Deck 9: Global Inequality

Question 1

Which of the following is one explanation for the persistence of global economic inequality?

A) People in low-income countries lack a strong Protestant work ethic.
B) As the technology gap between countries widens, eliminating poverty is more difficult.
C) As AIDS continues to rampage throughout high-income and middle-income countries, they will have fewer technology workers.
D) Whatever medical and technological aid is given to low-income countries is hoarded by corrupt government officials.
E) Capitalism is innately unequal, and socialism is innately equal.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

In 2011,there were 1210 billionaires worldwide.Their combined assets in 2007 were estimated at _______________,which is more than the total gross national income of all but the top 10 economies of the world.

A) $4.5 billion
B) $946 billion
C) $4.5 trillion
D) $341 trillion
E) $600 billion

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Using Jeffrey Sachs' categories,in which type of region would the United States be classified?

A) technology innovators
B) technology adopters
C) technologically disconnected
D) technologically discombobulated
E) none of the above

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The countries of the former Soviet Union began to industrialize in the late twentieth century.Since then,their standard of living has:

A) increased dramatically
B) increased somewhat
C) decreased
D) stayed the same
E) become equal to that of the United States

Question 5

The _______________ are regions of the world that apply technology invented elsewhere in their own production and consumption systems.

A) technology innovators
B) technology adopters
C) technologically disconnected
D) technologically discombobulated
E) none of the above

Question 6

Most of the lowest-income countries are found in:

A) Central Africa
B) Central America
C) North America
D) South America
E) western Europe

Question 7

In which region would you find the most hunger?

A) Central Africa
B) Central America
C) North America
D) South America
E) western Europe

Question 8

The main economic activity in most low-income countries is:

A) high technology
B) oil production
C) mining
D) agriculture
E) manufacturing

Question 9

As of 2009,the richest person in the world was:

A) Oprah Winfrey
B) Warren Buffet
C) Lakshmi Mittal
D) Bill Gates
E) Carlos Slim Helu

Question 10

A country's annual output of goods and services per person is its:

A) global inequality
B) global per-person output (GPO)
C) per-person gross national income (GNI)
D) per capita product (PCP)
E) gross output over duties (GOOD)

Question 11

Over the past 49 years,the overall standard of living in the world has risen,but overall the gap between the _______________ and the _______________ has widened.

A) middle class; upper class
B) women; men
C) rich; poor
D) low income; middle income
E) blue collar; white collar

Question 12

Using Jeffrey Sachs's categories,as which type of region would tropical sub-Saharan Africa be classified?

A) technology innovators
B) technology adopters
C) technologically disconnected
D) technologically discombobulated
E) none of the above

Question 13

Which of the following best describes the health conditions in high- and low-income countries?

A) Although the services available in high-income countries are more accessible, the life expectancy is similar in both groups.
B) Infant mortality is more than 10 times higher in low-income countries.
C) The AIDS epidemic has ravaged both groups of countries equally and placed a serious strain on their resources.
D) Conditions have worsened in high- and low-income countries as more government resources are spent on the military.
E) All of the above.

Question 14

Which of the following is a high-income country?

A) the United States
B) Japan
C) Singapore
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 15

A country with a per-person GNI of $2,000 is considered a(n)_______________ income country,according to the World Bank.

A) low-
B) middle-
C) high-
D) upper middle-
E) lower middle-

Question 16

Your text authors talk about some of the wealthiest people in the world.What do these people have in common?

A) They are all American immigrants.
B) They are all men.
C) They all come from either Microsoft or Wal-Mart.
D) They are all strong supporters of the Republican Party.
E) none of the above.

Question 17

The _______________ countries contained 12 percent of the world's population but produced only 7 percent of the wealth in 2011.

