Deck 8: Global Inequality

Question 1

James has been working at a restaurant for a couple years.During this time,he has received numerous positive reviews from customers and his coworkers know they can depend on him during busy periods.However,despite his hard work he is still earning the same hourly wage he was when he was first hired. This wage is so low that James is struggling to pay his bills and afford an apartment.While he is experiencing this financial struggle,he sees many customers drive nice cars to the restaurant and hears stories about how many of his coworkers are taking vacations.James's dissatisfaction with his standard of living is best described as

A) absolute poverty.
B) relative poverty.
C) structural discrimination.
D) anomie.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The higher fertility rates experienced by low-income countries are partially explained by the fact low-income countries

A) are more industrialized than middle-income countries,so they need more wage earners.
B) have more crowded urban centers than high-income countries.
C) are more likely to send children to school for longer periods of time.
D) have more agricultural than industrial economies,making children important sources of labor.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

As described in the introduction to this chapter,Haiti ranks near the bottom on the 2015 United Nations Human Development Index.If a sociologist suggests that Haiti's lack of economic development and world status is due to historic exploitation by France and Spain,with which theory is this thinking most closely aligned?

A) dependency theory
B) modernization theory
C) market-oriented theory
D) neoliberalist theory

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Countries that make up the former Soviet Union are considered which type of country?

A) middle-income
B) low-income
C) high-income
D) European

Question 5

According to the textbook,high-income countries are generally those countries that

A) were colonized by other nations.
B) skipped the feudal stage of development.
C) were the first to industrialize.
D) are largely based on socialist economic policies.

Question 6

Liu lives in a country where most people have adequate housing,food,and access to drinkable water.It is likely that he lives in a _______ country.

A) low-income
B) middle-income
C) high-income
D) Communist

Question 7

According to your textbook,which type of country has seen the fastest growth in population?

A) low-income countries
B) middle-income countries
C) high-income countries
D) upper-middle-income countries

Question 8

How have residency patterns changed in low-income countries?

A) Large segments of these populations now have air-conditioned homes.
B) Hundreds of millions of people are moving into huge,densely populated cities.
C) Masses of people are beginning to own homes solely for themselves.
D) People are leaving cities to dwell on farmland.

Question 9

Your textbook defines globalization as

A) the increased separation between upper income and lower income countries.
B) a cosmopolitan outlook where policymakers attempt to bring groups together.
C) the increased economic,political,and social interconnectedness of the world.
D) cooperation between the economics of high-income countries.

Question 10

Global inequality refers to the systematic differences in wealth and power that exist among countries.The World Bank uses per person gross national income (GNI)to classify countries into four economic classes: low income,lower middle income,upper middle income,and high income.If a country's life expectancy at birth is 68 years,in which economic class would this country MOST likely belong?

A) high income
B) upper middle income
C) lower middle income
D) low income

Question 11

Tiffany studies countries that are located in East and Southeast Asia,the oil-rich countries of the Middle East and North Africa,and the once-communist republics of the former Soviet Union and its Eastern European allies.Her research focuses on ______ countries.

A) low-income
B) high-income
C) middle-income
D) Asian

Question 12

Systematic differences in wealth and power that have resulted from globalization are known as

A) global transitivity.
B) transnational inequality.
C) global inequality.
D) cosmopolitanism.

Question 13

Mary studies countries that were among the first to industrialize.It is likely she is studying _______ countries.

A) socialist
B) low-income
C) middle-income
D) high-income

Question 14

Jennifer lives in a country that consumes a large percentage of the world's resources,despite having a relatively small population.Her home is,probably,in which type of country?

A) socialist
B) low-income
C) middle-income
D) high-income

Question 15

Google Inc.has its world headquarters in the state of California and numerous branches in other parts of the United States,South America,Europe,Asia,Africa,and the Middle East.The ability for all of these offices to coordinate toward shared business goals and the worldwide spread of the company are examples of

A) localization.
B) world-systems theory.
C) globalization.
D) the rise of competitive technologies.

Question 16

As an example of the progress humanity has made,your roommate Sandra notes that the average income in the world has gone up over the past few decades.What evidence might a sociologist give to contradict her?

A) The average income has actually declined.
B) Despite a rise in average global income,there is still huge inequality between people in high-income nations and the rest of the world.
C) Despite a recent rise in average global income,the average income has fluctuated consistently over the years.
D) Despite an earlier rise in average global income,the average income has stagnated for the past three decades.

Question 17

According to the textbook,the middle-income countries are primarily located in

A) sub-Saharan Africa.
B) East and Southeast Asia.
C) Europe.
D) North America.

