Types of Government and Economic Systems, Migration

1. Types of Government and Economic Systems,Migration Class Notes 9 October, 2013

2. Governments Unlimited Government’s power is unlimited. This means that the government can dowhatever it wants to do. The government has total control over its citizens. TYPES OF UNLIMITED GOV’T: Dictatorship (N. Korea, Cuba) Absolute Monarchy (Saudi Arabia) Limited • Government’spoweris limited. • The leaders must follow the laws like everyone else. • The government cannot do whatever it wants to do. TYPES OF LIMITED GOVERNMENT: • DirectDemocracy (New England townships and parts of Switzerland) • RepresentativeDemocracy (US) • Presidential-Legislative Democracy • Parliamentary Democracy • Constitutional Monarchy(Great Britain)

3. Economic Systems TYPES OF ECONOMIES: • Free – Enterprise: (U.S.) • Resources owned by citizens • prices set by supply & demand • Socialist: (Denmark) • Govt. owns most businesses • Profit goes to govt. to support education and healthcare • Communist: (Cuba, Laos) • Gov’t. owns all property • Gov’t. decides prices & wages, • Gov’t. tells citizens where to work & live • Economic Indicators • GDP per Capita • Life Expectancy • Population • Literacy Rate ECONOMIC INDICATORS: Help us to compare the economies of different countries and see how well the people live in each. STANDARD OF LIVING: The level of material comfort as measured by the goods, services, and luxuries available to an individual, group, or nation.

4. Cultural Characteristics The way of life of people who share similar beliefs. and customs Language Beliefs Clothing Arts Food Leisure Time Civil Rights Rituals Education Jobs

5. Migration • Emigrant: Person who decides to leave his/her homeland permanently (to “emigrate” is to leave) • Immigrant: Once a person enters another country, this person is know an immigrant. • MIGRATION: The movement of people in large numbers • PUSH Factors: • Factors that drive people out of the land they were born in or the land they have lived in for some time • E.g., Poverty, drought, unstable government, famine (starvation), poor economy, epidemics, persecution, overpopulation, lack of jobs • PULL Factors: • Conditions that attract people to move or come to another country or land • E.g., Freedom, stable government, peace, chance of better job, opportunity to own land, free education, chance for citizenship, join family members already there

6. Melting Pot Our nation was founded by immigrants from across the oceans. The U.S. is a “melting pot” of ethnic groups We have come together as American citizens What factors have prompted people over the hears to leave their homelands to come to America? We call these factors “Push” and “Pull” factors Consider the following Migration Scenarios and answer these questions: What are the “PUSH” factors in your scenario? What are the “PULL” factors? What are the “costs” of moving to another country? What are the “benefits” of moving to another country? What youyoudo?

7. Migration Scenarios Charbel and his family live in Beirut, Lebanon. The country has been home to his family for generations, but there are strict ethnic divisions left over from the civil war, which ended years ago.. Charbel’s Mom is single and having a hard time supporting the family on her own. Charbel’s uncle lives in Sydney, Australia and wants them to move to AU and live with him. He says he can introduce them to lots of his and he knows of a café that will hire Charbel’s mom for more money than she is making now. Charbel and his mom speak only Lebanese. Charbel has lots of cousins that live around him in his present village. Carly’s Dad has just been offered an opportunity to move to Hong Kong for two years to manage his company’s new office there. Things are going well in Dallas and the family did not ask for the move. There would be an increase in salary for her Dad and the position of Manager would be a step up in prestige. Carly’s Mom is a dentist and would have to leave her patients if they move. Carly’s brother recently joined the High School football team and Carly plays select soccer. Brandon lives with his family in awar-torn country. Lately things have gotten much worse. There is much warfare, bombings, and danger everywhere. Brandon and his sister have not been able to go to school in almost two years because it is just too dangerous. The family would like to move to America, but the Grandparents refuse to leave their homes. If the family leaves this country, they will lose their homes and possessions. They are also afraid to leave without their elderly family members. Jim is a talented skier and he looks forward to the times when his family travels to Colorado or Utah to snow ski. Over the years Jim has shown incredible promise and now, at age 14, the Junior Olympics Team has recruited him. This would mean moving the family to Colorado so that Jim can train with the team. Jim’s mom is thrilled for him and is supportive of a move. Jim’s dad is less enthused, as he would not have a job in Colorado. Younger brother Sam loves the idea, but sister Mimi has just started Middle School and does NOT want to leave her friends! Bol lives in Ethiopia, an African country that has been plagued by droughts for years. Bol’s family make their living as subsistence farmers, which means they grow only enough food for their family to survive. There is no extra food to sell or share. Lately there has been no rain. The family’s crops have dried up and died. They could move to a refugee camp about a hundred (100) miles away, but they have heard that conditions in this camp are also very bad. They have very little food left and even if it rains now, it is too late for their harvest. Bol’s mother is expecting the family’s 7th child in a few weeks.