Classifying Nations
The unequal distribution of wealth, power, prestige, resources, and influence among the world's nations.
Global Stratification
The total value of a nation’s goods and services divided by its population.
GDP per capita
This theory argues that poor nations remain poor because they hold onto traditional attitudes, beliefs, technologies, and institutions.
Development & Modernization Theory
Large corporations that operate across multiple countries and exploit poor nations for cheap labor and raw materials.
Multinational Corporations (MNCs)
In the post-WWII classification system, this term referred to industrialized capitalist nations and their allies.
First World
Wealthy or high-income nations account for roughly one-sixth of the world's population, but hold this fraction of the world's wealth.
Four-fifths (80%)
Dependency Theory blames colonialism and this practice for keeping poor nations in poverty.
neocolonialism
The continuing political and economic dependence of less developed nations on former colonial or most industrialized nations.
neocolonialism
In the post-Soviet global stratification system, this tier holds 49% of the world’s land and 68% of its population.
Least Industrialized Nations
Poor or low-income nations are particularly vulnerable to weather and global prices because they rely heavily on this agricultural structure.
Relying on one or two primary crops
In World Systems Theory, this top-tier group of nations extracts material resources and labor, owning most of the world's capital and technology.
Core Nations
This theory asserts that rich and powerful individuals/institutions perpetuate inequality to protect their status by controlling schools, media, courts, and government
Social Reproduction Theory
This group of nations was added as a fourth category to the post-Soviet classification system when they grew in wealth and power without traditional industrialization.
Oil-Rich, Non-Industrialized Nations
The UN's Human Development Index (HDI) uses GDP per capita for income, life expectancy at birth for health, and these two factors for education.
adult literacy rate and school enrollment
According to World Systems Theory, these middle-tier nations provide labor and materials to core nations, which increases their own internal income.
Semi-Peripheral Nations
In World Systems Theory, these nations are heavily indebted to wealthy nations and have their land and population exploited for others' gain.
Peripheral Nations
In the post-WWII system, nations from Central and South America, Africa, and Asia that did not align with capitalist or communist blocs were placed in this tier.
Third World
According to global stratification patterns, this single variable is considered the most important because all other national differences stem from it.
how much wealth a nation has (degree of wealth or poverty)
Dependency Theory argues that the key to reversing global inequality is doing this for former colonies.
Relieving them of their foreign debts
Industrialized nations maintain global dominance through control of these two assets, enabling them to exploit weaker nations.
new technology and the means of production