Question 18

The World Bank classifies nations as low income,lower middle income,upper middle income,or high income based on gross national income (GNI)that reflects the average annual per-person income in those nations.Why might sociologists find this form of classification problematic?

A) The number is an average of incomes in a country,and it can mask inequality within a specific nation.
B) Making cross-national comparisons of income ignores the role of culture in making some groups used to poverty.
C) Too many people lie about their incomes to make the number useful.
D) Global economic comparisons need to take into account the mode of production in every given nation.

Question 19

According to the textbook,low-income countries tend to have ______ economies.

A) industrialized
B) highly egalitarian
C) agricultural
D) developed but highly unequal

Question 20

______ poverty is when someone can't get enough to eat,while ______ poverty is when someone's considered poor compared to the local standards of living.

A) Absolute;relative
B) Relative;absolute
C) Structural;constructed
D) Absolute;structural

Question 21

As of 2018,a majority of the world's population lived in

A) rural environments.
B) suburban towns.
C) cities.
D) communes.

Question 22

Illness and disease among low-income countries are often a result of poor sanitation,polluted water,and susceptibility to disease brought on by famine and malnutrition.This illustrates the fact that most serious illnesses and diseases in low-income countries are

A) degenerative disorders,like heart disease.
B) infectious diseases.
C) the same as the most common diseases in high-income countries,but with higher frequency.
D) less likely to result in death than in middle-income countries.

Question 23

Stefano suggests that it is problematic to analyze poverty in developing countries from the perspective of dominant racial,ethnic,and religious groups while ignoring subordinate racial,ethnic,and religious groups.Why might he hold this position?

A) Sociological studies are almost never done from the perspective of dominant groups.
B) Focusing on subordinate groups yields more accurate results in sociological studies.
C) All groups are subordinate in low-income countries.
D) Poverty is often at least a partial result of belonging to subordinate racial,ethnic,and religious groups facing discrimination in these countries.

Question 24

Low-income countries are often affected by famine and starvation because

A) local government officials use hunger to control the population.
B) they are often too poor to pay for new technologies that would help increase food production.
C) farmers have decided to not sell their crops to local markets.
D) local cooking practices are unable to process new types of foods.

Question 25

James lives in a country that has a mostly agricultural economy and has only recently begun to industrialize.He lives in a ______ country.

A) low-income
B) middle-income
C) high-income
D) delayed

Question 26

Virtually all high-school-age males and females attend secondary school in

A) high-income countries.
B) high- and middle-income countries.
C) high-,middle-,and low-income countries.
D) low-income countries.

Question 27

Over the past thirty years,the global standard of living has

A) slowly increased.
B) rapidly increased.
C) slowly decreased.
D) rapidly decreased.

Question 28

Outbreaks of Ebola and other highly-contagious diseases often become epidemics in low-income countries because

A) residents live too close to one another.
B) there is a lack of financial support from the international community.
C) local elites hoard health resources.
D) there is a lack of health-care facilities prepared to deal with the number of patients.

Question 29

Pepe believes that we need to consider forces beyond natural disasters and other natural forces when we talk about global inequality.Which answer BEST explains why he might feel this way?

A) Social forces also play a factor in large groups of people going without food.
B) Considering only natural forces does not take into account individual perceptions of control over resources and access to opportunity.
C) Pepe is a Marxist because Marxists try to catalog factors for inequality that are not naturally occurring.
D) Pepe understands that natural forces do not affect global hunger.

Question 30

Sociologists are interested in how fertility rates in low-income countries may contribute to higher poverty rates in the long term.They would argue that education affects global poverty by

A) increasing high-wage industries.
B) decreasing population growth.
C) reducing harsh working conditions.
D) decreasing marriage rates among more educated people.

Question 31

Between 1990 and 2016,the infant mortality rate in low-income countries

A) decreased.
B) increased.
C) went unmeasured.
D) ceased to be a problem.

Question 32

The Food and Agriculture Organization's estimates of the number of people suffering from chronic hunger worldwide ______ in 2017.

A) went unchanged
B) went down
C) went up
D) was unknown

Question 33

According to the textbook,the combination of drought and internal warfare are the primary explanations for

A) the spread of the AIDS epidemic in low-income countries.
B) the average per-person income differences between low-income and middle-income countries.
C) political conflict between low-income and middle-income countries.
D) high rates of undernourishment in low-income countries.

Question 34

According to your textbook,most hunger is the result of

A) natural and social forces.
B) too few farms in low-income countries.
C) individual laziness.
D) local dependence on fast food.

