Lecture 2 Pt. 2 Flashcards
1
Q
power
A
whoever controls the state has the power
2
Q
the law of declining profit
A
- there is competition among capitalists
- labor power is beig replaced by machines
- the machines do not generate profits
3
Q
Davis-Moore thesis
A
social stratification favors the functioning of a society
- inequality is necessary for social organization
4
Q
classes during the period of industrial capitalism
A
- the nobility was taken over by capitalists: these were the people who owned factories or businesses seeking to make a profit
- the agricultural workers and tenant farmers became proletarians, wage laborers
5
Q
Ralf Dahrendorf’s 4 reasons why capitalism didn’t fall
A
- fragmentation of capitalist class: within the capitalist class, most large corporations are now owned by millions of shareholders rather than by one person
- a higher standard of living: today, jobs are more prestigious, and there are shorter work weeks
- more employee organzations exist today
- more legal protection: laws have ensured safer workplaces and more financial security through the existence of benefits
6
Q
white-collar profession
A
the job gives more prestige and requires mostly mental labor
7
Q
blue-collar profession
A
the job gives low prestige and requires mainly physical labor
8
Q
Weber’s 3 dimensions concerning social inequality
A
- class position
- status
- power
9
Q
conspicuous consumption
A
people tend to take into account what products say about social position when using or buying certain products
10
Q
social stratification and technology
A
when complex technology increased, social inequality was greatest
11
Q
the Kuznets curve
A
illustrates the trend in changes in (un)equality among social groups
12
Q
relative poverty
A
a disadvantage to people who have more, such as not having a cell phone or internet connection
13
Q
absolute poverty
A
a lack of resources that is life threatening, such as not being able to buy enough food and having no shelter
14
Q
feminization of poverty
A
when women are a growing part of the population of the poor
- reflected by the fact that many poor families are single-parent families consisting of a woman and her children
15
Q
causes of poverty
A
- level of the individual: poverty results from personal shortcomings
- level of society: poverty is caused by the unequal distribution of wealth and lack of work
16
Q
global stratification
A
refers to all the patterns of social inequality that become visible when we look at the world as a whole
17
Q
global inequalities
A
- life history and population: child mortality, childhood, older age
- income, health, and poverty: income, more than 3 trillion people who live below the world bank poverty line, gross domestic product (41 poorest countries combined < 7 richest people combined)
- city and surrounding area: slums
- health, nutrition, AIDS, sanitation, and restrictions: disease, AIDS, plumbing, nutrition
- schooling and literacy
- gender, family, sexuality: women abuse and assault, even murder, circumcision and marriage, cirminalization of homosexuality
- ethnicity, migration, and war: asylum seekers, war refugees, modern slavery
- crim, drugs, abuse, trafficing, and violence: child poverty, beggars, sex workers, or children in the drug trade
18
Q
best ways to determine povery/welfare of a country
A
- gross domestic product (GDP): refers to all the goods and services produced by caountry’s economy in a given year
- gross national product (GNP): in addition to GDP, is the income of residents abroad
19
Q
high income countries
A
- there are 76 countries in this category: the United States, Canada, Argentina, Western European countries, Russia, Israel, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, South Africa, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand
- ~24% of the world’s population lives in a high-income country
- median income ranges from $15,000 to $50,000, and together, residents of income countries earn 59% of total world income.
- production in these countries is capital-intensive and they possess advanced technology
20
Q
middle income countries
A
- there are 70 countries in this category: Venezuela, Bulgaria, Iran, Cape Verde, Vietnam, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Peru, Brazil, India and China, among others
- about 60% of the world’s population lives in a middle-income country
- the average income ranges from $3,500 to $15,000.
- compared to high-income countries, middle-income countries are also densely populated
21
Q
low income countries
A
- this category includes 48 countries, mostly in Africa and Asia
- about 14% of the world’s population lives in a low-income country
- most people live in rural areas where there is hunger, disease, and poor housing
22
Q
global povery
A
relative poverty occurs in every society, absolute poverty occurs in about half of individuals in low income countries
23
Q
5 forms of slavery
A
- slave trade: an individual is the property of another
- slavery imposed by the state: forced labor in response to criminal offenses
- child slavery: making children work so the poor family can earn a little extra
- debt slavery: holding workers in power by paying so little that workers cannot repay debts
- marriage slaves: when women are married off against their will
24
Q
quality of life index
A
includes income, education, and life expectancy and thus would be a better description of ‘poverty’ in an unequal world
25
technology explanations of global poverty
many residents of low income countries work the land with their own muscle power and, as a result, agricultural production remains modest
26
population growth explanations of global poverty
the poorest countries have high birth rates
27
cultural patterns explanations of global poverty
people living traditional lifestyles, such as most residents of poor societies, resist change even if it is a favorable option for them
28
social stratification explanations of global poverty
there is a highly unequal distribution of resources in low income countries
- social stratificataion is greater in agrarian societies than in industrial societies
29
gender inequality explanations of global poverty
because of gender inequality, women are discouraged from working, and usually, this results in them giving birth to many children
30
global power relations explanations of global poverty
colonialism and its exploitation made some countries' economies flourish but at the expense of exploited countries
- today, there is more neocolonialism, where multinational corporations exploit other countries economically
31
explanations for the unequal distribution of money and power
modernization theory and dependency theory
32
modernization theory
is a model of economic and social development that explains global inequality in terms of the technological and cultural differences that exist between countreis
- aligns itself with structural functionalism
- modernization theory states that as technological innovations spread around the world, all societies must proceed to industrialization
33
Rostow's description of the 4 stages of modernization
- the traditional stage: find it hard to imagine that life can be different (cling to the traditional stage and remain poor)
- the start-up phase: when society breaks away from tradition, economic growth follows
- the drive for full technological development: this phase is characterized by growth and the utilization of the benefits provided by industrial technology (absolute poverty decreases/cities grow)
- mass consumption: economic growth leads to an increase in living standards (mass production stimulates mass consumption)
34
4 major roles of high income countries in global economic development
- controlling the population: when population growth occurs, there is a risk of hindering economic progress
- increased food production: rich countreis can export their agricultural techniques to poor countreis
- introducing industrial technology: this can stimulate the economic growth of poor societies
- foreign aid: investment can boost development by spending money on machinery and agricultural techniques toward the second phase
35
criticism of modernization theory
- the thoery defends capitalism
- poor countries have not noticed modernization
- failts to recognize that rich countries often block poor countries' economic growth
- treats rich and poor countries as 2 separate 'worlds' while the global economy refers to all countreis
- uses the most developed countries as a yardstick of ethnocentrism
- says the causes of global proverty lie almost entirely in the country itself
36
Wallerstein's dependency theory
an economic and social development model that explains global inequality by the fact that poor countries have been exploited by rich countries
- aligns with the sociology of conflict
- argues that the economic positions of rich and poor countries are linked and should not be seen as separate
37
Wallerstein's 3 forms of dependence
- narrow export oriented countries: multinationals, for example, take coffee and hardwood from poor countries for low prices and transport them to rich countries where they are made into products
- the poor countries lack industrial capacity and have to sell their cheap raw materials to the rich countries
- unequal trade relations have left poor countries with large debts, resulting in unemployment and inflation
38
criticism of dependency theory
- incorrectly states that a country can only become richer if another country becomes poorer
- poor countries actually do have contacts with rich countries
- state that the capitalist market system is the cause of inequality and ignores the factors that countries themselves contribute to their economic problems
39
largest victims of global poverty
- children
- refugees and displaced persons
- elderly
- women
