Deck 9: Global Stratification

Question 1

Modernization theorists argue that developing countries benefit greatly when their governments

A) actively intervene in the economy to spur economic development.
B) let the natural forces of competition determine which individuals become successful and which do not.
C) colonize weaker nations on their borders.
D) ally themselves with more developed nations to protect their economies.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

According to a 2017 World Bank report, about _____ percent of the world's population lives on less than $1.90 a day.

A) 4
B) 11
C) 18
D) 25

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Discuss the role of the international division of labor in world systems theory. What are its consequences?

Answer 3

The international division of labor is a key concept in world systems theory, which seeks to understand the global economic and political relationships between countries. According to this theory, the international division of labor refers to the way in which different countries and regions specialize in the production of certain goods and services, and then trade these with each other to meet their needs.

In this system, more developed countries tend to specialize in high-tech and capital-intensive industries, while less developed countries often specialize in labor-intensive industries such as agriculture and manufacturing. This division of labor is driven by factors such as comparative advantage, economies of scale, and access to resources, and it is perpetuated by global trade agreements and economic policies.

The consequences of the international division of labor are complex and far-reaching. On one hand, it can lead to increased efficiency and productivity, as countries focus on what they do best and trade for the rest. This can also lead to economic growth and development, as countries can benefit from access to new markets and technologies.

However, the international division of labor can also lead to unequal power dynamics and exploitation. Less developed countries may become dependent on a few key industries, leaving them vulnerable to fluctuations in global markets. They may also face pressure to keep wages low and environmental regulations lax in order to remain competitive. This can perpetuate poverty and inequality, and contribute to social and political instability.

Overall, the international division of labor plays a central role in shaping the global economy and the relationships between countries. Understanding its consequences is crucial for addressing the challenges of economic development, inequality, and sustainability on a global scale.

Question 4

According to the United Nations, violence against women

A) has become much less of a problem in the developed or industrialized world.
B) is skyrocketing, even in more developed nations, largely because of economic stress.
C) persists in every country in the world as a pervasive violation of human rights.
D) has little impact on women's lives because it is simply an expected part of being a woman.

Question 5

About _____ of the world's population make up what the United Nations calls the global underclass.

A) one-tenth
B) one-fourth
C) one-third
D) one-half

Question 6

The UN's _____  is a composite of three key components of women's lives: reproductive health, empowerment, and labor market status.

A) sexism in society index
B) gender inequality index
C) female capability index
D) feminization of poverty index

Question 7

As used with respect to poverty, the term double deprivation refers to

A) women and children having twice the poverty rates of men.
B) women suffering because of their gender and women bearing a disproportionate burden of poverty.
C) an intergenerational pattern of poverty in which the risk of poverty doubles with each successive generation.
D) the doubled risk of poverty following release from imprisonment (deprivation of liberty) .

Question 8

Your text notes that Barbie dolls can bought relatively cheaply in the United States because they are manufactured in China, Indonesia, or Malaysia by those who are probably not much older than the young girls who play with Barbies. Moreover, Barbie is played with in over 150 countries around the world. This illustrates

A) the fact that goods like toys and clothing link the United States to the rest of the world.
B) that people simply do not care about child labor if it saves them money.
C) that popular protests against outsourcing have actually accelerated job loss.
D) how children are valued around the world.

Question 9

The highest incidence of poverty anywhere in the world is in

A) East Asia.
B) sub-Saharan Africa.
C) eastern Europe.
D) the Arctic.

Question 10

According to the text, world poverty is caused by all of the following except

A) unstable governments unable to provide basic services.
B) economies reorganized to pay debt decreasing resources for human services.
C) the collapse of some nations' economies.
D) there is not enough food grown in the world to feed everyone.

Question 11

As of 2017, many of the world's poorest nations were in _____, a region that is also prone to famine.

A) South America
B) Asia
C) sub-Saharan Africa
D) the Middle East

Question 12

Which statement about the world's poorest countries is true?

A) They are heavily, densely urbanized.
B) They tend to be heavily dependent on subsistence agriculture.
C) They have large populations with low fertility rates.
D) They have socialist governments.

