery
Child slavery- desperate poor families send their children out to hustle on the streets to bring in income
Debt Slavery- employers enslave employees through debt bondage
Sweatshops
Servile forms of marriage- young girls married against their will
Chattel slavery- one person owns another

24. Structural-Functional Analysis: The Process of Modernization
Modernization theory- model of economic development that explains global inequality in terms of technological and cultural differences among societies

25. W.W. Rostow: The Stages of Modernization
1. Traditional Stage
Past oriented
Lives around families and communities
2. Take-off stage
Break free from tradition

26. W.W. Rostow: The Stages of Modernization
3. Drive to technological maturity
Industrial technology and economic growth and
4. High mass consumption
Industrial output is high and the move to mass consumption

27. Critical Evaluation
Modernization theory a flawed defense of capitalism
Rich nations often prevent poor nations from developing
Rich nations as the standard for the rest

28. Social-Conflict Analysis: The Global Economic System
World system theory-model of economic development that explains global inequality in terms of the historical exploitation of poor societies by rich societies
Colonialism-process by which some nations enrich themselves through political and economic control of other countries
Neocolonialism-global power relationship by which multinationals exploit poor nations

29. Social-Conflict Analysis: The Global Economic System
Immanuel Wallerstein: The Capitalist World Economy
High–income countries
Core of the world economy
Established colonies and seized riches
Low-income countries
Periphery of the world economy
Poor nations support rich nations

30. Social-Conflict Analysis: The Global Economic System
Poor nations provide inexpensive labor
Markets for industrial products
Middle-income countries
Semiperiphery economies of the world
Poor nations become dependent on rich nations

31. Dependency Theory Poor countries:
Have only narrow export-oriented economies
Lack industrial production
Are deeply in debt

32. Critical Evaluation Treats wealth as a zero-sum game
Rich nations are to blame for global poverty
Blame world capitalism-poor as victims with no responsibility for their own situation

33. Conservatives: The Power of the Market
Capitalism as a great productive power
Modernization as the solution to global poverty

34. Liberals: Government Must Act
Market system is productive but not the only solution to global poverty
Market system along with governmental help, the poor nations can move out of poverty
Modernizing Influences
Eliminate exploitation

35. Radicals: End Global Capitalism
Radical position is consistent with world systems theory
The solution to global poverty is one of global democracy empowering the poor people of the world