Unit 3 - A World of Regions Lesson 3.1 - Global Divides
Unit 3 - A World of Regions Lesson 3.1 - Global Divides
Unit 3 - A World of Regions Lesson 3.1 - Global Divides
III. Discussion
A. Abstraction
The gap between the ‘North’ and ‘South’ Despite very significant development gains
globally which have raised many millions of people out of absolute poverty, there is substantial
evidence that inequality between the world’s richest and poorest countries is widening. In 1820
Western Europe's per capita income was three times bigger than Africa’s but by 2000 it was
thirteen times as big. In addition, in 2013, Oxfam reported that the richest 85 people in the world
owned the same amount of wealth as the poorest half of the world’s population. Today the world
is much more complex than the Brandt Line depicts as many poorer countries have experienced
significant economic and social development. However, inequality within countries has also
been growing and some commentators now talk of a ‘Global North’ and a ‘Global South’
referring respectively to richer or poorer communities which are found both within and between
countries. For example, whilst India is still home to the largest concentration of poor people in a
single nation it also has a very sizable middle class and a very rich elite. There are many causes
for these inequalities including the availability of natural resources; different levels of health and
education; the nature of a country’s economy and its industrial sectors; international trading
policies and access to markets; how countries are governed and international relationships
between countries; conflict within and between countries; and a country’s vulnerability to natural
hazards and climate change.
Global South
Countries have been unable to evolve an indigenous technology appropriate to their own
resources and have dependent on power
According to Claudio(2014) stated that the global south is both a reality and a provisional
in progress.
According toSparke (2007)in Claudio (2014) said that Global South is everywhere, but is
also somewhere , located at the intersection of entangled political geographies and
repression the resistant
Mhaler (2017) coined three primary definition of Global South
o First, it has tradition been used with intergovernmental development organization
o Second, the Global South captures a deterritorialized geography of capitalism’s
externalities and means to account for subjugated peoples within the borders of
wealthier countries
o Third, Global south refers to the resistant imaginary
Economy was based on cotton production which depended on slave labor.
Southern economy was weak and vulnerable because it depended entirely on cotton but
was still very profitable. The period of cotton growing was called King Cotton.
Global North
Generally, definitions of the Global North include the United States, Canada, almost all
the European countries, Israel, Cyprus, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan,
Australia, and New Zealand.
Economy was based on industries and major businesses, commerce and finance. North
had many manufacturing factories that dealt with textiles, lumber, clothing, machinery,
leather, and wooden goods.
The biggest business of the north was in railroad construction. Transportation was easier
because of railroads.
North-South Divide:
North-South Gap: Term used to describe the economic gap between the rich northern
countries of the world and the south poorer countries of the world.
NORTH SOUTH
DEFINITION:
During Cold War – Primary Global Division Was Between East and West, and
Predicated Upon Security and Power Balance.
After Cold War – Many See Primary Global Division as Being Between North and
South, and Predicated Upon Economic Inequality.
Developed and Developing Countries:
Issues of North-South Divide: North-South Divide Issues Distribution of income around the
world Economic competition worldwide Standard of living
Issue no. 1:
Standard of living: Factors lead to low of standard of living
Lack of trade and aid Single crop farming Abundance of debt Neo- Colonial ism
Issue no.2: Distribution of income around the world:
Liberalization of market occurs, most South countries lost to the competition from
the North.
Encourage migration of people from South to North for having a more good
income.
Issue no.3: Economic competition worldwide:
Factors determine the competitiveness of economy
Appropriate infrastructure
Stable macro-economic framework
Well-functioning public and private institutions
Reasons for development gap:
ENVIRONMENTAL natural features e.g. soil
HISTORICAL things which have happen in years before e.g. war
SOCIO – ECONOMIC society, culture and money e.g. religion
Some countries are developing faster than others. Many Asian countries are quickly
developing while many African countries are slowly developing.
Reasons: There are 3 main reasons why our world is so unequal today:
Colonialism:
a. Today’s North-South gap traces its roots to the colonization of the Southern world
regions by Europe over the past several centuries. This colonization occurred at
different times in different parts of the world, as did decolonization.
b. Control by one power over a dependant area or people.
Trade:
a. What you are spending to bring goods into your country is a greater sum that what
you are making by selling products in the global economy.
b. You are losing money. Southern countries suffered from this.
Debt:
a. Their products were losing money in the global economy, so they needed to
increase production.
b. The only way they could do this was to borrow money from the rich northern
countries.
c. This put them in debt.
Division of north and south:
The North-South Divide (or Rich-Poor Divide) is the socio-economic and political
division that exists between the wealthy developed countries, known collectively as “the
North,” and the poorer developing countries (least developed countries), or “the South.”
Although most nations comprising the “North” are in fact located in the Northern
Hemisphere, the divide is not primarily defined by geography.
As nations become economically developed, they may become part of the “North,”
regardless of geographical location, while any other nations which do not qualify for
“developed” status are in effect deemed to be part of the “South.”
“The North” mostly covers the West and the First World, with much of the Second
World.
Development gap:
The North-South divide has more recently been named the development gap. This places
greater emphasis on closing the evident gap between rich (more economically developed)
countries and poor (less economically developed countries) countries.
Globalization: In Terms of Economic Development, There Exists an Enormous Gap Between
Northern and Southern Countries, Which Has Been Increased By Globalization (Rich Get
Richer). The process by which regional economies, societies, and cultures have become
integrated through a global network of political ideas through communication, transportation,
and trade.
B. Assessment
Let’s Do These!
GLOBAL DIVIDES
1. Compare and Contrast the Global North and South
2. Create an image of the following aspects and describe your image