Question 13

According to the text, global stratification contributes to the threat of terrorism, particularly against the United States. Which of the following is not one of the reasons why this is the case?

A) Western culture is perceived as degenerate by some traditional religious leaders.
B) The consumerism of American culture is seen as threatening to the traditional way of life in some countries.
C) The sexual freedom and relative equality of Western women is seen as undermining traditional values in other countries.
D) Religious extremists do not recognize the economic dependency of poor countries on wealthy countries.

Question 14

Demographic statistics indicate that the world's poorest countries have the

A) highest death rates and the lowest birthrates.
B) highest death rates and the highest birthrates.
C) lowest death rates and the highest birthrates.
D) lowest death rates and the lowest birthrates.

Question 15

As measured by GNI in 2017, the United States is

A) no longer among the ten wealthiest nations.
B) the least wealthy of the ten wealthiest nations.
C) ranked seventh of the ten wealthiest nations.
D) the wealthiest nation.

Question 16

When economic power is used to stratify countries, those that are poor and largely agricultural but that have important resources that wealthier countries exploit are called

A) core countries.
B) peripheral countries.
C) semiperipheral countries.
D) hybrid countries.

Question 17

Which of these statements related to global stratification is true?

A) All people in poor countries are poor.
B) Poor countries lack natural resources.
C) The majority of the world's population lives in poor countries.
D) Poor countries are more urban than wealthy countries.

Question 18

Given the fertility rates of less developed and more developed nations, _____ may be a significant societal burden in poorer, less developed nations, and _____ may be a significant societal burden in richer, more developed nations.

A) children; children
B) children; the elderly
C) the elderly; children
D) the elderly; the elderly

Question 19

Global inequality is apparent in

A) life expectancy.
B) rates of infant mortality.
C) access to health services.
D) All of these choices are manifestations of global inequality.

Question 20

Which of the following is false about multinational corporations in the global economy?

A) They have contributed to the exploitation of the poor peripheral nations.
B) Multinationals' search for cheap labor has encouraged low-skilled workers to immigrate from poor to richer nations.
C) Multinationals have created a poor and dependent workforce that is predominantly White.
D) They have contributed to racial tensions between people from different countries.

Question 21

Which of these statements about colonialism is false?

A) Colonialism began as early as the 1600s.
B) Much of Africa, Asia, and the Americas was colonized.
C) All colonial powers were western European countries.
D) Colonialism came to an end soon after the Second World War.

Question 22

The U.S. Gini coefficient is

A) high, indicating a high degree of internal inequality.
B) low, indicating a high degree of internal equality.
C) low, indicating a low degree of internal inequality.
D) high, indicating a high degree of internal equality.

Question 23

_____ is a system by which more powerful nations became wealthy by taking raw materials from less powerful societies and reaping profits from products finished in the homeland.

A) Profiteering
B) Colonialism
C) Imperial dependency
D) Royal exploit

Question 24

Which of these statements about peripheral countries is false?

A) They are the typically agricultural countries.
B) They lack natural resources.
C) They are often politically unstable.
D) They exercise little world power.

Question 25

Modernization theory derives some of its thinking from the work of _____, who argued that the value of individual achievement emphasized by Protestants promoted economic development during the Industrial Revolution.

A) Emile Durkheim
B) Herbert Spencer
C) Max Weber
D) Karl Marx

Question 26

World systems theory focuses on

A) internal factors in individual countries.
B) patterns of migration and other population issues.
C) the belief that there is a world economic system that must be understood as a single unit.
D) neocolonial relationships between individual countries and their former colonizers.

Question 27

According to _____, poverty results from the reliance of low-income countries on wealthy nations.

A) modernization theory
B) dependency theory
C) world systems theory
D) social exchange theory

Question 28

Conceptually, modernization theory is an outgrowth of _____ theory because it views economic growth as a consequence of certain values and attitudes.

A) conflict
B) functionalist
C) symbolic interactionist
D) social control

Question 29

Which of these is not generally characteristic of multinational corporations?

A) They conduct business across national borders.
B) They buy materials and manufacture goods wherever it is cheapest.
C) They have executives from each country in which they conduct business.
D) They sell their products wherever they can make the highest profits.