Question 35

Your textbook identifies three important ways education addresses global inequality,one of which is its contribution to economic growth.Education helps economic growth because

A) it decreases infant mortality,leaving more family members to contribute to the family economy.
B) it helps people understand the importance of adopting modern culture for economic advancement.
C) it may offer hope for escaping the cycle of harsh working conditions and poverty.
D) it helps young adults live apart from their parents,thus growing community development.

Question 36

What is the relationship between a country's income level and its population growth rate?

A) Low-income countries tend to have the lowest fertility rates due to fears of infectious diseases.
B) Middle-income countries have the lowest fertility rates because of their investment in birth control options,including condoms.
C) High-income countries tend to have higher fertility rates than low-income countries.
D) Low-income countries tend to have higher fertility rates than high-income countries.

Question 37

Family poverty,lack of education,and traditional indifference among some people often leads to

A) famine.
B) migration.
C) underemployment.
D) child labor.

Question 38

People living in low-income countries tend to be ______ than those living in high-income countries.

A) healthier
B) less healthy
C) more independent
D) more dependent on welfare systems

Question 39

Child labor most commonly occurs in

A) high-,middle-,and low-income countries.
B) middle-income countries.
C) low-income countries.
D) high-,middle-,and low-income countries.

Question 40

Sanjay studies global hunger,particularly in Sudan,Ethiopia,Eritrea,Indonesia,Afghanistan,Sierra Leone,Guinea,and Tajikistan.Why might he focus specifically on these countries?

A) Hunger does not affect other countries significantly.
B) These countries have the same cultural practices around food.
C) The combination of drought and internal warfare has wrecked food production in these countries.
D) Foreign aid to these countries has all but stopped.

Question 41

Dependency theories can be described as

A) structural theories that show how people on welfare and other forms of social assistance become dependent on it and are thus unable to develop economically.
B) explanations for how families with many dependents force countries into economic downturns.
C) cultural theories that suggest that some cultures are simply not fit for economic development.
D) Marxist theories of economic development arguing that the poverty of low-income countries stems directly from their exploitation by wealthy countries and the multinational corporations that are based in wealthy countries.

Question 42

Alejandra believes that poverty in Colombia is due largely to exploitation by the United States and multinational corporations originating in the United States.Her view is best described as corresponding to what theory or set of theories?

A) state-centered theories
B) neoliberalism
C) dependency theories
D) modernization theory

Question 43

Salvatore studies the debate around universal health care in the United States.He usually uses economic theories that suggest the best possible outcomes in health care happen when the government does not interfere in economic decisions.Lorenzo prefers what type of theory or set of theories?

A) dependency theories
B) market-oriented theories
C) world-systems theory
D) state-centered theories

Question 44

Keynesian economists begin with the assumption that the state should regulate economic policy for everyone's benefit.Why might sociologists who use market-oriented theories be critical of this idea?

A) They believe that markets should be abolished in favor of a planned economy.
B) Market-oriented theorists think that the state should control all markets.
C) They think that higher taxation rates for the poor are the best way to curb welfare provisions.
D) They believe that markets without state interference lead to the best economic outcomes.

Question 45

According to dependency theorists,what keeps low-income countries poor?

A) Poor countries have a culture of poverty that makes them dependent on wealthy counties.
B) Women have a low status in low-income countries.
C) Global capitalism locks poor countries in a downward spiral of exploitation and poverty.
D) Poor countries have a rigid caste system that prevents economic advancement.

Question 46

The doctrine of neoliberalism asserts that underdeveloped countries can develop by freeing up markets and allowing foreign corporations to operate within their borders.Why might dependency theorists critique this idea?

A) Dependency theorists would argue that the only way for underdeveloped nations to develop is to borrow from foreign banks and not rely on corporations.
B) Dependency theorists would respond that low-income nations need revolutionary changes that would push out,rather than welcome,foreign corporations.
C) Dependency theorists would argue that foreign states provide a much more stable source for income for underdeveloped nations.
D) Dependency theorists would argue that the legacy of colonialism has already led to positive forms of development in low-income countries.

Question 47

Why might dependency theorists criticize modernization theory?

A) They would point out that traditional societies are typically low income because of a history of colonialism and oppression.
B) They would argue that modernization theory ignores the fact that markets,if freed from state intervention,will develop any society.
C) They would point out that the only way for traditional societies to develop is to shed their traditional ways.
D) They would suggest that in recent history,historically exploited nations have actually become the new exploiters through global welfare schemes.

