...Taquanya Ward Professor Twitty SO 234 AO 02/19/16 Thinking Sociologically Chapter 2 Assignment 5. Look up the most recent data you can find on income distribution by quintiles in your society. Is your society more like Mexico or more like Japan in its degree of inequality? - We live in a world of staggering and unprecedented income inequality. Nothing could be further from the truth than the idea that poverty is increasing. However, America has a higher degree of income inequality than almost any other developed country. Most countries spend a bigger share of their national output on social programs, which tend to decrease income inequality. The U.S. is less effective at reducing inequality through taxes and benefits, making us higher than both Mexico and Japan. Trade is much higher than Mexico than Japan so our society would be similar in more aspects of Mexico. 6. Use Merton’s strain theory to explain why crime rates are so high in Mexico. Can you compare crime rates in your own society with crime rates in Mexico? Explain sociologically why crime rate are higher or lower in your society than in Mexico....
Words: 436 - Pages: 2
...The percentage for income inequality unfortunately is 48.2%. The goal is to reduce this amount to at least 15% or lower by investing more in education. Investments in education will increase economic mobility by increasing the knowledge of individuals which would have them acquire skills to increase productivity. This increase in productivity would be able to close the wage gap and thus decrease wage inequality. This then can influence change in wanting to increase the minimum wage because more attractive workers are being created do to the increase in education. By raising the minimum wage the gap which creates the income inequality from having workers who work a lot of hours for only a couple of dollars and company owners who make millions...
Words: 348 - Pages: 2
...Introduction Income inequality means that the income is distributed in an uneven manner among a population. It generally refers to a society which the income gap between individuals or groups and also the international wealth gap. The percentage of income to a population is often presented by income inequality. It’s also considered as the gap between the rich and others and has been obviously growing for recently years. There have measures for income inequality. It’s important to view this data sets and measures as it can show the differences of a country, especially the advantages and disadvantages. Income inequality should have a clearer data or picture to explain the differences and can be also obtained by using those measures. The “Gini Coefficient” can measure income inequality. Gini Coefficient is the way to measure the distribution of nation residents’ income. Corrado Gini (Italian statistician and sociologist) is the person who developed and published it. The among values of distribution will be measured by Gini coefficient such as income levels. If everyone has the same income, it will be shown as Zero (perfect equality) in the Gini coefficient. Conversely, if Gini coefficient shows one mean that only got one person have the income, as know as perfect inequality. In the United States, there has been growing obviously for income inequality and the gap between rich and others. According to the report of Gini coefficient, united States have the high income inequality and continuously...
Words: 1589 - Pages: 7
...for capital invests so that countries such as Mexico could improve economically. In this section, we will look into the impacts of NAFTA on the lives of Mexicans with focus on the economic lives. We also determine the attainment of the objectives of NAFTA NAFTA did not bear any resemblance to the forecasts and the expectations of the agreement. The agreement was not a solution to the unemployment challenges in mexico.it was not helpful in raise the average wages of the Mexicans or reducing the flow of Mexican immigrants to the US. It was however useful in...
Words: 887 - Pages: 4
...------------------------------------------------- Università Carlo Cattaneo-Liuc ------------------------------------------------- Scuola di Economica e Management Corso di Laurea in Global Markets ReLATORE/TUTOR: Rodolfo helg Paper di Laurea di : Luca Cantadori Matricola: 14771 Paper di Laurea di : Luca Cantadori Matricola: 14771 Anno Accademico : 2012/2013 Anno Accademico : 2012/2013 CONSEQUENCES OF ECONOMIC GROWTH ON THE ENVIRONMENT:Focus on International Trade i. Economic growth and the environment ii. Environmental Kuznets curve: a. Kuznets Curve:Income inequality and growth b. Income inequality , growth and the environment iii. Population growth: how increasing population could affect the environment iv. Economic impacts of environmental policies: c. Economic growth: investment and innovation d. Effect on competitiveness v. International Trade and the environment vi. Effects of Trade on the environment vii. Trade due to differences in Environmental Policies: e. Pollution Haven case viii. Trade not due to differences in Environmental policies: f. Comparative advantage and environment: how factor endowments can influence environment ix. Conclusion x. References xi. Abstract i.Economic growth and the environment In the first half of the twentieth...
