UNIT IV: A World of Regions - Global Divides PDF

# UNIT IV: A WORLD OF REGIONS ## Lesson 12: Global Divides ### LESSON OBJECTIVES At the end of this lesson, you should be able to: 1. identify perspectives in global stratification 2. discuss the concept of global divide 3. review some historical antecedents relating to the understanding of the gl...

# UNIT IV: A WORLD OF REGIONS ## Lesson 12: Global Divides ### LESSON OBJECTIVES At the end of this lesson, you should be able to: 1. identify perspectives in global stratification 2. discuss the concept of global divide 3. review some historical antecedents relating to the understanding of the global divide ### Definition of Term: * Global divide - global disparities, often due to stratification due to differing economic affluence but can also be in other aspects of globalization. ### INTRODUCTION Across history, there have been many manifestations of stratification in different societies. Social stratification is essentially the phenomenon of segregating, grouping and ranking people based on differences in class, race, economic status, and other categories. In earlier civilizations, we hear of nobilities and commoners, the lord and the peasant, and many other social statues and positions that embody hierarchy of power in a social system. These hierarchies, especially when pushed toward the extremes, have often led to inequalities, wherein the group which possesses control over power and resources are given much privilege at the expense of those who are deprived. This is problematic because, in principle, humans, with our intrinsic dignity and consequential rights to live and prosper, should also have equitable access to resources—both material and non-material. Unfortunately, in the contemporary world, these hierarchies remain to exist, albeit, in different forms. ### Perspectives in Global Stratification There are various theories which attempt to explain the dynamics and impacts of stratification among people in the world, especially in the context of their power to tap on resources and maximize these toward development and toward having a better quality of life. One of the theories attempting to explain pathways of development is modernization theory. In a nutshell, this theory suggests that all societies undergo a similar process of evolution—from agricultural, industrial, and urbanized and modern—that is motivated and catalyzed by internal factors. It hints that more than external influences, internal processes within states are responsible for social change. For instance, it opines that a well-functioning bureaucracy that will ensure welfare among citizens is a necessary infrastructure to achieve development. It also assumes that when these internal sources of development—e.g., education, market-driven economy, and political infrastructures—are present, any society will progress (Ynalvez & Shrum, 2015) and poverty will be resolved. However, it can be observed even today that there are countries very rich in natural resources, but their people remain to experience extreme poverty. Amidst the affordances in scientific and technological advancements that are circulated around the globe, we can see that some countries remain disadvantaged in terms of digital technology transfer that they are still left behind economically. **Based primarily on the works of Raul Prebisch and Hans Singer (thus, Prebish-Singer hypothesis), the dependency theories suggest that countries are either “core” (i.e., developed) or “peripheral” (i.e., developing) such that resources tend to flow from peripheries to the core.** A related theory discussed in earlier lessons is that of Wallerstein (1975), speaking about a world system composed of boundaries, structures, member groups, rules of legitimation, and coherence. This world system is assumed to “comprises a single capitalist world-economy” (Graf, 1980, p.29) so to speak. ### COLLABORATE AND CREATE: Look for online articles on DEPENDENCY. and WORLD SYSTEMS perspectives. Create an infographic comparing these two concepts. Print a copy of the infographic and paste in the space below: ### CONTEMPLATE: When you hear the word MODERNITY, what image of the world do you see? Illustrate your vision in the space below. What were your thoughts as you were drawing your vision? ### GLOBAL DIVIDE In the contemporary world, the buzz word used to pertain to these stratifications among nations is the term global divide. But, in the modern world, how did we reach this point? ## First, Second, and Third Worlds After World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union, who were wartime allies, entered a Cold War—a state of political tension and rivalry, from the mid-1940s to early 1990s. Several contemporary works have reviewed this event in the light of post-war events. These include the writings of Gaddis (2005), Zubok (2007), Westad (2017), among others. In a nutshell, the Cold War came forth due to political doubts among wartime allies. For instance, the United States has always been wary of the Soviet Union's communist leanings and it has stated its position to contain the latter's invasion. The Cold War yielded two chief political factions: the Western Bloc, comprised by the industrial/capitalist US and the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO), which include United Kingdom, Canada, France, Italy among others; and the Eastern Bloc (Albania, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Afghanistan), led by