Question 48

The textbook notes that cultural traditions,such as Confucian philosophy-with its emphasis on respect for elders,frugality,and hard work-may explain some of the economic advances in East Asia.This assertion is similar to Weber's argument that capitalism in Europe was influenced by

A) Protestantism.
B) Catholicism.
C) Evangelicalism.
D) Agnosticism.

Question 49

Jian Mei argues that philosophy led to the economic development in many of East Asia's newly industrializing economies.She is likely referring to

A) the enforced atheism of communist China and its stress on the importance of money.
B) the ways that Zen stresses letting go of emotion.
C) how Christianity spread to East Asia through European missionaries.
D) the role of Confucianism in encouraging obedience,loyalty,and thrift.

Question 50

Aneesh studies mid-twentieth-century India.In his studies,he notes how Great Britain established direct rule over India for profit.He is taking note of what process?

A) communization
B) participatory planning
C) assembly making
D) colonialism

Question 51

How would a sociologist explain the recent economic advances of the East Asian emerging economies?

A) Economic growth in this region took off when Russia provided generous economic aid that fueled the development of local industries.
B) Most were part of colonial situations that imposed many hardships but also helped pave the way for economic growth.
C) Dictatorial controls allowed for smoothly run,centrally planned economies that eschewed democratic planning as well as market mechanisms.
D) Many of the East Asian governments shared a Buddhist philosophy of meditation that contributed to their economic advances.

Question 52

What is one shortcoming of all four theories (market-oriented,dependency,world-systems,and global commodity chains)of global inequality?

A) The theories underemphasize the role of women in economic development.
B) The theories underestimate the role of more developed countries on the economic development of poor countries.
C) The theories overestimate the role of more developed countries on the economic development of poor countries.
D) The theories overestimate the role of women in economic development.

Question 53

Modernization theory argues that

A) state-run economies are most efficient for creating modernized countries.
B) low-income countries must preserve their traditional cultures to develop.
C) low-income societies can develop economically only if they give up their traditional ways and adopt modern economic institutions,technologies,and cultural values that emphasize savings and productive investment.
D) high-income countries have a responsibility to give free resources to low-income countries.

Question 54

Alyssa is an advocate for indigenous rights and ways of life.Why might she be critical of the modernization theory of development?

A) Modernization theory treats indigenous people like noble savages who have all the correct answers to life's problems.
B) Modernization theory suggests that the state should run the economy,which leaves no place for indigenous involvement.
C) Modernization theory typically suggests that traditional societies must abandon their traditional ways and embrace modern economic institutions.
D) Modernization theory focuses too much on the role of women in economic development,and indigenous communities already have prescribed roles for women.

Question 55

According to the textbook,market-oriented theories of global inequality assume that the best possible economic consequences will result if

A) competent politicians carefully regulate markets.
B) cooperative enterprises replace privately owned businesses to create egalitarian markets.
C) individuals are uninhibited by any form of governmental constraint to make their own economic decisions.
D) the public is provided with free access to public education.

Question 56

Lloyd has been studying Uganda for decades.Based on his research,he believes that barriers to trade,minimum wage laws,and environmental regulations are getting in the way of economic development and should be minimized or eliminated.His view is best described as

A) Marxism.
B) social democracy.
C) anarchism.
D) neoliberalism.

Question 57

According to dependency theories,why is colonialism in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries important for understanding global inequality today?

A) Poor nations continue to rely on wealthier nations for aid and resources.
B) Poor nations rose up to defeat colonizers.In doing so,they improved their own economic and technological infrastructure.
C) Wealth and power built through colonialism was used to help corporations continue to exploit these countries' workers and natural resources.
D) The history of colonialism prevents previously colonizing countries from interacting with their former colonies.

Question 58

Neoliberalism asserts that

A) economic development can occur only if accompanied by liberal social values,such as securing a woman's right to abortion and supporting same-sex marriage.
B) free-market forces,achieved by eliminating governmental restrictions on business,provide the only route to economic growth.
C) state involvement in the economy should be relatively high,even at times running entire industries.
D) social democratic programs,such as generous welfare policies and free education provided by the state,are the bedrock of economic growth.

Question 59

Ida studies the economic landscape of Bolivia.Her research has led her to believe that Bolivia will fail to develop until it abandons its traditional culture and instead focuses on productive investment.What theory or set of theories best describes her view?

A) modernization theory
B) state-centered theories
C) world-systems theory
D) dependency theories

Question 60

The process whereby Western nations established their rule in other parts of the world is called

A) socialism.
B) colonialism.
C) Manifest Destiny.
D) Southern hegemony.