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

Question 18

Global inequality is:

A) growing
B) decreasing
C) staying the same
D) varying from year to year with no distinct trend
E) unmeasurable

Question 19

On the basis of his research on technology and development,Jeffrey Sachs recommends that:

A) wealthy countries provide more financial and technical aid to poor countries to help them overcome obstacles to their adoption and development of science and technology
B) wealthy nations protect their lead in science and technology against potential competition from poor countries
C) poor countries give up on trying to compete with wealthy countries and accept their role as providers of cheap labor and raw materials
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 20

Poverty is growing in:

A) low-income countries
B) middle-income countries
C) high-income countries
D) Bangladesh and sub-Saharan Africa
E) all of the above

Question 21

Which region experienced such rapid economic growth between the 1960s and 1980s that most of its NIEs moved from the ranks of the poor to the middle-income category?

A) East Africa
B) northern Europe
C) Central America
D) East Asia
E) South Asia

Question 22

Which of the following was among the reasons that East Asia experienced rapid economic growth from the mid-1960s to the mid-1990s?

A) Countries such as Taiwan, South Korea, and Hong Kong actually benefited in key ways from colonialism.
B) The countries were growing while the rest of the world was experiencing economic crisis.
C) These countries received important economic aid from the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
D) All of the above.
E) none of the above; these countries did not experience economic development during that period.

Question 23

The United Nations food and Agriculture Organization defines hunger as a diet of _______________ or fewer calories per day.

A) 1200
B) 1000
C) 1500
D) 1800
E) 2200

Question 24

famine and hunger are a result of:

A) drought
B) conflict
C) natural forces
D) natural and social forces
E) poverty

Question 25

As world hunger has increased,global food production:

A) has declined, exacerbating the hunger problem
B) has failed to keep up with population growth
C) began to fall behind population growth in the 1990s
D) has increased at the same rate as population growth.
E) has actually continued to increase more rapidly than population growth

Question 26

Which of the following has contributed to world hunger and famine?

A) The AIDS epidemic has reduced the number of eligible workers.
B) Ongoing wars have depleted many countries' resources.
C) Climatic catastrophes have destroyed many food sources.
D) Poor countries cannot afford the newer technologies that would increase food production and reduce famine.
E) All of the above.

Question 27

The most influential theories of global inequality among Western economists and sociologists in the 1960s were:

A) market oriented
B) modernization
C) dependency
D) world systems
E) state centered

Question 28

According to sociologists,education is important for economic development.What reason do they use to argue for expanded educational access?

A) Educated workers can become skilled workers for high-wage industries.
B) Education is a reliable avenue for escaping harsh working conditions and low-wage, unskilled jobs.
C) Educated people tend to have fewer children, slowing the global population explosion that contributes to global poverty.
D) All of the above.
E) None of the above.

Question 29

Hunger is a global problem,although it does not occur equally throughout the world.Which of the following best characterizes those countries where a high percentage of people go hungry?

A) Countries with a very large population, such as China, have a very high rate of hunger.
B) Island nations have among the highest hunger rates.
C) Sub-Saharan African countries are among the highest in rates of hunger.
D) The highest concentration of hunger is found in the Middle East.
E) All of the above; all of these countries have a very high rate of hunger.

Question 30

Most of the newly industrializing economies (NIEs)in East Asia today are:

A) low-income countries
B) middle-income countries
C) high-income countries
D) just starting to develop
E) not yet ready for "takeoff"

Question 31

Which stage immediately follows "takeoff," according to W.W.Rostow's modernization theory?

A) traditional
B) landing
C) mid-flight cruising altitude
D) drive to technological maturity
E) mass consumption

Question 32

Over the past 30 years or so,infant mortality has been cut in half and average life expectancy has increased by about 10 years or more.This is because of:

A) wider availability of modern medical technology
B) improved sanitation
C) rising incomes
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 33

According to a 2007 report by the AIDS branch of the United Nations,of the 33 million people infected with HIV,a third of them reside in:

A) Asia
B) the United States
C) sub-Saharan Africa
D) Latin America
E) the Middle East

Question 34

Which type of theorist would argue that a low-income society can develop if people give up their traditional ways and adopt modern economic institutions,technologies,and values?

A) world systems
B) dependent development
C) neoliberalism
D) modernization
E) state centered

Question 35

In what way has the AIDS epidemic contributed to global hunger and food shortages?

