Explain global stratification and classification systems

While you read this section, think about the global system that allows U.S. companies to outsource their manufacturing to peripheral nations, where many women and children work in conditions that some characterize as slave labor. Do people in the United States have a responsibility to foreign workers? Should U.S. corporations be held accountable for what happens to garment factory workers who make their clothing? What can you do as a consumer to help such workers?

What you’ll learn to do:

• Describe different sociological models for understanding global stratification
• Describe global stratification
• Understand how different classification systems have developed
• Use terminology from Wallerstein’s world systems approach
• Explain the World Bank’s classification of economies

LEARNING ACTIVITIES

The learning activities for this section include:

• Reading: Introduction to Global Inequality
• Reading: Global Stratification and Inequality
• Reading: Global Stratification
• Reading: Global Classification
• Self-Check: Global Stratification