Sociology Chapter 12

According to modernization theory, what are the 4 important roles played by high income countries?

1. Controlling population: birth control technology 2. Increasing food production: exporting industrialized farming methods 3. Introducing industrial technology: machinery and information technology 4. Provision of foreign aid: raise farm output, aid can build power plants and factories to improve industrial output

What are the major critiques of modernization theory?

1. Does not explain why the modernization process has not occurred in many poor countries 2. Values western societies while constructing other societies as inferior 3. Fails to recognize how rich nations block the path to development for poor countries (rich nations benefit from maintenance of the status quo) 4. Fails to recognize that rich and poor nations are linked through international relations 5. Fails to recognize that the process of modernization comes at a price

List two ways that classifying countries by income is better than the older "3 worlds model" developed following WWII.

1. Focuses on economic development rather than political structure (capitalist versus socialist) 2. Easier to distinguish variations in economic development (doesn't clump together all less developed nations)

What are high income, middle income, and low income countries?

1. High income countries are relatively rich industrialized nations with the highest overall standards of living; a highly productive economy provides people in high income nations with material plenty. High income nations include most of Western Europe, Canada, US, Japan, Australia, New Zealand. 2. Middle income are nations with an average standard of living for the world as a whole; there is some industrialization, but agriculture is important to their economies. Middle income nations include Venezuela, Vietnam, Cape Verde, Ukraine. 3. Low income nations are nations with a low standard of living in which most people are poor, and there is primarily agricultural production. Low income nations include countries in Central and Eastern Africa and Asia.

What are the 3 factors that account for the dependency of poor countries on rich countries?

1. Narrow, export oriented economies: Poor countries only produce a limited number of crops for export to rich countries. These products are bought cheaply, transported to rich nations where products are processed for profit. 2. Lack of industrial capacity: Count on rich nations to buy their cheap raw products but then poor nations buy the few manufactured products they can afford. 3. Foreign debt: Unequal trade patterns have plunged poor nations into debt with poor nations indebted to rich nations in hundreds of billions of dollars.

What is chattel slavery?

Chattel slavery is when one person owns another person.

What is child slavery?

Child slavery is when poor families send their children out on the streets to beg, steal or to do whatever they can to survive.

What is debt bondage?

Debt bondage is when an employer pays wages to workers that are less than what the employer charges the workers for company-provided food and housing.

What is dependency theory? What are core, periphery, and semi-periphery nations?

Dependency theory is a model of economic and social development that explains global inequality in terms of the historical exploitation of poor nations by rich nations. It reflects the conflict perspective and places responsibility on rich nations, which exploits poor nations for their resources and makes poor nations dependent on rich nations. Rich nations make up the core, middle-income nations make up the semi-periphery, and poor nations make up the periphery.

Describe income and wealth inequality globally?

Global income is very unequal; the richest 20% of the world's people earn almost 50 times as much as the poorest 20%. Global wealth is even more unevenly divided; the richest 20% of the world's people own 94.5% of the world's wealth.

What is global stratification?

Global stratification refers to patterns of inequality in societies throughout the world.

Describe the extent of poverty in rich and poor countries.

Rich countries are more likely to be characterized by relative poverty. Poor countries experience widespread poverty and are characterized by absolute poverty.

Which sociological perspective best reflects the conflict perspective?

Rich nations have overdeveloped themselves as they have underdeveloped the rest of the world.

Which sociological perspective best reflects modernization theory?

Rich nations produce wealth through capital investment and new technology.

What are servile forms of marriage?

Servile forms of marriage are when families marry off women against their will and women end up working for their husband's family or being forced into prostitution.

In high income countries, the work women do is undervalued, underpaid, and largely overlooked. What kinds of disadvantages do women in poor countries face?

Women are prohibited from working in many jobs and remain responsible for child rearing and household work. In poor countries, women produce 70% of food, but men own 90% of land. This results in much higher rates of gender inequality.

What is the difference between relative and absolute poverty?

Relative poverty is when some people lack resources taken for granted by others. Absolute poverty is life threatening.

List 6 factors that cause poverty.

1. Technology: farming is the primary way to make a living—use of human muscle or animal power limits economic production 2. Population growth: populations of poor nations double every 25 years -high numbers of women in their child bearing years (15 to 44) 3. Cultural patterns: tradition oriented even when change promises a better way of life 4. Social stratification: uneven distribution of wealth in agrarian or farming societies 5. Gender inequality: women have lower status, barred from participating in public life (working) and end up having many children (children are seen as a sign of status, particularly male children) 6. Global power relationships: wealth historically flowed from poor societies to rich nations through colonialism (process by which some nations enrich themselves through political and economic control of other nations). Thus, global exploitation allowed some nations to develop economically at the expense of other nations.

What is modernization theory? What are the 4 stages of modernization according to Rostow?

Modernization theory is a model of economic and social development that explains global inequality in terms of technological and cultural differences between nations. 1. Traditional Stage: strong ties to tradition, nations engage in small farming operations and little to no accumulation of wealth 2. Take-off Stage: loosening of ties to tradition, development of new technologies, production of surplus leads to system of trade for profit, nations characterized by willingness to take risks 3. Drive to technological maturity: belief in the importance of growth to lead to higher standards of living, increased specialized jobs, reduction in absolute poverty, increased gender equality, development of diversified economy based on industrial technology, tradition seen as backward and change seen as forward 4. High mass consumption: economic development associated with rise in living standards, mass production stimulates mass consumption

What are multi-national corporations?

Multi-national corporations are large businesses that operate in many countries.

What is the difference between colonialism and neocolonialism?

Neocolonialism is a new form of global power relationships that involves direct economic exploitation by multinational corporations.

How does poverty affect the health of children?

People in low income countries face risk of dying young with 1 in 10 not living to age 5 (only 1 in 3 live to age 65). Children living in poverty are vulnerable to disease, neglect, accidents, and violence.

How does poverty in poor countries compare to poverty in rich countries?

Poverty in poor countries is more severe than in rich countries because of the differences in the quality of life—economic productivity is lowest in countries where population growth is highest. High income nations are more likely to be characterized by relative poverty. Low income countries are characterized by absolute poverty.

How does poverty shape life expectancy rates in the world's poorest countries?

Poverty in poor countries results in high birth rates due to limited to non-existent reproductive health care.