MODULE 4 The Theories of Global Stratification

MODULE 4: The Theories of Global Stratification

LEARNING OUTCOME

1. Define the modern world system.

2. Articulate a stance on global economic integration.

MOTIVATION PHASE

Activity 1 Evolution of Technology

Choose one type of technology that has evolved drastically throughout the years.
Provide photos of its evolution. An example is shown below:

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 PRESENTATION PHASE

Theories of Global Stratification

For much of human history, all of the societies on earth were poor. Poverty was the
norm for everyone but obviously, that is not the case anymore. Just as you find stratification
among socioeconomic classes within a society like the Philippines, you would also see
across the world a pattern of global stratification with inequalities in wealth and power
between societies. So what made some parts of the world develop faster, economically
speaking, than others? We may draw answers by looking at the different theories of global
stratification.

Modernization Theory

One of the two main explanations for global stratification is the modernization theory.
This theory frames global stratification as a function of technological and cultural differences
between nations. It specifically pinpoints two historical events that contributed to Western
Europe developing at a faster rate than much of the rest of the world. The first event is
known as the Columbian Exchange. This refers to the spread of goods, technology,
education, and diseases between the Americas and Europe after Christopher Columbus's
so-called “discovery of the Americas.” This exchange worked out well for the European
countries. They gained agricultural staples, like potatoes and tomatoes, which contributed to
population growth and provided new opportunities for trade while also strengthening the
power of the merchant class. The Columbian Exchange worked out much less well,
however, for Native Americans whose populations were ravaged by the diseases brought
from Europe. It is estimated that in the 150 years following Columbus’s first trip, over 80% of
the Native American population died due to diseases such as smallpox and measles.

The second historical event is the Industrial Revolution in the eighteenth and
nineteenth centuries. This is when new technologies, like steam power and mechanization,
allowed countries to replace human labor with machines and increase productivity. The
Industrial Revolution, at first, only benefited the wealthy in Western countries. Industrial
technology was very productive that it gradually began to improve standards of living for
everyone. Countries that industrialized in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries saw
massive improvements in their standards of living and countries that did not industrialize lag
behind.

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 Modernization theory rests on the idea that affluence could be attained by anyone.
But why did the Industrial Revolution not take hold everywhere? Modernization theory
argues that the tension between tradition and technological change is the biggest barrier to
growth. A society that is more. steeped in family systems and traditions may be less willing
to adopt new technologies and the new social systems that often accompany them.

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

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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
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

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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.

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.

Activity 2 Analysis

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?
Technology has reached the Philippines but has not been totally implemented fully. In fact
government systems already adopted digital and online systems but unfortunately procedures are
still based on analog systems. For example, the Bureau of Internal Revenues is already online
nationwide. Theoretically, any tax payer can change information anywhere they are. However, for
a person to change or update their personal information, they need to go to the tax district where
they were last registered to affect changes. In my experience, I have to go to Metro Manila just to
transfer from one district to another when they could have just made it on the current district I was
transferring to. However, they are still implementing procedures as if the bureau were still offline.
2. How can we “upgrade” our economy given the strength of the global economy,
especially the giant economies like the United States and Japan?
Dont compare yourselves to the us or japan. They didnt get where they are overnight. And you
may never be where they are.Look for ways to grow your middle class. Try to find ways to
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 increase employment And boost jobs. Your middle class is your working class. Theyre also your
spending class.Invest in discounts and tax breaks for your middle class. These little perks boost
morale and the middle class spends more when they stress less.Listen to your poor people dont let
them struggle in silence. Find ways to try to help them get out of poverty. When they rise up, they
too become middle classtry energy efficient and environmental practices. this will stop from
having to pay billions to clean up pollutants in the long runMake good trade contracts. it helps to
have allies that you can trust.
3. How do we examine economic globalization considering our colonial history?
Those products that enter in our country, depend on the countries who have invaded Philippines
before. Like chinese, that is why we eat noodles or the selling of noodles here in our country is
fast. In americans the new technology or food like burger, which helps us to compete globally.
The Japanese invasion was a huge helped us even import and export of their products.Even
spaniards they helped us like Spicy. So those 4 countries that colonized us like china, spain,
america and japan have been a big help to our economy globally.

Activity 3 Abstraction

Explain which triggers the development of each stage.

This refers to societies that are structured People begin to use their individual talents to
around small, local communities with produce things beyond the necessities. This
production typically being done in family innovation creates new markets for trade. In
settings. Because these societies have limited turn, greater individualism takes hold and
resources and technology, most of their time is social status is more closely linked with
spent on laboring to produce food, which material wealth.
creates a strict social hierarchy. Examples of
these are feudal Europe or early Chinese
dynasties.

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 in which technological growth of the earlier . It is when your country is big enough that
periods begins to bear fruit in the form of production becomes more about wants than
population growth, reductions in absolute needs. Many of these countries put social
poverty levels, and more diverse job support systems in place to ensure that all of
opportunities. Nations in this phase typically their citizens have access to basic necessities.
begin to push for social change along with
economic change, like implementing basic
schooling for everyone and developing more
democratic political systems.

Activity 4 A New Economic Map of the World

In order for you to visualize Immanuel Wallerstein’s idea of the modern world-
system, this activity will involve a construction of a “new” map of the world. The
foundation of constructing this map is the three hierarchies of areas in the modern world-
system discussed.

1. Identify whether the following countries fall under core, periphery, or semi-periphery
category.

Australia China Indonesia Malaysia Philippines Sudan

Bangladesh France Italy Mexico Singapore Turkey
Brazil Germany Japan Nepal South Africa UK
Canada Hungary Kenya Nigeria Spain USA
Chile India Madagascar Panama Sri Lanka Uruguay

2. Post the map of each country on a word document.

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 3. Group the maps according to the category of the country in which they belong.

4. Put the core countries at the center. Surround the core countries with the states under
the semi-periphery. Place the peripheral countries as the outer ring of the map.

5. Compare the map you created with the original world map.

ASSESSMENT PHASE

See Schoology.

REFERENCE:

Aldama, P. (2018). The contemporary world. Manila, Philippines: Rex Book Store.

Photos: Freepik

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