Question 30

While it does not apply in every case, modernization theory does help explain how _____ became successful through an emphasis on a national work ethic.

A) Brazil
B) Japan
C) the United States
D) Vietnam

Question 31

_____ theory explains global inequality using the characteristics of individual nations; _____ theory argues that no country or set of countries may be understood in isolation from the others.

A) Dependency; modernization
B) World systems; modernization
C) Modernization; world systems
D) Modernization; dependency

Question 32

The term for the network of production and labor processes by which a product is manufactured or processed is

A) commodity chain.
B) manufacturing model.
C) division of labor.
D) product development route.

Question 33

Which of these is not a criticism of world systems theory?

A) Countries (like England) that were once the most powerful are no longer at the center of the world system.
B) Core nations may be hurt by the world system through the loss of jobs.
C) The world is no longer a set of economic interconnections between nations.
D) The increasing interconnectedness of economies has all but eliminated peripheral countries.

Question 34

Which of these is not a criticism of modernization theory presented in the text?

A) It is based on the assumption that wealthier countries like the United States have superior values.
B) It ignores factors that are outside of the control of the poorer nations.
C) It places too great an emphasis on the role of government in influencing economic development.
D) It does not take into account the relationships that exist among countries.

Question 35

According to modernization theory, social change

A) stems from technological change.
B) is associated with decreased internal differentiation.
C) requires the establishment of an upper class.
D) can occur only when internal equality exists.

Question 36

The economic success of _____ argues against the assumptions of dependency theory.

A) Ethiopia and Somalia
B) Singapore and Hong Kong
C) France and Great Britain
D) Japan and China

Question 37

Which of these statements about the world economic system of core, semiperipheral, and peripheral countries is true?

A) Everyone in core countries benefits from the world system.
B) Exploitation keeps peripheral countries from developing.
C) No one in peripheral countries benefits from the world system.
D) Core countries often nurture the development of peripheral countries.

Question 38

The term transnational community refers to communities that

A) value pluralism and thus are quite cosmopolitan.
B) are made up mostly of immigrants whose sole function is to provide cheap labor.
C) may be geographically distant but socially and politically close.
D) communities that were once seats of colonial power and thus retain ties to the former colonizer.

Question 39

Within world systems theory, _____ explains how differential profits are attached to the production of goods and services in the world market.

A) the neo-Marxist philosophy
B) the international division of labor
C) differential association
D) corrupt public policy

Question 40

According to _____, poverty results from adherence to traditional values and customs.

A) modernization theory
B) dependency theory
C) world systems theory
D) social exchange theory

Question 41

John works at an artisan chocolate shop in a midwestern town. The chocolates he sells start off as cocoa beans harvested by children working on plantations in tropical countries. The cocoa pods are processed, fermented, and dried in the country of origin and then shipped to other nations throughout the world for further processing into chocolate. The chocolate itself is then sold and transformed by artisans across the world into the confections John sells. John is best described as part of a(n)

A) production process.
B) exploitation system.
C) commodity chain.
D) consumer service.

Question 42

Which of the following is false regarding the status of women globally?

A) In general, women's status is lower in low-income countries than in wealthier countries.
B) Poverty is usually experienced more by men than by women.
C) The status of women globally is monitored by the United Nations.
D) Poverty among women has declined in some places around the world.

Question 43

One flaw of dependency theory is that many of today's poor countries were never colonies and that some former colonies have done well.

Question 44

Dependency theory recognizes the role that multinational corporations play in keeping dependent nations poor.

Question 45

The development of the world economic system began in the period following the Second World War.

Question 46

Colonization provided the greatest benefit to colonizing nations when the colonies were kept underdeveloped.

Question 47

The terms core, periphery, and semiperiphery categorize countries according to whether they are aligned with the democratic world or are aligned with some other system.

Question 48

Which of these statements about the relationship between population growth and economic development is the most accurate?

A) It is clear that large populations have a negative impact on development.
B) The relationship between population growth and development is consistent across all countries.
C) The cases of China and India indicate that high birthrates do not necessarily prevent development.
D) Population size affects development, but development has no impact on population size.

Question 49

In world systems theory, only peripheral countries can be harmed by the conduct of other countries.