A) Too many people of prime working age are dying of the disease.
B) Most of the AIDS cases are found in low-income countries.
C) Countries with the highest rate of AIDS are also agricultural countries.
D) With few people able to work on farms because so many die from AIDS, fewer crops are harvested.
E) All of the above.

Question 36

The rapidly growing economies of the world are known as:

A) rapidly growing economies (RGEs)
B) newly industrializing economies (NIEs)
C) rapidly industrializing regions (RIRs)
D) rapidly industrializing countries (RICs)
E) blast-off industrializing countries (BICs)

Question 37

There is significant evidence that the high rates of HIV/AIDS infections in African countries reflect the:

A) lack of willingness of African people to practice safe sex
B) lack of willingness of African people to get medical treatment
C) already weakened health that these people experience due to malnourishment, poor water quality, and other infectious diseases
D) inability of the United States to help with the crisis
E) all of the above

Question 38

With which of the following statements would a market-oriented theorist agree?

A) International capitalism has facilitated poverty in low-income countries.
B) The most effective way for low-income countries to develop economically is to mimic the successful capitalist practices of the United States.
C) The key to economic success in low-income countries is for the government to harness the cultural beliefs of the people into a productive unit.
D) The problem with low-income countries comes from their histories of colonial exploitation.
E) The economic plight of poor countries could be alleviated with more government intervention.

Question 39

Education and literacy clearly contribute to economic development and individual social mobility.The countries that have the highest percentage of their youth attending secondary school are:

A) low-income countries because they see this as an important strategy for development
B) high-income countries because they have the most resources
C) middle-income countries because they have enough surplus product and see the need for education
D) attendance at secondary school has nothing to do with development
E) all of the above

Question 40

Studies indicate that the AIDS epidemic in African countries will reduce the labor force by about _______________ because of deaths caused by AIDS/HIV.

A) 25%
B) 50%
C) 10%
D) 80%
E) no real change will be seen because the birth rate is high in these countries

Question 41

_______________ governments contributed to economic growth in the East Asian NIEs during the 1980s and 1990s.

A) Weak
B) Totalitarian
C) Strong
D) Socialist
E) Communist

Question 42

In _______________,networks of labor,production,and consumption of products span the world.

A) worldwide work
B) semiperipheral chains
C) global commodity chains
D) dependency theory
E) net span theory

Question 43

Which countries exploit the natural resources of the periphery according to world-systems theory?

A) core
B) semicore
C) semiperipheral
D) a and b
E) a and c

Question 44

An economic adviser who suggests cultural policies that change people's behavior to encourage development in a low-income country would be following which theory of global inequality?

A) modernization
B) dependency
C) world systems
D) state centered
E) culture of poverty

Question 45

Brazil is industrializing more than other Latin American countries,but it is not fully industrialized like the United States.According to world-systems analysis,this makes Brazil a:

A) core country
B) periphery country
C) newly industrializing country
D) developing country
E) semiperiphery country

Question 46

According to your text,Mattel's® Barbie® begins her life in:

A) Saudi Arabia
B) Taiwan
C) China
D) Japan
E) Russia

Question 47

Which theory would best fit this statement: "Low-income countries are not underdeveloped; they are misdeveloped."

A) world systems
B) market oriented
C) dependency
D) state centered
E) conflict

Question 48

Which theory looks at the whole world economy as an integrated web of relations rather than focusing on individual countries?

A) market oriented
B) modernization
C) dependency
D) world systems
E) state centered

Question 49

Neoliberalism argues that global free trade will enable all countries to prosper and therefore it is necessary to:

A) continue to promote the logic of growth
B) eliminate all governmental regulation and disavow a minimum wage and other labor laws
C) loan money with interest to the NIE countries so they have capital to invest in their economies
D) ignore political and military power
E) enable third world governments to regulate wage and labor laws

Question 50

Colonialism is the process by which:

A) powerful countries exported technology to help countries develop
B) powerful countries exploited others for their raw materials
C) corporations brought jobs to low-income countries
D) powerful countries brought democracy to other countries
E) powerful counties signed treaties with low-income countries to encourage their development

Question 51

Dependency theories rely on theories developed by:

A) Max Weber
B) Émile Durkheim
C) Immanuel Wallerstein
D) Karl Marx
E) C. Wright Mills

Question 52

Which theory uses the concept of global commodity chains to describe how manufacturing has become globalized?

