Chapter Nine: Global Stratification
Chapter nine has, so far, been my favorite chapter in the sociology class. This chapter talks about the world's wealth distribution, core and peripheral countries, and the causes and effects of global poverty. While this entire chapter was intriguing, I found that the two subjects that captured my attention were the theories behind the cause of global stratification and the results of countries living in poverty.
THEORIES OF GLOBAL STRATIFICATION
The division between the wealthy and the poor, on a global level, is both obvious and heartbreaking. The gross national income of America is about $46,000 and in some countries, like Afghanistan, the gross national income (GNI) was less than $1,000! Granted, the GNI only measures cash income and export. There are countries that do not export or input much, and, therefore, not scoring very high on the GNI graph. Despite the difference in economies, it is obvious that there is a distinct division of rich and poor countries.
How did the division become so high? This question has baffled me for many years. Yes there are countries with limited resources; however, most poor countries do have resources in which they could export. Yes there is war and famine, but there are also times of peace in which money could be made.
The book does offer some information to the theories scholars have developed. While all of the theories have validity, I find the dependency theory to be most accurate. All of the poor countries were once colonies or heavily influenced by a Western society. Since colonial times, these countries have been controlled by a wealthier nation. Their governments, economies, and sometimes culture was influenced by another society. Even though these countries are now "independent," there is still neocolonialism. Poor countries are controlled by the rich nations without direct political or military involvement.
For more reading about the dependency theory and it's origins, check out this article by a scholar from a Massachusetts college:
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/depend.htm
I watched a documentary called, "Guns, Germs, and Steel" that claimed that global stratification started during pre-Biblical times. In a nutshell, the video explains that the European nations developed first and rose to power because their climate and environment. The climate of the region was the perfect combination that allowed seasonal crops, no drought or extreme weather, and very little infectious disease. A very, VERY interesting video that I recommend anyone to check out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgnmT-Y_rGQ
GLOBAL POVERTY
The cause of global inequality and stratification is interesting; however, these theories and answers do not fix the problem of poverty around the world. The section on the world's poor is the subject that most caught my attention. Global poverty is a passion of mine. Here is a link to better illustrate the poverty of people in certain countries. It is a interactive map that shows the amount of those in poverty in every country.
http://www.ophi.org.uk//wp-content/uploads/Worldmap/Web/StatPlanet.htm
Maps and numbers give us an idea of the amount and where the poor nations are. Unfortunately, these figures only give us a distant view of what extreme poverty is like. Countries have to deal with the negative consequences of global stratification such as over-population, unhealthy environments, inequality, and lack of education. For example, the birth rate in the poorest countries is so high that the poor countries account for half of the world's population, over three billion. This enormous amount has resulted in very unsanitary living and terrible living conditions. Here is a link to a website that explains through pictures the lives of the people living in poverty around the world:
http://www.moscia.cl/
Here is one of my favorite quotes that puts into perspective how fortunate those of us are who have a home, clothes, education, and other aspects of our lives we take for granted.
A Crossword to Challenge Vocabulary Skills
Global Stratification