Words: 6832 - Pages: 28
...few decades, research has shown a clear connection between the ideals of neoliberalism and social inequality. According to A Brief History of Neoliberalism, neoliberalism is defined as a theory of political economic practices that proposes that human well-being can best be advanced by liberating individual entrepreneurial freedoms and skills within an institutional framework characterized by strong property rights, free markets, and free trade. Beginning in the 1970s and 1980s as political philosophy rooted in classical liberalism with a focus on free markets and economic growth, the definition of neoliberalism has changed quite a bit over the last few decades. The evolutionary dynamic of neoliberaliztion has been such as to force adaptations that have varied greatly from place to place as well as over time. Any attempt to piece together a picture of what a typical neoliberal state looks like today would prove to be a difficult task. The somewhat chaotic evolution and uneven geographical development of state institutions, powers, and functions over the last thirty years suggests that the neoliberal state may be an unstable contradictory political form. The effects of this economic philosophy are especially obvious in Latin America, where many nations faced debt crises directly related to neoliberalism. The overall result was an awkward mix of low growth and increasing income inequality. In Latin America, where the first wave of forced neoliberalization struck in the early 1980s,...
Words: 908 - Pages: 4
...Income inequality is a subject that most social science majors or people who deal with What is income inequality? According to McConnell and Brue, authors of Microeconomics the 14th edition, income inequality is "the unequal distribution of an economy's total income among persons or families.” Recently, studies have shown that income inequality has many connections that have caused the gap in the United States. According to the research I found, income inequality is connected to corruption, trade, wages of workers, and education. The world income inequality had declined since the twentieth century according to the studies found (Clark). Corruption falls increasing on low income individuals more than higher income individuals. Additionally, the trade theory suggests that the free trade might have level up the income inequality higher within countries by the different patterns of wages and demand for workers who are skilled and unskilled (Silva and Leichenko). Moreover, the education of wealthier people has it easier because the learning efforts of education are unbalanced. Besides, income inequality in the United States is hurting our economy due to the all the issues of corruption, trade, wages, and education. They also point out that some of the causes of income inequality are "differences in ability, education and training, discrimination, tastes, and risks.” As a whole we saw these factors very useful in explaining why it exists, but the problem with these is that they are...
Words: 830 - Pages: 4
...refers to the areas of America in which the Spanish or Portuguese languages prevail. These areas include Mexico, most of Central and South America, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Brazil. Latin America can be subdivided into different regions, such as North America, South America, Central America and the Caribbean. (Wikipedia, Retrieved 2010). Latin America consists of many different ethnic backgrounds and races. It is one of the most diverse regions in the world. Some of the predominant races/backgrounds include European-Amerindians (Mestizo), Amerindians, European, Mulatto, Black, Asian and Zambo (mixed Black and Amerindian). Latin America continues to be challenged by inequality and poverty. Poverty is defined as, “the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions.” (Merriam-Webster, Retrieved 2010). According to the World Bank, nearly 25% of the population of Latin America lives on less than $2.00 a day. At least 182 million people are living in poverty in Latin America and at least 68 million people are living in extreme poverty. Poverty is defined as living on less than $2.15 per person per day and extreme poverty as living on less than $1.08 per person per day. “The poverty rate in Latin America was halved from 60% in 1950 to less than 30% in 2000. However, during the same time period income inequality remained more or less the same, making both poverty reduction and economic growth more difficult; as...
Words: 805 - Pages: 4
...Although Latin America has faced many social, political, and economic issues within the last three centuries, inequality remains one of the most important, historical, and omnipresent aspects of the region’s culture. As Europeans took over Latin America during the time of colonization, they implemented many elitist social structures that have held strong and are evident today (Harris). Income inequality is the most visible and greatest disparity that the region faces; yet inequality between gender, ethnicities, and education remain strong and significant problems with a necessity for improvement. Inequality of wealth and disparity of power and influence are Latin American’s greatest curses and are at the root of many of the developmental, social, criminal, and political problems that continue to plague the region (De Ferranti). Since inequality has pervaded into every feature of Latin American society, it is important to measure inequality accurately in order to obstruct the causes of the discrimination and prevent new ones from beginning. The Gini Coefficient is an effective way that people indicate the inequality of a country by measuring a frequency distribution of income or wealth. Using the "Gini Index" of inequality in the distribution of income and consumption, the researchers found that Latin America and the Caribbean, from the 1970s through the 1990s, measured nearly 10 points more unequal than Asia, 17.5 points more unequal than the 30 countries in the Organization...
Words: 3191 - Pages: 13
...Global inequality involves the concentration of resource in certain nations; significantly affected the opportunities of individuals in poorer and less powerful countries. During the cold war, countries were classified as a first, second, third, or fourth world country. Countries were classified based on the amount of resources and money the country had as a whole. First world countries were considered in the best shape and the idea of noblesse oblige was brought up. It meant that the classified first world countries would provide foreign aid to the less-developed and underdeveloped nations in order to raise their standard of living. The World Bank defines how these higher income nations of having a gross pay of at least $12,276. Due to the high income in some countries, two main issues will arise. The first issue is Capital flight and it is the movement of capital...
