Globalization- Capitalist Exploitation or Global Prosperity?

In contemporary times, technology, capital investment, production, marketing, and communication networks all have global dimensions. Technological advances have caused time and distance barriers to vanish, which greatly encourage companies to join the international arena.  Globalization is the term used to describe the international network of communication, transportation, and trade.  While supporters of globalization claim that it promotes global peace and prosperity by establishing interconnectedness among all countries of the world, others claim that globalization does not help everyone and further increases the wealth of corporations at the expense of the working class. Globalization has greatly facilitated the improvement of many social indicators and contributed to the worldwide decrease of absolute poverty, however, it has failed to alleviate poverty where it is most urgently needed.  Nearly half of the world’s population lives on less than $2 dollars a day and 23 percent live on less than $1. This statistics are truly heartbreaking.  Half of the inhabitants of the world struggle to survive, they lack food, clean water, and shelter.  Poverty in the developing nations is nothing like poverty in the industrialized nations.  For instance, the threshold for poverty in the United States for a family of three is $17, 738 annually, while the established poverty line for developing nations is $1,095 to $2,190 annually.  In the industrialized world, the United States has a rate of 13.6 percent of absolute poverty, only surpassed by the United Kingdom and Canada.  In addition, the United States has the highest relative poverty rate of the industrialized nations. This might be due to the fact that Western European countries spend a significantly higher percentage of their GNP to subsidize social welfare programs than the U.S.

What is being done about poverty in the United States and globally? “The Millennium Project was commissioned by the United Nations Secretary-General in 2002 to develop a concrete action plan for the world to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and to reverse the grinding poverty, hunger, and disease affecting billions of people.” The Millennium Development Goals are a time-bound targets set to eradicate absolute poverty and its devastating effects. The 8 Development Goals are: Eradicate extreme hunger and poverty, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality and empower women, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases, ensure environmental sustainability, and develop a global partnership for development, respectably in that order. While, there are many rumors that the goals set for 2015 will not be achieved, at least the United Nations, NGO’s, and others are working extremely hard to alleviate poverty.

Shattered Dreams Boulevard = the slums

Session 4: Geographic Poverty

“Where one lives affects the opportunities one has and the type of living one earns.”[1] The main four poverty regions in the United States are the South, West, Northeast, and Midwest. The region with the highest poverty rate is the South with 13.8 percent.  The west has the second highest with 11.6 percent, followed by the Northeast with 11.5 percent. Finally, the Midwest has the lowest poverty percent with 11.2 percent. The main problem with concentrated poverty, also referred to as ghettos, is that it negatively influences its inhabitants. For instance, the index of drug abuse, crime, welfare dependency, and single parent households have a propensity to be significantly higher in areas with high-poverty concentrations.  George Galster corroborates this statement in his publication, Do Neighborhoods matter? He states that children are the ones who suffer the most from growing up in this concentrated poverty neighborhoods. He presents the Nature vs Nurture theory and explains that it is not only about the way a family raises their children but also about the context in which the children are raised.  He explains that most poor families live in metropolitan cities known for their poor school systems, thriving underground economies, and extensive crime rates and that this conditions encourage children to make wrong decisions. He claims that the best way to decrease poverty is to achieve a 10 percent or less concentration of poverty in any given neighborhood. “Concentrated poverty results from several factors, including past government policies, racial and ethnic discrimination, residential segregation, economic changes and employment dislocations, and the movement of prosperous residents to the suburbs.”  [2]Concentrated poverty is a primary contributor the increase of the poverty rate in the United States. Successful individuals move away from home to live in better neighborhoods, taking with them their accomplishments that could serve to demonstrate that there is hope, but leaving behind a more noticeable population of drug dealers and criminals.  In conclusion, poverty is a cycle, a child might be raised in a neighborhood where the only people who hold a comfortable lifestyle are the drug dealers, and those individuals are the only ‘role models’ these children see.

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[1] Poverty in America: a handbook

John Iceland - University of California Press - 2006

[2] Poverty in America: a handbook

John Iceland - University of California Press - 2006

POVERTY IN AMERICA: DISHEARTENING STATISTICS

There are about 37 million people living under the poverty line in the United States. Thirty-seven million people whose American dream has turned into an authentic nightmare. Children and the elderly are the age groups most vulnerable to poverty.  Children account for the highest poverty rate.  In 2005, reports indicate that 12.9 million children are poor in the United States, meaning that 17.6 percent of our precious little people go to bed hungry every single night.  Out of these 12.9 million poor children, 9 percent are Non-Hispanic White, 34.2 percent are Black, and 27.74 percent are Hispanic. This statistics highly defy the widespread notion that all poor individuals are deserving of their poverty because this children have done nothing to be poor, they were simply victims of fate.  A poor child is not a child that is crying because Santa brought him an XBOX and not a PS3, a poor child is one that is crying because he is hungry, thirsty, and in many cases cold.  The elderly constitute 10.0 percent of the poor people of our nation, which is the second highest percentage of poverty.  Single mother households are also more prone to poverty than two-parent households.  For instance, black female-headed households have the highest poverty rate at 39.6 percent. They are closely followed by Hispanic female-headed households, which account for 39 percent.  Lastly, White Non-Hispanic female-headed households experience the lowest poverty rates in this category at 22.6 percent.   Due to the complexity of defining who is poor and more importantly how poor these individuals are, Amartya Sen developed a method to develop more descriptive statistics.  She categorized poverty into two main divisions “Extreme” Poverty and “Near” Poverty.  “Extreme” poverty is when the family income falls below half of the poverty threshold. These individuals endure critical hardships.  “Near” poverty is when the income of a family is less than 1.25 of the poverty threshold. These individuals endure serious hardships.  One can conclude that the development of effective poverty measures is one way in which the government can begin alleviating poverty because it is  impossible to find a solution if you do not fully comprehend the problem. 

