Question

In class, we used an activity to demonstrate the distribution of people and wealth in a global perspective, including a follow-on discussion of the demographic transition, modernization theory, and world systems theory. Provide a summary describing the world population and wealth distributions. Additionally, discuss how either modernization theory or world systems theory might explain this empirical reality. Finally, provide one possible solution that is known to reduce population growth that also generally helps reduce inequality within a country and briefly explain the social significance of this solution.

Answer 1

By proposing the world systems theory, Immanuel Wallerstein attempts to explain the effect of modernization on different parts of the world. He views the world as a system rather than individual countries and shows how after the breakdown of feudalism transformed north-western Europe into the predominant commercial and political power. He explains how the expansion of the capitalist world economy altered political systems and labor conditions wherever it was able to penetrate. However, the analysis by Wallerstein brings about the fact that wherever the capitalist world system has managed to penetrate it has brought about unequal development. The consequent development has caused economic and social disparities between sections of the world economy.He classified the world into the core, semi-periphery, and periphery.

• The core consisted of the developed countries that control world wages and monopolize the production of manufactured goods.

• The semi-peripheral zone includes countries like South Africa or Brazil. These countries have characteristic f both the core and the periphery. They have urban centers like the core but also have areas of rural poverty which resemble the peripheral countries.
• Finally, there are the peripheral countries mainly in Africa. These bottom countries are responsible for providing the raw materials to the core and semi-periphery. These periphery countries also serve as markets for the core countries that attempt to market their manufactured goods.

Educating the people, in my opinion, holds the key. An educated couple can understand the benefits of a small family. Also, education of women can help in controlling the population. In the absence of education, most measures like awareness campaigns and women empowerment measures do not benefit and most of the time seems pointless.