SOC 001 Lecture Notes - Lecture 26: International Inequality, Sub-Saharan Africa, International Development
23 Sep 2020
School
Department
Course
Professor
M. May
Intro to Sociology
Sociology 1
College of the Sequoias
L. Notes
GLOBAL INEQUALITY
● Introduction and Roadmap
○ We live on a planet with gross inequalities in the distribution of wealth, and gross
inequalities in the distribution of other kinds of ‘goods,’ too
○ What dynamics (social forces) produce this inequality? And how could it be
alleviated?
■ We can explore these questions by means of contemplating several
different theories about global inequality and different possibilities for
global development
● Globalization
○ the increased economic, political, and social (and cultural, and technological)
interconnectedness of the world
■ We might consider studying this phenomenon as a “world system”
○ Globalization permits influence to be exerted by organizations and social
networks located at great geographic distance from where that influence is felt
○ Global inequality exists among persons distributed across countries, but it also
exists between countries
■ Both aspects—inter-personal, and inter-national—should be considered
■ Two types of inequalities: inequalities between people and inequalities
between countries
● Ongoing Problems
○ Population Growth:
■ By 2100, world population will be around 11 billion, about 40% higher
than currently
■ More than half the world’s population will live in cities, including
megacities (e.g., Shanghai, Mumbai, Sao Paulo)
● That may not be in itself bad—urban conditions are not necessarily
worse than rural ones—but with global warming, and many cities
on the coast, there may be massive population dislocation to deal
with, and associated issues such as crime and more rapid spread of
disease
■ Most badly affected will be the extremely poor, who are concentrated in
sub-Saharan Africa
○ Hunger and Illness:
■ Estimates suggest we produce enough food to feed every person on the
planet, yet 805 million people go hungry every day
Document Summary
We live on a planet with gross inequalities in the distribution of wealth, and gross inequalities in the distribution of other kinds of goods," too. We can explore these questions by means of contemplating several different theories about global inequality and different possibilities for global development. Globalization the increased economic, political, and social (and cultural, and technological) interconnectedness of the world. We might consider studying this phenomenon as a world system . Globalization permits influence to be exerted by organizations and social networks located at great geographic distance from where that influence is felt. Global inequality exists among persons distributed across countries, but it also exists between countries. Two types of inequalities: inequalities between people and inequalities between countries. By 2100, world population will be around 11 billion, about 40% higher than currently. More than half the world"s population will live in cities, including megacities (e. g. , shanghai, mumbai, sao paulo)