Question 50

 Colonization came to an end soon after the Second World War largely because

A) powerful nations no longer had the resources to control less powerful nations.
B) colonized people engaged in widespread protests leading to movements for independence.
C) nations that had been colonized were so devastated by the war that they had little left to exploit.
D) colonized nations had done so much for the war effort that they were granted independence out of gratitude.

Question 51

Most scholars of international development believe

A) that fertility levels are affected by levels of industrialization.
B) that there is no relationship between development and population.
C) that large populations impede development.
D) that agriculture affects fertility but industrialism does not.

Question 52

Both dependency and world systems theorists understand the world in terms of a single, unified economic system and assert that the economic system should be the unit of analysis, not individual countries.

Question 53

High birthrates as well as low birthrates can create problems for societies.

Question 54

Which of these is a problem for countries with high birthrates?

A) Lack of caregivers for dependent elderly individuals
B) Strains on public services such as schools and hospitals
C) A lack of workers and the need to import labor
D) A low death rate

Question 55

Modernization theory is particularly effective in explaining why some countries remain in poverty while other countries have achieved economic success.

Question 56

Most of the world's wealthiest countries are industrialized or oil-producing nations.

Question 57

According to the World Bank, by 2040 as much as _____ percent of the world's population will face a shortfall in the availability of water.

A) 10
B) 20
C) 30
D) 40

Question 58

Which of the following statements regarding education is false?

A) In high-income nations, education is almost universal.
B) In nations without formal education, people have little chance for survival.
C) In most nations throughout the world, elementary school is mandatory.
D) In impoverished countries, education often takes place outside of formal schooling.

Question 59

Lower-income countries are poor because they lack natural resources.

Question 60

According to the United Nations, absolute poverty is defined as a situation in which people live on less than ____ a day.

A) $1.25
B) $2.50
C) $5
D) $10

Question 61

Compare and contrast the general characteristics of high-income and low-income nations.

Question 62

Discuss the distinguishing characteristics of the modernization theory of economic development and assess its strengths and weaknesses.

Question 63

Discuss the distinguishing characteristics of world systems theory and assess its strengths and weaknesses.

Question 64

Hunger and malnutrition are the result of not enough food being produced globally.

Question 65

Global migrants are likely to be which of the following?

A) Victims of war
B) Legal and illegal workers searching for work
C) Low-wage workers
D) All of the above

Question 66

Empowering women through providing them with employment, education, property, and voting rights can have a strong impact on reducing the fertility rate.

Question 67

Explain the consequences of global stratification for both wealthy and low-income nations in terms of population, health, the environment, education, and literacy.

Question 68

In South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, and Singapore, governments have invested in social and economic development, sometimes with help from other nations and corporations.

Question 69

The U.S. poverty line, established by the federal government, is a measure of absolute poverty.

Question 70

The history of Western capitalism has been characterized by extracting both human and natural resources from the poorest regions of the earth.

Question 71

Discuss the consequences of stratification for countries as a whole, contrasting conditions in wealthy and powerful nations with those that are poor and powerless.

Question 72

Sociologists agree that high birthrates and large populations prevent a country from developing economically.

Question 73

Compare and contrast the concepts of relative poverty, absolute poverty, and extreme poverty. Provide an example of each.

Question 74

Global stratification has few long-term effects on the environment.

Question 75

Discuss the distinguishing characteristics of the dependency theory of world stratification and assess its strengths and weaknesses.

Question 76

Which statement about economic development and fertility rates is the most accurate?

A) Rapid population growth and high birthrates lead to rapid economic development.
B) The populations of the poorest countries are not growing nearly as fast as the populations of the richest countries.
C) A s countries develop, their fertility levels generally decrease, and their population growth levels off.
D) Many of the poorest countries, including most of the countries of sub-Saharan Africa, are actually experiencing population declines.

Question 77

Explain how core and peripheral countries are linked in the world system.

Question 78

Discuss the role of outsourcing in global stratification. How has it impacted wealthier nations? What about the nations in which the outsourced jobs are now located?

Question 79

Define the term international division of labor and discuss its correlates and consequences.

Question 80

Define the three types of countries envisioned by world systems theory. Give an example of each.