Global inequality | AQA A-Level Sociology
Updated: Sep 1
For Specification 7192
AQA A-Level Sociology | Free Revision Notes
Estimated study time: 70 minutes
Global inequality A-Level Sociology revision examines differences in wealth, poverty, health, education and other aspects of development between societies. AQA requires students to understand both the evidence of global inequality and sociological explanations for why these inequalities exist. This builds directly on development and underdevelopment [Development and underdevelopment] and provides a foundation for later study of globalisation, aid, trade, employment, health and gender.
Learning Objectives 🎯
By the end of this revision page, you should be able to:
Define global inequality and explain how it differs from development and underdevelopment.
Explain patterns of economic, educational, health, demographic and gender inequality between societies.
Apply different indicators when assessing the extent of global inequality.
Explain modernisation, dependency and neoliberal interpretations of global inequality.
Analyse how education, health, demographic change and gender may reproduce or reduce inequalities.
Evaluate evidence and sociological explanations concerning inequalities between societies.
Revision Notes 📚
Global inequality A-Level Sociology revision: what is global inequality?
Global inequality refers to unequal outcomes, opportunities and resources between societies and populations across the world.
It is closely connected to development and underdevelopment, but the concepts are not identical.
Development concerns processes of economic, social and other change.
Underdevelopment describes comparatively limited development and can be explained differently by competing sociological perspectives.
Global inequality focuses on the unequal distribution of the outcomes and opportunities associated with development.
AQA specifically requires students to understand sociological explanations of development, underdevelopment and global inequality. It also requires employment, education, health, demographic change and gender to be examined as aspects of development.
This means that global inequality should not be reduced to a single comparison of national income.
Global inequality is multidimensional
Global inequalities may be economic, but they may also appear through differences in:
Dimension | Examples of inequality between societies |
Income and economic resources | Differences in national income, economic growth and poverty |
Employment | Differences in employment opportunities, skills and participation in economic activity |
Education | Unequal access to schooling, skills and educational opportunities |
Health | Differences in health outcomes and access to healthcare |
Demography | Differences in population structures, migration and the consequences of population change |
Gender | Differences in women's and men's access to education, health and employment |
Wider development | Differences in well-being, sustainability, human rights and other dimensions of development |
This multidimensional approach is important in an exam because an apparently strong economic performance does not necessarily mean that inequalities in health, education or gender have disappeared.
AQA's 2023 mark scheme explicitly recognised economic growth, inequality, poverty, gender equality, population growth, education, health, democracy, human rights and sustainability as relevant ways of examining development.
Measuring inequalities between societies
Evidence about global inequality depends partly on what is being measured.
Early approaches to development often placed considerable emphasis on economic indicators such as:
Gross National Product (GNP)
Gross National Income (GNI)
levels of poverty
economic growth
Economic measures can reveal major differences in the resources available to different societies.
However, they do not provide a complete picture.
A society may have a relatively high level of national income while still experiencing substantial inequalities in particular areas. Economic measures also do not automatically reveal who benefits from economic activity.
Broader approaches therefore include evidence concerning health, education, gender equality, sustainability and well-being.
The Human Development Index (HDI) is one example of a broader measure recognised in AQA assessment materials. AQA has also recognised Sustainable Development Goals and measures relating to sustainability and happiness in discussions of development.
Understanding these measurement debates from development and underdevelopment [Development and underdevelopment] is essential when evaluating evidence of global inequality.
Why the choice of indicator matters
Imagine that Society A has much greater national income than Society B.
If we used only an economic indicator, Society A might appear considerably more developed.
However, suppose Society A also has:
unequal access to education
significant gender inequality
poor health outcomes for sections of its population
severe environmental problems
The difference between the societies may look different once wider indicators are considered.
The sociological issue is therefore not simply:
"Which society has more money?"
It is also:
"What kinds of opportunities, resources and outcomes do people experience?"
This is why evidence about global inequality has to be interpreted carefully.
Economic inequalities between societies
Economic inequality is one of the clearest dimensions of global inequality.
Societies vary in:
income and economic output
levels of poverty
opportunities for employment
access to economic resources
capacity to invest in services and infrastructure
These inequalities can affect other dimensions of development.
For example, lower economic resources may limit a society's ability to invest in education or healthcare. In turn, limited access to education can restrict the development of a skilled workforce.
This creates the possibility of relationships between different forms of inequality rather than each inequality operating independently.
Poverty and global inequality
Poverty is an important part of global inequality because different societies experience very different levels of material deprivation and access to resources.
However, poverty should not simply be treated as an individual characteristic. Sociological explanations ask why some societies and populations have much greater access to resources than others.
Different theories provide competing answers:
modernisation theory may emphasise the stage of development reached by a society
dependency theory may emphasise unequal global relationships
neoliberal approaches may focus on participation in markets and economic opportunities
feminist perspectives may show that economic inequalities interact with gender inequalities
These competing explanations are central to evaluation.
Educational inequality
Education can both reflect global inequality and influence it.
AQA's 2023 assessment directly asked students to explain ways in which education may affect global inequalities. The mark scheme identified several possible relationships.
Education and economic inequality
Access to education can increase human capital, meaning the knowledge and skills available within a population.