the communist/socialist Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. The Western Bloc has been referred to as First World countries, while the Eastern Bloc has been referred to as Second World countries. In 1952, Alfred Sauvy, in his article Trois Mondes, Une Planète (Three Worlds, One Planet) at the L’Observateur, said: “Car enfince Tiers Monde ignoré, exploité, méprisé comme le Tiers Etat, veut, lui aussi, être quelque chose” (in the end, The Third World, ignored, exploited, and misunderstood just like the Third Estates desires to be something). In this article, Sauvy (1952) likened the Third World to the Third Estates—the French commoners—whose suffering and upheaval led to the French Revolution. In 1974, Teng Hsiao-Ping, vice-premier of the People’s Republic of China 1977, spoke to the United Nations General Assembly. In this talk, Teng (1974) profoundly noted the distinction among three worlds: “The United States and the Soviet Union make up the First World. The developing countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and other regions make up the Third World. The developed countries between the two make up the Second World." ### CREATE: Look at the world map below. Using crayons, highlight the countries considered as First World with the color blue; Second World with the color red; and Third World with the color green. Label these countries with their names. ## The Brandt Report and Its Criticism In the 1980s, a comprehensive analysis of global economy was reported by the Independent Commission on International Development Issues. The commission was led by Willy Brandt, West German chancellor. This analysis was encapsulated in what is popularly known as the Brandt Report. Briefly, this report categorized countries in the northern hemisphere as comparatively smaller in population and more economically affluent than countries in the southern hemisphere—a categorization that gave birth to the Brandt line—an imaginary line that divides the world into the developed north and the developing south. The bottom line of this report was the contention on mutuality—that for both the northern and southern countries to thrive, global economy must be restructured, for instance by transferring resources to southern economies, thus ending poverty. In the early 2000s, another report, The Brandt Equation, was prepared by James Bernard Quilligan, describing the new global economy as facing “financial contagion,” and requiring "major international relief program” (Quilligan, 2010, p. 3). ## SUMMARY While arguably, we can say that our world today has been far better compared to what it has been before, as can be seen primarily from longer life span, more access to opportunities, more choices, and generally lesser poverty, there remains to be disparity across nations and within nations. Our discussion of global stratification and the existence of the Global North-Global South only surfaces the challenge to us all, humans, to persevere so we can include as many people in enjoying these affordances and opportunities. ## ASSESSMENT Write an essay using the following guide questions: 1. What are the affordances and pitfalls of viewing the world as divided into Global North and Global South? 2. Is the global divide something that you feel is affecting you daily, in your home, or in your community? Why and how? 3. If you were our country’s leader, what programs or policies will you propose knowing how the world economic system goes? Justify your answer. ## BIBLIOGRAPHY * Editorial Department (Nov. 1, 1977). Chairman Mao's Theory of the Differentiation of the Three Worlds is a Major Contribution to Marxism-Leninism. Renmin Ribao (People's Daily). Retrieved from https://www.marxists.org/history/erol/ncm-5/theory-3-worlds/ * Odeh, L. (2010). A comparative analysis of Global North and Global South economies. Journal of Sustainable Development in Africa, Volume 12(3): 338-348. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/3629/a2898d4dc51902de3b8bd6b1c3b553fe7fff.pdf. * Prebisch, R. (1945). Introducción al curso de economía política. Revista de ciencias económicas 33:525-37. * Quilligan, J. B. (2010). The Brandt Equation: 21st Century Blueprint for the New Global Economy. Retrieved from http://www.brandt21forum.info/BrandtEquation-19Sept04.pdf. * Sauvy, A. (August, 14, 1952). Trois Mondes, Une Planète. L’Observateur. Retrieved from http://www.homme-moderne.org/societe/demo/sauvy/3mondes.html. * Singer, H. W. 1949. Economic Progress in Underdeveloped Countries. Social Research: An International Quarterly of Political and Social Science, 16(1). * Solarz, M. W. (2012) 'Third World': the 60th anniversary of a concept that changed history, Third World Quarterly, 33:9, 1561-1573, doi: 10.1080/01436597.2012.720828. * Teng Hsiao-Ping (Apr 10, 1974). Speech By Chairman of the Delegation of the People’s Republic of China, Teng Hsiao-Ping, At the Special Session of the U.N. General Assembly. Retrieved from https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/deng-xiaoping/1974/04/10.htm. * Yee, H. S. (1983). The Three World Theory and Post-Mao China's Global Strategy. International Affairs (Royal Institute of International Affairs 1944-), Vol. 59, No. 2 (Spring, 1983), pp. 239-249. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2619937. * Ynalvez, M & M. Shrum, W. (2015). Science and Development. International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences. 10.1016/B978-0-08-097086-8.85020-5.