Question bank: World: Global Inequality

Global income concentration is a complex and controversial issue, as it involves issues related to social inequality and the currently prevailing globalized economy worldwide. Some studies indicate that large corporations evade billions in taxes every year, further contributing to this socioeconomic inequality among countries and regions around the globe. What measure needs to be taken to try to alleviate this problem?

In the era of globalization, large international corporations play a significant role in the world's economic scenario, influencing consumption, culture, and population mobility. Considering this context, which of the following alternatives represents a negative impact of international corporations on people's lives?

Globalization has brought with it the economic and cultural integration of various regions of the world, but it has also highlighted and, in some cases, exacerbated social and economic disparities between countries and within them. A study conducted by the World Bank in 2020 revealed that, despite significant progress in recent decades, extreme poverty persists in several nations, mainly in rural areas and among minority populations. Considering the concept of 'global inequality,' analyze the following excerpt, authored by economist and geographer David Harvey: 'Globalization has been a process of intensifying interconnections and accelerating the circulation of capital, goods, people, services, and information. However, instead of promoting an equitable distribution of benefits, we have seen a concentration of wealth and power on a global scale, with direct consequences for perpetuating social and spatial inequality.' (Harvey, D. 'Spaces of Global Capitalism: Towards a Theory of Uneven Geographical Development', 2006)

Globalization has been a widely discussed phenomenon regarding its social and economic consequences. Global inequality is one of the problems that have been accentuated with the expansion of this dynamic, as while some countries experience high levels of development, others remain in situations of extreme poverty. According to the Oxfam report 'Time to Care: Unpaid and underpaid care work and the global inequality crisis', published in 2020, 'economic inequality is rooted in an economic and social system that values capital over labor and reproduces, perpetuates, and exacerbates inequality in various spheres of life'. Based on this quote and your knowledge, describe an example of global inequality that can be attributed to the dynamics of globalization and explain how these dynamics contribute to perpetuating this scenario. Additionally, propose an action that could be taken at a macro level (governmental or supranational) to mitigate the effects of this inequality.

Globalization, a process that intensifies the interconnection and interdependence among the countries of the world, has been associated with both economic and technological advancements as well as an increase in socioeconomic disparities. Brazilian geographer Milton Santos, in his work 'Por uma outra globalização' ('For Another Globalization'), discusses the impacts of globalization on the organization of geographical space and power relations. Based on this critical perspective, and considering global inequality as one of the main issues, analyze and discuss the following points: 1) Explain how economic globalization has contributed to the widening of development disparities among countries. 2) Present and discuss a possible alternative, based on Milton Santos' ideas, that could be adopted to mitigate the inequalities resulting from globalization. You should support your answers with geographical concepts and concrete examples from the global reality.