Nature, Causes + Distribution of Global Inequalities in Social + Economic Wellbeing Flashcards
1
Q
What is inequality?
A
- uneven distribution of resources, power + access to opportunities across a population
2
Q
What is the development gap?
A
- inequalities in lvls of eco. + social dev. (QOL) between diff countries or regions
3
Q
What are the geographical causes of the dev. gap?
A
- landlocked countries have limited access to trade, due to a lack of ports, which could be intensified if country is in conflict w neighbouring countries (e.g. South Sudan), limiting dev.
- countries w a limited amount of natural resources (resource endowment) limit dev.
- countries in regions more prone to natural disasters, such as diseases (e.g. tropical regions), cause unproductive farming, limiting dev.
4
Q
What are the eco. causes of the dev. gap?
A
- countries w open economies tend to dev. faster bc encourage international trade, allowing countries to access larger global markets + so generate a larger income from foreign currency
- they also attract FDIs from TNCs, which inc access to tech, capital + expertise, helping to dev. infrastructure, create jobs + improve productivity, speeding up eco dev.
- they also attract skilled workers through migration + international collaboration, speeding up eco dev.
- countries w high debt spend a sig. portion of money repaying it, limiting money available to invest in infrastructure, education + healthcare, + so limits eco. dev.
- they also receive less FDIs from TNCs, bc are viewed as risky, + so have less income to spend of dev. projects + innovation
5
Q
What are the political causes of the dev. gap?
A
- countries w politically stable + effective gov.s tend to also dev faster bc attract more FDIs from TNCs, which can be used to invest in better tech, improving productivity + efficiency
- non-corrupt gov.s also invest funds properly into projects that stimulate dev, such as infrastructure + education
6
Q
What are the demographic causes of the dev. gap?
A
- countries w high BRs lead to a youthful pop, putting a strain on infrastructure, education + healthcare, limiting eco dev, however, it also inc labour force in future
- countries w low BRs lead to an ageing pop, putting a strain on social services (e.g. pensions + healthcare), limiting eco dev.
7
Q
Describe the distribution of social + eco. global inequality.
A
- there’s a high dev. gap between LDCs + HICs
- most LDCs are located in Sub-Saharan Africa, whilst some are in poverty belt of Asia + others are small island nations in S. Pacific
- 2023: LDC Report identified 45 LDCs (accounts for 10.5% of pop), which generate only 0.1% of global income
- most HICs are located in N. America, Western Europe + East Asia
- NICs have contributed to dec the dev. gap
- 1st gen of NICs were S. Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, + Singapore (Asian Tigers), in which their economies grew rapidly
8
Q
Why did the Asian Tiger’s economies grow so rapidly?
A
- good initial lvl of infrastructure
- skilled + relatively low cost workforce w good work ethic
- gov.s welcomed FDIs from TNCs
- gov.s supported factories in receiving ready available bank loans from TNCs w attractive interest rates
9
Q
What are the eco. consequences of the dev. gap?
A
- some countries are dev. quicker than others, resulting in nearly 50% of ppl in LICs living on <$2 a day
- poor countries lack ability to pay for food, agri. innovation + investment into R dev.
10
Q
What are the social consequences of the dev. gap?
A
- > 850M ppl living in LICs can’t read or write + 2.4B don’t have access to basic sanitation
- this has lead to ppl in these countries not having the ability to combat effects of AIDS + HIV
11
Q
What are the envi. consequences of the dev. gap?
A
- LICs are prone to natural disasters + lack capacity to adapt them
- poor farming practices lead to envi. degradation
- landscapes are devastated by mining, deforestation for logging + agri., pollution + oil exploitation
