15. Global Issues

Global Stratification and Poverty

  • Global stratification refers to persistent social inequality worldwide, characterized by gaps between and within nations.

  • Economic and social inequalities disproportionately burden poverty in specific population segments.

Measuring Global Stratification

  • Indicators include infant mortality rates, life expectancy, and poverty rates.

  • Extreme poverty defined as living on less than $2.15/day; relative poverty reflects inability to meet societal living standards.

  • Positive trends until 2020 showed decreasing extreme poverty, but the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical conflicts reversed progress.

Income Inequality Measurement

  • Disparities exist not only across nations but also within them; differing income brackets highlight variations in hardship.

  • Data show extreme income disparities, particularly in lower-income nations.

Social Inequality

  • Social discrimination (race, ethnicity, gender) worsens economic inequality.

  • Gender inequity and women's lack of agency in many societies exacerbate poverty.

  • Sexual orientation discrimination continues to lead to violence and legal repercussions worldwide.

Global Classification of Nations

  • High-income countries have a GNI per capita > $12,536; face capital flight and deindustrialization.

  • Middle-income nations categorized as lower or upper, facing issues of debt accumulation.

  • Low-income countries (< $1,035 GNI per capita), primarily in Asia and Africa, struggle with high poverty rates, especially among women.

Types of Poverty

  • Extreme poverty (< $1.90/day) vs. relative and subjective poverty; issues of malnourishment and inadequate living conditions are prevalent.

Global Feminization of Poverty

  • Women disproportionately represent the impoverished due to economic and social disparities.

  • Causes include female-headed households, systemic biases, and neoliberal policies hindering economic opportunities.

Geopolitical Effects on Poverty

  • Angola, Ethiopia, and Sierra Leone exemplify severe poverty due to historic and governance failures.

  • Key factors include civil wars, environmental challenges, and resource exploitation.

Climate and Health Disparities

  • Global pandemics exacerbate existing inequalities; access to healthcare varies dramatically.

  • The interlinkage between socioeconomic factors and health crises emphasizes that poverty leads to poor health outcomes.

Explanations of Global Poverty

  • Modernization theory blames cultural practices for poverty persistence; Dependency theory critiques exploitative historical relations.

Globalization and Neoliberal Policies

  • Neoliberalism prioritizes market mechanisms over state intervention, leading to further inequalities.

  • Economic globalization often increases poverty due to exploitative labor practices.

Climate Change and Inequality

  • Climate change disproportionately impacts marginalized communities; the rich contribute most to greenhouse gas emissions.

  • Solutions must integrate climate justice to address disparities in vulnerability and impact.

Security Perspectives

  • Security concerns address individual, national, and global levels: human, military, and cooperative frameworks.

  • Realism vs. liberalism in security discourses impact international relations and strategies against threats.