A) world systems
B) market oriented
C) neoliberalism
D) state centered
E) modernization

Question 53

After Jamaica gained independence from its colonial ruler,Britain,it was able to develop its banana industry by having access to the banana market in Britain.According to dependency theory,this is an example of:

A) exploitation
B) new colonialism
C) dependent development
D) economic growth stage
E) underdevelopment

Question 54

Natural resources flow from the ______________ to the ______________ according to world-systems theory.

A) core; periphery
B) periphery; core
C) semiperiphery; periphery
D) upper class; lower class
E) north; south

Question 55

Which countries are the most advanced industrial societies,collecting the greatest share of the economic pie,according to world-systems theory?

A) core
B) peripheral
C) semiperipheral
D) semicore
E) hemiperipheral

Question 56

_______________,a view now commonly held by Western economists,is based on _______________ theory,which promoted free markets and noninterference by governments in the economy.

A) Marxism; dependency
B) Liberalism; state-centered development
C) Neoliberalism; modernization
D) Neo-Marxism; world-systems
E) Conservatism; arcane

Question 57

Which theory draws primary attention to the exploitation of poor countries by rich ones?

A) market oriented
B) modernization
C) dependency
D) world systems
E) state centered

Question 58

What was the original cause of underdevelopment in the low-income countries according to dependency theory?

A) fatalism
B) colonialism
C) their peripheral geographical locations
D) their lack of a Protestant ethic
E) patriarchal hegemony

Question 59

According to world-systems theory,the global economic system must be approached as a single _______________ unit,not as a collection of independent,individual countries.

A) capitalist
B) socialist
C) communist
D) fascist
E) none of the above

Question 60

According to dependency theory,low-income countries:

A) are not regulated enough
B) lack sufficient experience with multinational corporations
C) are exploited by wealthy countries
D) lack values and beliefs that contribute to economic growth
E) lack health and labor regulation

Question 61

Economic development is most likely to proceed when governments just "get out of the way" according to market-oriented theories.

Question 62

According to world-systems theory,the world is divided into three unequal economic zones.What are these three zones,and how are they related to each other?

Question 63

In the poorest regions of the world,such as sub-Saharan Africa,a child is more likely to die before age five than to enter secondary school.

Question 64

Why are populations growing more than twice as fast in low-income countries than in high-income countries?

Question 65

Some formerly low-income countries in East Asia have actually moved into the high-income category.

Question 66

Most sweatshop workers in the United States are illegal immigrants,thus making it quite difficult for them to complain about low wages and poor working conditions.

Question 67

The AIDS epidemic has had no effect on the level of poverty or malnutrition in the world.

Question 68

There are currently no sweatshops in the United States.

Question 69

Most malnourished children live in countries that cannot produce enough food to feed their own people.

Question 70

According to dependency theory,powerful nations colonized other countries to procure raw materials for their own development.

Question 71

Only European countries established colonies in Asia.

Question 72

Gross national income (GNI)does not give a complete picture of economic activity in a country because it includes only cash transactions.

Question 73

GNI measures all forms of economic development.

Question 74

Of the theories of global inequality discussed in the text,which would you see as most ethnocentric? Explain.

Question 75

The rates of literacy and education in the United States are high,which explains its high population growth rate.

Question 76

Rapid globalization is unlikely to have an effect on you personally because you already live in a high-income country.

Question 77

How could the wealthy countries help the poor countries overcome the technology gap according to Jeffrey Sachs? What specific measures would help? Why do you think these steps have NOT been taken?

Question 78

What are the four elements of the world system according to world-systems theory? How are these elements interconnected?

Question 79

Summarize the differences between high- and low-income countries in terms of health,education and literacy,and energy consumption.Explain at least three factors that account for these differences.

Question 80

Neoliberalism is based on the Marxist rejection of market-oriented theories of development.