SCLG2616 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: International Inequality, Infant Mortality, Economic Globalization

• School: University of Sydney
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SCLG2616
• Professor: all

Document Summary

The vast majority (70%) of the people in the bottom billion, as well as the countries in which they live, are in africa. They also have many other serious problems such as low life expectancy and high infant mortality. A state involved in a conflict trap is con- fronted with either continuing civil wars or frequent violent coups d" tat. Various african countries (most notably rwanda, congo, and. Sudan) have experienced wrenching civil wars in recent years. A nation caught in continuing rounds of violent conflict, coups, coup attempts, and counter-coups is likely to suffer eco- nomically and to see large portions of its population plunged into poverty and, perhaps, into the bottom billion. Conflict trap : nation-state confronted with either continuing civil wars or frequent violent coups d" tat. Ironically, these countries are often rich in at least some natural resources, but dependence on those resources, and the wealth they provide, militates against broader economic development.