Words: 595 - Pages: 3
...Social Inequality What is social inequality? What are the sources of social inequality? For me, social inequality cannot be described in one sentence. Factors such as race, wealth, class, gender, age, among others all play roles into why people can sometimes be treated unfairly. However before I introspectively reflect on social inequality, there is one theory that suggests where today’s society is heading for me. Karl Marx is known as a prominent economic and political influence that lived during the 19th century. Marx’s theory of stratification is very applicable to where society, especially in the United States, is heading today. According to Marx, society would become divided into two classes, the dominant capitalist or the working class. Essentially the capitalists consist of the owners of production within a country while the working class consists of the laborers. This represents uneven distribution of wealth and resources, which creates a system of stratification. According to Professor Domhoff of the University of California, the top 20% of the workforce owned 89% of all privately held wealth in the United States as of 2010. There is already a large gap between social classes and will only continue to get worse if we continue down the same path as a nation. Whether through higher taxes on the wealthy or tax breaks on the working class, the gap needs to be closed. Money is king of today’s society whether people want to admit it or not. For me I think the uneven...
Words: 1336 - Pages: 6
...(Week 4) “Why Is Income Inequality in America So Pronounced? Consider Education”, by TYLER COWEN – May 17, 2007. 1. The article states, "starting about 1950, the relative returns for schooling rose, and they skyrocketed after 1980. The reason is supply and demand….Those in need of skilled labor are bidding for a relatively stagnant supply [of educated workers] and so must pay more." U.S. trade as a fraction of the economy has also grown somewhat since about 1950. Compare the statement from the article with the prediction about the distribution of income from Heckscher-Ohlin model. The Heckscher-Ohlin model predicts that an economy will be relatively efficient in producing goods that intensively use factors of production, which are relatively abundant, and that owners of abundant factors of production will gain from trade and owners of scarce factors of production will lose from trade. From the article, it is not clear if the U.S. is abundant in educated workers relative to some other factor of production, like land, capital or unskilled workers, but it is arguable that the U.S. is relatively abundant in educated workers relative to unskilled workers compared to many countries that it trades with. In contrast, the statement from the article does not consider trade per se, but simply the supply and demand of educated workers, which can change due to trade or for other reasons. 2. What is wrong with claiming that changes in the distribution of income are associated...
Words: 522 - Pages: 3
...“An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics.” –Plutarch. Inequality has been a problem for a long time, and every country has some form of inequality. It can be economic, social, and gender. Inequality is an issue, but there need to be poor for there to be rich. The problem is the gap between the rich and the poor. The distribution of wealth is too uneven. The main purpose of this essay is to address the question that many people are asking themselves: is inequality a consequence of too much or too little government intervention. The government intervenes in the economy in four ways. First, it produces public goods and services, such as education, infrastructure, national defense, and health care....
Words: 933 - Pages: 4
...Poverty and Inequality in Japan Compared to other countries, Japan was an equal community until the beginning of the 1990s. Almost every single person was feeling that they belonged to the middle class. Yet, income inequality has been increasing drastically since around 1990, as a result of rapid changes of Japanese society such as “population aging and declines of birthrate” as well as Japanese experience of the bubble economy from 1986 to 1989 (Japan’s Declining Birthrate). In addition, some might think that the most significant cause of the rising income inequality is the technological development. According to Keiko Takanami, a professor in San Diego State University, “there is a shift in demand from unskilled workers to skilled workers largely due to the technical changes and globalization.” This actually ended up with an increase of income inequality, because the wages would go up for workers who have well trained or high skills, while the wages would go down for unskilled workers. Recently, there is no doubt to say that Japan has been struggling with poverty and income inequality. This is also true for many other industrialized countries such as the U.S.A. and South Korea. Reasons why poverty was not a big social problem in Japan until the early 1990s is that the rate of poverty, majored by poverty survey of OECD, was not as high as other countries, and the rate of unemployment and income inequality were low (Poverty). In addition to this fact, even if there were a...
Words: 584 - Pages: 3
...everyone. In other to find out if this is happening you have to use the Lorenz curve, which was developed by an American economist called, Max Lorenz in 1905, it’s a graph that represent wealth distributed in a society. A coefficient of 0 means everyone has exactly the same income, while a country with 1.0 means only the rich takes home everything while everyone else earns nil. American is the richest and most unequal nation, at 0.42, America’s level of post-tax-and-transfer inequality outranks Israel, Britain and Canada, and dwarfs the figures in Japan and Scandinavia. Ms Gornick’s light-blue lines reveal a less well-reported story. Those lines show pre-tax-and-transfer income inequality, and on that count America doesn’t fare badly in comparison to other OECD countries. At 0.57, America is neck-and-neck with Spain and every Scandinavian nation, and less unequal than Britain, Greece and Ireland. But the American taxation and welfare state clips only 0.15 off of the pre-tax-and-transfer Gini coefficient, while more aggressively egalitarian countries slice off 0.20 (Luxembourg, Norway), 0.24 (Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden) or 0.28 (Ireland)....
Words: 253 - Pages: 2
