of Sociology 3rd World Lecture 2
Sept 13, 2007
What states make up the 3rd world? (states = countries) There are hundreds of countries, countries in Africa, South America, Middle east, some island countries...etc. The many possible definitions of "3rd world" The poorest nations of the world Less-developed Country (LDC) Developing nations The Global south Countries that are not capitalistic and industrialized or centrally-planned socialist economies (Second World) A country that has low levels of a average wealth, industrialization and modernization and often high levels of population growth and people employed in agriculture Distinguishes the rest of the world from the two cold war power blocs of the capitalist west and the communist east Countries in the poorest regions of the world Represents 145 developing countries of Asia, Africa and the middle east, characterized by low levels of living, low-income per capita, low education provisions, poverty and starvation A very ethnocentric way of referring to other cultures (Ethnocentric way = using your own culture standards to view other cultures) Emerging nations The nations with smallest UN human development Index (HDI) of the world, independently of their political status. ( the only definition that does not have to do with economy)
These definitions all focus A LOT on economy. Overall, the term "third world" has fallen out of favor in the past 10 years. But where the world came from is valid: (it came from the cold war) First world - western, industrialized countries Second World - Communist countries Third World Everybody else! The term is political Is there a point to even having a classification system??? Another term that we used a lot "Developing Nations" UN Classification: Developed-industrialized nations US, Western Europe, Japan, Australia Developing-Mid-Range economic Nations Brazil, Argentina, Singapore, Thailand, Israel, South Africa, Mexico,
Sociology of 3rd World Lecture 2
Sept 13, 2007
India, Parts of the middle East (especially the OPEC nations) Least Developed Parts of central/South America, Southeast Asia and parts of the south Pacific Criteria (from UN Brussels Declaration of 2001) Low income (less than $750/year per person) Low human resources Nutrition, Health, education, adult, adult literacy Economic vulnerability Agriculture, exports, non-traditional activity, economic smallness, and percentage of people displaced by natural disasters
Underdeveloped Sub-Saharan Africa, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Madagascar Countries with the lowest GDP and basic human standards of living The "under" tends to indicate some sort of exploitation by other countries These counties are likely to have a lot of internal problems already.
People might live on less than 1 dollar a day. These categories can change and move any time. Is this a helpful classification???? Maybe It is more descriptive and up-to-date than the three world system It limits countries to their economics and processes of industrialization Some people argue that certain countries take themselves out of the modernization game in order to protect their state from the pressures and unfairness of the world economy
World Systems Theory A modern theory concerned with capitalism, developed the in 70's. The world economy is interconnected by a single division of labor. Basically says we don't have individual economy anymore, we do but it's not really important because we are all inter-connected. Economic transactions transcend national boundaries No single political structure or national government holds authority over the system of production and distribution World Systems Theory
Sociology of 3rd World Lecture 2
Sept 13, 2007
Core countries not too many of them but they are the most powerful. Periphery countries are mainly agricultural Lewellen's Classificatoins Uses GNP (which can be a shaky indicator of general wealth, but useful here) The Fourth World GNP less than $1000 per year Lower Middle Income - $1000 - $2500 Upper Middle Income Unequal great wealth disparities, the average might look good but there are a lot more people with lower income. Communist Countries hard to determine GNP because basic services are taken care of by the government
Wealthy Oil Producing Countries vastly unequal, dependent Common Features of the 3rd World Poverty Dependency Population Growth Urbanization Authoritarianism/Soft State Lack of National Integration They don't feel connected, no national identity.
Struggles for modernization Underdevelopment in many places Absolute and relative Deprivation How deprived in comparison to others. When everyone is doing poorly, you tend to not realize how badly you're doing. PQLI Physical Quality of Life Index: an attempt to measure the "well-being" of a country Developed in the 1970s as a counter to measures that were solely economic It measures poverty, literacy, life expectancy and infant mortality
Sociology of 3rd World Lecture 2
Sept 13, 2007
Some findings from PQLI Life Expectancy (in years) Sub-Saharan Africa 51 SE Asia 60 Middle East 65 East Asia 70 Latin America 68
Education - % adult literacy Africa 50% Latin America 70% Asia 75% Middle East 54% Infant Mortality (per 1000) Africa - 97 Latin America - 45 SE Asia - 85 East Asia - 42
Middle East - 64 (In US, it's about 10) UN Human Development Index Measures three basic dimensions of human development A long and healthy life-measured by life expectancy at birth Knowledge measured by the adult literacy rate (with two-thirds weight) and the school enrollment ratio (with one-third weight) A decent standard of living measured by the log of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita at purchasing power parity (PPP) in USD
Top 10 Countries (2006) Norway, Iceland, Australia, Ireland, Sweden, Canada, Japan, US, Switzerland, Netherlands US ranks at number 8 Bottom 10 Countries (2006) Mozambique, Burundi, Ethiopia, Chad, Central, African Republic, Guinea-Bissau, Burkina Faso, Mali, Sierra Leone, Niger
Sociology of 3rd World Lecture 2
Sept 13, 2007
Third World VS First World Third World Income disparity Young population Range of political systems Rang of economic systems Agriculture based South Primitive military Colonies Political instability Rural Tribal/ethnic identity Population growth First World Middle Class Aging population Democracy Capitalism Industrial North Powerful Military Colonizers Political Institutionalization Urban/Suburban National Identity Population Stabilization