Question 61

World-systems theory argues that natural resources flow from ______ to ______.

A) periphery;core
B) north;south
C) semiperiphery;periphery
D) core;periphery

Question 62

The approach that examines how networks of labor,production,and consumption span the entire world is called

A) McDonaldization.
B) national franchising.
C) global commodity chains.
D) industrialization.

Question 63

Mustafa is a world-systems theorist who studies the world's most powerful countries and outlines how those nations take the largest shares of the world's wealth.His research focuses on what type of countries?

A) futuristic
B) peripheral
C) semiperipheral
D) core

Question 64

Morgan argues that economics must be viewed as independent nations engaged in diplomatic and economic relations with one another.How would world-systems theorists critique this idea?

A) World-systems theorists would assert that the world capitalist system is not merely a collection of independent nations but must be understood as a single-world system.
B) World-systems theorists would suggest that Morgan's view runs the risk of delegitimizing the neoliberal project of creating world market systems that could develop the entire globe.
C) World-systems theorists would argue that we must not view the world as independent nations but rather as continents of nations that compete for continental dominance of the market in the world system.
D) World-systems theorists would argue that the world system should actually be analyzed by looking at global finance as a competition between independent cities,with London and New York City as the world's centers of international finance.

Question 65

In a few sentences,compare and contrast the strengths and weaknesses of the four competing sociological theories explaining global inequality.

Question 66

How is the "technology gap" related to global inequality?

A) The technology gap is a consequence of inequality because countries that make technological products are barred from buying them.
B) The technological gap is mostly unrelated to inequality.
C) The technology gap is both a consequence of inequality and serves to reinforce it.
D) Most nations have access to sophisticated technology,but differences in education create disparities in their ability to use technology.

Question 67

After studying the political economy of modern Germany,Helge concludes that we must consider the world capitalist economy as a single unit instead of looking at individual countries.His view is best described by what theory or set of theories?

A) dependency theories
B) world-systems theory
C) state-centered theories
D) modernization theory

Question 68

The United States would be considered one of the ______ countries in world-systems theory.

A) peripheral
B) core
C) semiperipheral
D) subordinate

Question 69

Famine and hunger are caused by both natural and social forces.In a few sentences,explain some of the social forces that can cause hunger,malnutrition,and starvation.

Question 70

______ asserts that the world capitalist economic system is not merely a collection of independent countries engaged in diplomatic and economic relations with one another,but rather must be understood as a single unit.

A) World-systems theory
B) Postmodernism
C) Structuration theory
D) Neoliberalism

Question 71

Carolina is using world-systems theory to research resource-rich countries that tend to send resources to the wealthiest nations,which then sell them back to those countries for a profit.She is studying what kind of countries?

A) core
B) futuristic
C) semiperipheral
D) peripheral

Question 72

Briefly describe how state-centered theories explain global inequality?

Question 73

Identify and discuss the three key ways that education can reduce global poverty,as outlined in your textbook,and give an example of each.In your answer,link the effect of education on global poverty,fertility rates,and child labor in low-income countries.

Question 74

In world-systems theory,the state is seen as the actor promoting the interests of its national business class.In contrast,_______ argues that stateless corporations are the main actors in the global economy.

A) global capitalism theory
B) market-oriented theories
C) dependency theory
D) neoliberalism

Question 75

The rise of a transnational capitalist class,transnational state,rising global police state,and globalized production and financial system are traits of

A) world-systems theory.
B) global capitalism theory.
C) global commodity chains.
D) dependency theories.

Question 76

In two to three sentences,describe how market-oriented theories explain global inequality.

Question 77

Which of the following descriptions would best fit global commodity chains theory?

A) People in low-income countries do not value health and education as much as people in high-income countries do.
B) Governments in high-income countries protect pharmaceutical companies that charge high prices for medication and try to block attempts to sell generic drugs at a lower cost.
C) Economic relations between higher-income and lower-income countries contribute to poverty in low-income nations.This poverty is particularly deep in nations without strong governments.
D) Low-wage workers in low-income countries do not have the money to invest in health,thus contributing to health inequality.

Question 78

In a few sentences,explain how the World Bank measures global inequality.What are some of the problems with measuring inequality in this way?

Question 79

In Robinson's theory of global capitalism,_______ have shared global economic interests with limited-to-no state loyalties.

A) consumers
B) market proponents
C) nation-states
D) stateless corporations

Question 80

Many countries are considered emerging economies,including a handful in eastern Asia whose growth is considered extraordinary compared to other similar locations.Briefly,explain some of the problems that have accompanied emerging economies in this part of the world.