EQ 3 case study statistics

Question 1

Give evidence for the claim that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer

Answer 1

The richest 1% (earning over a million) have a 44% share in global wealth while the poorest (earning 10,000 and less ) only have a 2% share - even though they make up over 50% of the population …….
explosion of inequality
-e.g ; in countries like India and China, when pop. incomes are measured in real time, in comparison to their pre. generation , they are indeed better off but are economically worse off when compared to the richest members of society.

Question 2

What countries are part of the G8

Answer 2

a political forum of 8 of the world’s global leading countries

• UK
• France
• Japan
• Canada
• USA
• Italy
• Germany
• Russia

Question 3

What countries seem to be in the bottom tier of whats known as a ‘three speed world’ ?

Answer 3

Ethiopia, Sudan, Afghanistan - all countries that have suffered from corrupt govts. and war

Question 4

Why is the Gini co-efficient useful?

Answer 4

It is a useful analytical tool that helps to explore trends in the spatial pattern of global wealth

Question 5

Give two examples of intensive cash-cropping and cattle ranching , environmental winners and losers?

Answer 5

as a result of the China-US trade war - amazon lost 17% forest cover to cattle ranching (1/2 exports for China),

• majority of Brazil exports are now to China , over 65%. of soy exports are to China, with an estimate of 75% of the soy deriving from illegally deforested areas.
• indigenous communities shot and their homes burned and news is hushed.
• china’s footprint on the amazon continues to increase.

Question 6

open borders; between 2001 and 2016 how did the UK pop. grw?

Answer 6

grew by 6.6 million 2001-2016 - over 80% of this increase was by immigration much of which were EU citizens.

Question 7

open borders; Migrants often concentrate in particular areas resulting in a diaspora - many are in london, gve 1 example.

Answer 7

Balham London , first formed in 1940 after WW2 (brit and poland allies), may non-polish balham residents had welcomed the new arrivals and their contribution to the local economy and society; store keepers have visibly courted polish custom.

Question 8

What are some dis-advantages that extremist groups in the UK use as their reason to oppose immigration?

Answer 8

• nationalist party UKIP achieved 12.6% of the UK vote in the 2015 gen. elec. coming third out of all parties- significant support for is policies of stricter controls on migration as well as BREXIT so that freedom of movement is revoked.

Question 9

why are there tensions in london surrounding foreign investment and migration ?

Answer 9

some TNC bosses have voiced concern about how migration restrictions threaten their own competitiveness and the role of the UK as a global hub

Question 10

Trans-boundary water conflicts in SE asia.

when is India set to become water scarce and what are some of the reasons why?

Answer 10

by 2025
- due to India’s integration into the global economy,
incomes have risen, having avged around 4% in
economic growth per yr in the 1970’s and a decade
after the open door policies were introduced, their
growth rate had increased to around 7%.
- led to increased to demand for water as more Indian’s
were able to pay for flushing lavatories and showers.

Question 11

Who is the south east asian trans-boundary water conflict between ?

Answer 11

China and India;

• China maintains an advantageous position after its invasion of Tibet because it had gained the sources of the most important rivers; Brahmaputra and the glaciers from the himalayas
• Combo of a trust deficit between India and China over its reluctance to share info on hydro power plants- as well as China’s dam building and water division along the yarlung zangbo (Brahmaputra) despite agreeing to trust each other.
• China’s own water needs have skyrocketed too

Question 12

give an example of tightening of immigration by a country as a result of globalisation.

Answer 12

Japan- pride themselves on cultural and ethnic homogeneity.
- the birth rate had dropped below 2.1 in the mid 1980’s
and now stands at 1.4 whereas countries like France that have accepted more immigrants than japan have a birth rate of 1.9 .
- 1st half of 2017, japan accepted only 3 asylum seekers
- newly introduced rules by shinzo abe has been to only prioritise immigrants that have high priority skills

Question 13

What are the consequences of strict controls on immigration in japan?

