Chapter 10 sociology

Subjective poverty

actual income does not meet expectations and perceptions Faith has a full-time job and two children. She has enough money for the basics and can pay her rent each month, but she feels that, with her education and experience, her income should be enough for her family the live much better than they do. Faith is experiencing subjective poverty. Subjective poverty is a state of poverty where one's actual income does not meet one's expectations

Occupations that would be a part of the underground economy

an individual operates an unlicensed nail salon out of her home. An individual makes food in her home kitchen and sells it to her neighbors. A gardener is paid under the table for his work

A young woman wants to move to the U.S. She finds an employer who will help her with the move to the U.S., but she must work for him until she pays back the cost of her travels. Once in the U.S., she is unable to make enough money to buy her freedom and must continue to work for the man. This is an example of

debt bondage

According to the Modernization theory, how can low-income countries improve their global economic standing?

Adjusting their cultural values and attitudes of work, industrializing and growing their economies

Global classification (first, second, third and fourth world)

o First cold war: developed, industrialized capitalist democracies o Second World: in-between, nations with moderate economies and standard ways of living o Third world: underdeveloped, poor countries o Fourth world: minority groups who have no representation on the world stage

Consequences of poverty

o Sedimentation of Global Inequality: once poverty becomes entrenched in an area, it is very difficult to reverse o Poor people face physical and mental health challenges o Cross-nationally, crime rates are higher in countries with higher levels of income inequality

Asia

poverty as a result of the pressure that the size of the population puts on its resources. The majority of the world's poorest people are located in Asia

Global inequality

Refers to the concentration of resources in core nations and in the hands of wealthy minority

Which of the following questions about global stratification would a conflict theorist ask?

How do companies benefit high-income nations more than low-income nations? How is inequality created and reproduced?

What does the GINI coefficient measure?

Income inequality

Which of the following are major criticisms of the modernization theory?

It assumes that all countries have similar resources and can follow the same path, it assumes that the goal of all countries is to become "developed" as possible. It is overly Western-centric

World bank economic classification by income

The world bank tracks the economy, demographics and environmental health to provide a complete picture of a nations income o High Income: at least 12000 Problems faced by high-income countries: Capital flight, deindustrialization o Middle-Income: more than 1000, less than 12000 o Low income: less than 1000 Problems faced by low income countries: Global inequality, debt accumulation, absolute poverty

Slavery in the pre-Civil War U.S. South most closely resembled

chattel slavery

Middle East and North Africa region (MENA)

countries are relatively resource-poor in relationship to their populations. . Social unrest is often caused by income inequality. Sub-Saharan Africa and the MENA region are the two regions at the highest risk for social unrest

Dependency theory on global stratification

created in part as a response to the mindset of modernization theory • Says global inequality is caused by core nations exploiting semi-peripheral and peripheral nations, which creates a cycle of dependence • Since core nations choose which countries to make loans to, they only benefit the dominant market countries

One flaw of the dependency theory

is the unwillingness to recognize that previously low-income nations such as China have successfully developed their economies and are independent of core nations

Absolute poverty

lacking basic needs (food, clean water, safe housing, access to healthcare) Examples: an individual graduates from college and struggles to find a job; he must work for minimum wage; an individual lives in a remote village where she struggles to find water and food; an individual works in a sweatshop where he earns $2 a day Michael lives in a war-torn country. His city has been destroyed by fighting and he is unable to find work. Michael struggles to find food, shelter, and clean water. Michael lives in: absolute poverty

Modernization theory on global stratification

low income countries are affected by their lack of industrialization and can improve their global economic standing through. Assumes industrialization and technology are the best goals

Africa

many of Africa's natural resources were long ago taken by colonial forces. The majority of the world's poorest countries are located in Africa

Relative poverty

state of living where people can afford necessities but are unable to meet their society's average standard of living Jakes parents were just laid off. They have enough savings to keep their house and to provide food for their children; however, Jake is unable to buy new clothes and school supplies for the upcoming school year. Jake is experiencing relative poverty: the state of poverty where someone is unable to live the lifestyle of the average person in the country

Global stratification

unequal distribution of resources among nations. Two dimensions: Gap between nations & gaps within nations. Social inequality is just as harmful as economic discrepancies

Wallerstein's world system approach

uses an economic basis to understand global inequality o Core nations: exert control over all aspects of the world community. A core nation is a dominant capitalist country; the UK o Peripheral nations: have very little industrialization and unstable governance o Semi-peripheral nations: in-between nations (not powerful enough to dictate policy)