This file is a module in the subject contemporary world, Lecture notes of Mathematics

Download This file is a module in the subject contemporary world and more Lecture notes Mathematics in PDF only on Docsity! DOMINICAN COLLEGE OF TARLAC Mac Arthur Highway, Poblacion (Sto.Cristo), Capas. 2315 Tarlac, Philippines Tel.No. (045) 491-7579/Telefax (045) 925-0519 E-mail: domct _2315@yahoo.com COLLEGE DEPARTMENT A.Y. 2020-2021, First Semester OBE FACULTY-DESIGNED MODULE THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD (GE 3) Prepared by: HAZEL P. JAOS, LPT GE 3 – THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD – MODULE 1 Page 2 MODULE 4 The Theories of Global Stratification GE 3 – THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD – MODULE 1 Page 5 Why did Europe modernize? The answer goes back to sociologist Max Weber’s ideas about the Protestant work ethic. The Protestant Reformation primed Europe to take on a progress-oriented way of life in which financial success was a sign of personal virtue. Individualism replaced communalism. This is the perfect breeding ground for modernization. Walt Rostow’s Four Stages of Modernization According to American economist Walt Rostow, modernization in the West took place, as it always tends to, in four stages. First is the traditional stage. This refers to societies that are structured around small, local communities with production typically being done in family settings. Because these societies have limited resources and technology, most of their time is spent on laboring to produce food, which creates a strict social hierarchy. Examples of these are feudal Europe or early Chinese dynasties. Tradition rules how a society functions: what your parents do is what their parents did, and what you will do when you grow up, too. But as people begin to move beyond doing what has always been done, society moves to Rostow’s second stage—the take-offstage. People begin to use their individual talents to produce things beyond the necessities. This innovation creates new markets for trade. In turn, greater individualism takes hold and social status is more closely linked with material wealth. Next, nations begin what Rostoyv called the drive to technological maturity, in which technological growth of the earlier periods begins to bear fruit in the form of population growth, reductions in absolute poverty levels, and more diverse job opportunities. Nations in this phase typically begin to push for social change along with economic change, like implementing basic schooling for everyone and developing more democratic political systems. The last stage is known as high mass consumption. It is when your country is big enough that production becomes more about wants than needs. Many of these countries put social support systems in place to ensure that all of their citizens have access to basic necessities. Modernization theory, in general, argues that if you invest capital in better technologies, they will eventually raise production enough that there will be more wealth to GE 3 – THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD – MODULE 1 Page 6 go around and overall well-being will go up. Furthermore, rich countries can help other countries that are still growing by exporting their technologies and things, like agriculture machinery, information technology, as well as providing foreign aid. Critics of modernization theory argue that, in many ways, it is just a new name for the idea that capitalism is the only way for a country to develop. These critics point out that even as technology has improved throughout the world, a lot of countries have been left behind. They also argue that modernization theory sweeps a lot of historical factors under the rug when it explains European and North American progress. Countries like the United States and the United Kingdom industrialized from a position of global strength during a period when there were no laws against slavery or concerns about natural resource depletion. Some critics also point out that Rostow’s markers are inherently Eurocentric, putting an emphasis on economic progress, even though that is not necessarily the only standard to aspire by every nation. After all, economic progress often includes downsides, like the environmental damage done by industrialization and the exploitation of cheap or free labor. Finally, critics of modernization theory also see it as blaming the victim. In this view, the theory essentially blames poor countries for not being willing to accept change, putting the fault on their cultural values and traditions rather than acknowledging that outside forces might be holding back those countries. This is where the second theory of global stratification comes in. The Modern World-System This history of colonialism inspired American sociologist Immanuel Wallerstein model of what he called the capitalist world economy. Wallerstein described high-income nations as the “core” of the world economy. This core is the manufacturing base of the planet where resources funnel in to become the technology and wealth enjoyed by the Western world today. Low-income countries, meanwhile, are Wallerstein called the “periphery,” whose natural resources and labor support the wealthier countries, first as colonies and now by working for multinational corporations under neocolonialism. Middle-income countries, such as India or Brazil, are considered the semi-periphery due to their closer ties to the global economic core. In Wallerstein’s model, the periphery remains economically dependent on the core in a number of ways, which tend to reinforce each other. First, poor nations tend to have few resources to export to rich countries. However, corporations can buy these raw materials cheaply and then process and sell them in richer nations. As a result, the profits tend to bypass the poor countries. Poor countries are also more likely to lack industrial capacity, so they have to import expensive manufactured goods from richer nations. All of these unequal trade patterns lead to poor nations owing lots of money to richer nations and creating debt that makes it hard to invest in their own development. In sum, under dependency theory, the problem is not that there is a lack of global wealth; it is that we do not distribute it well. GE 3 – THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD – MODULE 1 Page 7 Just as modernization theory had its critics, so does dependency theory. Critics argue that the world economy is not a zero-sum game—one country getting richer does not mean other countries are getting poorer. Innovation and technological growth can spill over to other countries, improving all nations’ well-being and not just the rich. Also, colonialism certainly left scars, but it is not enough, on its own, to explain today’s economic disparities. Some of the poorest countries in Africa, like Ethiopia, were never colonized and had very little contact with richer nations. Likewise, some former colonies, like Singapore and Sri Lanka, now have flourishing economies. In direct contrast to what dependency theory predicts, most evidence suggests that, nowadays, foreign investment by richer nations helps and do not hurt poorer countries. Dependency theory is also very narrowly focused. It points the finger at the capitalist market system as the sole cause of stratification, ignoring the role of things like how culture and political regimes play in impoverishing countries. There is also no solution to global poverty that comes out of dependency theory—most dependency theorists just urge poor nations to cease all contact with the rich nations or argue for a kind of global socialism. However, these ideas do not acknowledge the reality of the modern world economy, which make them not very useful for combating the real pressing problem of global poverty. Answer the following questions. 1. In the case of the Philippines, how much do you think are we involved in the modern world-system? What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of being a part of such? _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ 2. How can we “upgrade” our economy given the strength of the global economy, especially the giant economies like the United States and Japan? _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ Activity 2 Analysis