Answer 13

• businesses like construction businesses have argues for a change to imm. rules, however abe has said that japan is only willing to accept those ‘ who have specific skills and can work immediately to address labour shortages in sectors that genuinely need them ‘.
• 2020 olympics= increase in demand for construction workers

Question 14

how has japan responded to the demand in more foreign workers?

Answer 14

• started in 1993, Govt. backed trainee programme called Hoang that has become a back door for foreign unskilled workers who would otherwise not be allowed in.
• since then the no. foreign workers has quadrupled oevr the last decade in japan
• tourism boom of 30 million every yr
  however it remains clear that Japan only wants temporary workers to fill up shortages, those who will be permanent will have to have higher skills.

Question 15

How does North Korea censor their internet against global flows of information and how does China also do the same?

Answer 15

• North Koreans have no access to the internet as result
  of state controls, their internet is known as an intranet
  and only has an estimated 1500-5500 sites, and only
  those of high ranks in govern. have access
• Internet users in China are not allowed access to
  Facebook, BBC’s chinese lang website or twitter thx to
  the ‘great firewall of China’ instead they have other socal media sites like Youku Tudou .

Question 16

What’s the difference between China and north korea’s restrictions on the global flow of info.?

Answer 16

They vary due to the geographical scales of the restrictions;
North korea- personal
China- National

Question 17

give an example of a country that has probitions on trade to protect their econ.

Answer 17

New Zealand banned imports of australian honey for 50 yrs , for fears of a ‘bio-security’ threat from a disease that Australian bees suffer from .

Question 18

In 2014 global sales of illegal drugs were estimated to have exceeded by much ?

Answer 18

exceeded US $300 billion

Question 19

Give a example of an illegal criminal flow.

Answer 19

99% of cocaine reaching the USA is from Colombia and to fight this the USA has given $3 bn in military aid to Colombia to fight the drugs trade.

Question 20

why is there an argument that the nation state is falling?

Answer 20

• nation states role is diminishing because it’s economic decisions worldwide are being dominated by TNC’s which now control almost 1/3rd of the global GNP , which is managed within a neoliberal agenda therefore less of a role for nation state

Question 21

How has Japan responded to the issue of falling birth rate and decline in blue collar workers?

Answer 21

• 2017 Shinzo Abe implemented a fast track permanent residency for skilled workers
• 2018 - passed a law that will expand no. of blue collar workers visa’s which can provide a path to permanent residency if they want it. A new path of true immigration rather than guest worker policies.

Question 22

First Nations;

who were the First Nations people and why are they in danger of losing their identity ?

Answer 22

• the aboriginal people of Canada who traditionally own the land they occupy.
• TNC’s that specialise in export of resources like ; shell, and Exxon Mobil have tensions with first nation communities in Canada because of the land’s potential for shale oil fracking.
• FN communities especially those of the Mackenzie and Yukon river basins oppose this and have also experienced the negative impacts first hand.

Question 23

First Nations;

How has globalisation created environmental tensions for the first native people of Canada?

Answer 23

Companies claim that they wish to ‘switch on’ regions dominated by First Nation communities like the region around the Yukon River basin but these communities have experienced negative impacts first hand.

Question 24

First Nations;

what are the negative impacts that the FN communities have faced ?

Answer 24

• The dene residents of the Sahtu region (north west Canada) lifestyle based around sustainable subsistence fishing is being eroded via the dis-balancing of lake ecosystem food chains, death of trout.

Question 25

How are some communities fighting to control their land and resources “?

Answer 25

• Aboriginal people of the area of Enbridge won 180 consecutive cases against pipeline projects to cross their traditional lands, many of which derived from Enbridge gas (natural gas distribution company).
• during the 2015 Canadian general elections First Nation people and environmental groups had joined together to top against billions dollar oil companies and the govt. and successfully won cases to prevent the building of the country’s largest proposed pipeline, poised to travel 700 miles.

Question 26

promotion of local sourcing ;

Explain the TTT?

Answer 26

Totnes Transition town initiative - created to reduce the carbon footprint of an entire community in a way that is imaginative, fun and engaging.