Chapter 8, Global Stratification

1. Chapter 8, Global Stratification • Global Stratification • Consequences of Global Stratification • Theories of Global Stratification • World Poverty • The Future of Global Stratification

2. The Core and Periphery The countries of the world can be divided into three levels based on power: • Core countries • Semi-peripheral countries • Peripheral countries

3. Consequences of Global Stratification: Population • 60% of the people in the world live in countries with an average income of less than $760/year. • The richest countries have only 15% of the world’s population. • As countries develop, their fertility levels decrease and their population growth levels off.

4. Consequences of Global Stratification: Health High income countries have: • Lower childhood death rates. • Higher life expectancies. • Fewer children born underweight. • Clean water and adequate sanitation.

5. Consequences of Global Stratification: Education • In the richest nations, education and literacy are almost universal. • In middle and lower income nations, elementary school enrollment is less common. • 18% of the world’s nations have literacy rates below 50%. • 6% report a school enrollment rate below 50%.

6. Consequences of Global Stratification: Gender • Around the world, women feel poverty more than men do. • Women in all three levels experience gender inequality. • Women in the wealthier countries have better health and education than women in poorer countries.

7. Theories of Global Stratification • Modernization theory • Dependency theory • World systems theory 

8. Modernization Theory • Economic development is a process by which traditional societies become more complex. • To develop, countries must embrace new technologies and market driven values. • Poverty results from adherence to traditional values and customs that prevent competition in a modern global economy.

9. Dependency Theory • Exploits the least powerful nations to the benefit of wealthier nations. • Poverty of the low-income countries is a direct result of their political and economic dependence on the wealthy countries.

10. World Systems Theory • Economic development is explained by understanding each country’s place and role in the world economic system. • Poverty is the result of core nations extracting labor and natural resources from peripheral nations.

11. Who Are the World’s Poor? • 26% of the world’s population is poor according to the world bank’s measure of world poverty. • Women perform 2/3 of all working hours, receive 1/10 of the income, and own less than 1% of the world’s wealth.