Poverty: Definitions, Evolved Perspectives, and Relative Measures.

Children who are so malnourished that their bone structure, something that should be seen in an X-ray, is now visible to the naked eye, your eyes.  Dark, penetrating eyes screaming, “I have hope, help me!” One gets this typical picture when imagining extreme poverty.  However, we rarely think of the young woman who lives in the apartment next door, we do not realize that she works all day to provide for her child and yet she struggles month after month to make ends meet.  She made one mistake in her youth and now she walks around carrying the weight of her shattered dreams upon her shoulders.  She only has a high school diploma and lacks the financial means and time to achieve a higher education; therefore, her chances of improving her lifestyle are highly limited.  This is the emerging face of poverty, precisely the one we often fail to acknowledge.  For instance, the poverty line for a family of three in the United States is $17,738 annually, meaning anyone whose income falls below that line is considered poor. The two most common poverty measures are absolute and relative measures.  Absolute poverty is the minimum requirement necessary to afford the most rudimentary necessities such as food, clothing, and healthcare.  In this approach, the poverty line remains constant.  On the other hand, relative poverty takes into account the comparative economic status of a society.  The malnourished child described above would live under absolute poverty while the young woman would be considered relatively poor. Despite the differences between absolute and relative poverty, they have one tremendous similarity: they are both considerably inefficient. In spite of inadequacy, the United States created the Quasi-Relative Poverty Measure.  “The recommended measure is quasi-relative because the proposed update would be based on consumption expenditures for only basic categories of goods and services- food, clothing, and utilities- that would be expected to rise less rapidly than total consumption expenditures.” [1] All three systems have advantages and disadvantages but they are the only method we have for measuring poverty. There are several definitions of poverty.  For example, “Galbraith’s The Affluent Society (1958) — poverty occurs when income falls markedly below that which the community considers necessary for decency, even if it is adequate for survival.”  “Webster 1—having little or no money and few possessions, dependent on charity, lacking in financials or other resources, inadequate, inferior, undernourished.” Intellectuals have established the parameters of what poverty is; now it is imperative for our society to define what we can do to alleviate poverty.

 Quick Fact:

Who you think is poor, both in the United States and globally. In the United States, any family of three whose income falls below $17, 738. In the developing world, any family who earns less than $1,095 to $2,190 annually. 

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[1]Poverty in America: a handbook

John Iceland - University of California Press - 2006

Initial Thoughts about Poverty

Poverty is the most devastating reminder of our failure as citizens of the world. It is a tormenting souvenir of our lack of activity. While most individuals wish poverty would vanish; how many of us actually make an effort to alleviate poverty? How many of donate our time, money, or care to improve the life of others?  If we intend to make the world a better place then it is our responsibility to rise above our egoism.  As individuals, we have a choice to make, to look the other way, or aid those who are in need. 

Who you think is poor, both in the United States and globally?

                Poverty is a multidimensional global issue.  Therefore, it is very hard to define who is poor because humans can be poor in so many aspects: economically, spiritually, and affectionately.  However, the form of poverty that we can eradicate as a society is the one produced by economic hardship.  In America, a poor individual is someone whose salary is below the poverty level, meaning such individual cannot afford the most rudimentary necessities to live a decent life.  Globally, poverty is living in the slums, searching through the garbage to feed your children.  Nearly half of the world’s population survives on less than $2 a day. These people are subject to harsh weather conditions, malnutrition, death, abuse, and helplessness. Poverty is the root to many other branches of injustice such as human trafficking, drug cartels, child prostitution, and human slaves.
Why you believe people are poor in the United States and globally?

              I may not be very knowledgeable regarding the causes of poverty; however, I firmly believe that poor individuals do not choose to live that way.  In my opinion, poverty is the result of social inequality, exploitation from the corporate world, failure to make responsible economical decisions, and incompetent legislation.  Poverty is like a vicious cycle, a person who is born into it lacks the resources to get out of it.    
What you think is being done about poverty (e.g., current policies and programs in the United States and globally).  

             There are hundreds of non-profit organizations who work hard to fight poverty and its effects.  Some are highly influential international organizations such as the Peace Corps, the Red Cross, and Doctors without Borders.  While others are local organizations such as Hands on Atlanta, United Way, and Stand Up for Kids. The individuals who become active members of these organizations donate their time and effort to improve the living standard of the impoverished population, They are the ones who deliver the message of hope while the rest of us sit at home watching our favorite reality show, still looking the other way.  Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment benefits, and WIC are the only forms of government aid that attempt to diminish the poverty problem, however, this government agencies are notorious for their ineffectiveness.
How well you think poverty is being addressed currently in the United States and globally. 

             Poverty is not being addressed properly.  Every single policy implemented to aid poverty is like a patch we place on a broken system.  Although certain statistics portray that poverty has declined during the past years, we are currently falling short of a tangible resolution.  Despite the efforts of active members of our society, the truth remains that we are a segregated world. We are separated in so many levels: nationality, religion, ethnicity, socioeconomic level, education, and the list never shrink. It is very difficult to eradicate poverty without eliminating ethnocentricity.

What you personally think should be done about poverty in United States and globally (e.g., policies, programs you would suggest).

           To alleviate poverty it is imperative that we achieve higher social involvement. We need to encourage individuals who are able to extend a helping hand to do so. It is also important to make businesses accountable for their actions, not by punishing them but by encouraging them to create employment opportunities for the poor both in the United States and globally. In the United States, we have greater possibilities of expanding access to education and technology to produce more workers that are skilled. Sovereign countries should commit to regulate the prices of necessities for survival such as food, water, and medical care. This measures might seem to ideal but they are not impossible.