A more highly educated and skilled workforce may:
increase economic opportunities
help a society compete economically
attract investment
contribute to development
Where access to education is restricted, these opportunities may be reduced.
Educational inequality can therefore contribute to differences in economic development between societies.
Education and gender inequality
Access to education may also differ according to gender.
Expanding educational opportunities for girls can contribute to reducing gender inequalities. Conversely, restricted access to education can reproduce inequalities in later employment and other areas of life.
This relationship is examined in more depth in employment and education [Employment and education] and gender and development [Gender and development].
Education and health inequality
Education can also be connected to health.
AQA's 2023 mark scheme recognised that lack of education may hinder progress in reducing global health inequalities.
This illustrates an important exam point: dimensions of global inequality often interact.
The migration of skilled workers
Education does not automatically reduce global inequality.
A developing society may invest resources in educating skilled workers who subsequently migrate elsewhere.
For example, if trained health professionals leave their country of origin for employment overseas, the destination society may gain skilled labour while the society that financed their education may lose some of its human capital.
This can contribute to continuing inequalities.
This process demonstrates why the effects of education and migration can be complex rather than automatically positive or negative.
Health inequalities between societies
Health is another major dimension of global inequality recognised throughout AQA's Global Development topic.
Societies can differ in:
access to healthcare
availability of treatments and medicines
exposure to health risks
health outcomes
ability to respond to disease
Globalisation itself may affect health both positively and negatively.
AQA's 2022 examiner report noted that successful students recognised both sides. Some considered improved access to healthcare, inoculations and medicines, while others considered greater vulnerability to diseases or health problems associated with increasing affluence.
This is developed further in health and demographic change [Health and demographic change].
Gender inequality
Global development does not necessarily affect women and men in the same way.
AQA explicitly identifies gender as an aspect of development, and its 2024 examination required students to evaluate gender differences in the experience of development and underdevelopment.
Important areas of global gender inequality include differences in access to:
education
healthcare
paid employment
economic opportunities
Development may reduce some gender inequalities by increasing these opportunities.
However, feminist sociologists criticise early development theories for sometimes treating gender as relatively unimportant.
This means that a country could experience economic development while substantial gender inequalities remain.
Demographic differences and global inequality
Demographic change refers to changes in the characteristics and structure of populations.
Relevant processes include:
population growth
age structure
migration
changing birth and death patterns
Demographic changes can both increase and reduce global inequalities.
AQA examined this relationship directly in 2025.
Young populations
Some developing societies have relatively young populations.
A large population of working-age people may create opportunities for economic growth if employment and economic opportunities are available.
This could contribute to development and reduce inequality between societies.
However, the effect is not automatic. A large potential workforce can contribute to development only where people can participate productively in economic life.
Migration and remittances
People may migrate from developing societies to seek employment elsewhere.
Money sent by migrants to people in their country of origin is known as remittances.
AQA's 2025 mark scheme recognised that remittances can:
increase household resources
improve living standards
reduce poverty
potentially reduce global inequalities
However, migration can have contrasting effects. If skilled workers leave, the country of origin may lose workers who could have contributed to economic development.
This is a useful example of why sociological analysis should avoid assuming that one social process has only one consequence.
Explaining global inequality
Sociologists disagree about why global inequalities exist.
The main disagreement concerns whether inequalities are explained primarily by:
characteristics and changes within societies
unequal relationships between societies
the organisation of the global economy
combinations of economic, political, cultural and social factors
Modernisation theory and global inequality
Modernisation theory explains differences between societies partly in terms of different levels or stages of development.
Rostow is associated with the view that societies move through stages of economic growth towards a modern industrial economy.
Processes associated with modernisation include:
industrialisation
economic growth
urbanisation
changes in values and social organisation
development of education and skills
From this perspective, global inequality exists partly because societies have reached different stages in the modernisation process.
Education and modernisation
Education can contribute to modernisation by:
creating a skilled workforce
developing human capital
spreading values associated with modernisation
AQA's 2023 mark scheme specifically recognised education promoting modern values as one possible mechanism through which inequalities may be reduced.
Modernisation theory's explanation of reducing inequality
If developing societies industrialise, expand education and achieve sustained economic growth, modernisation theory predicts that they may begin to close the development gap.
This links closely to trade and industrialisation [Trade and industrialisation].
Evaluation of modernisation theory
Modernisation theory provides a clear explanation for differences between societies by identifying processes associated with economic and social transformation.
However, dependency theorists argue that this explanation places too much emphasis on what happens inside poorer societies.
It may overlook the possibility that relationships with richer and more powerful societies contribute to global inequalities.
It can also assume that societies should develop by following a broadly similar path to societies that industrialised earlier.
Furthermore, economic modernisation does not guarantee equal progress in health, education, gender equality or environmental sustainability.
Dependency theory and global inequality
Dependency theory shifts attention from differences within societies to unequal relationships between societies.
Frank is associated with dependency explanations of development and underdevelopment.
Dependency theorists argue that global inequalities cannot be understood by treating each society in isolation. Historical and contemporary relationships between more and less powerful societies can affect opportunities for development.
Relevant concepts recognised in AQA assessment materials include:
dependency
underdevelopment
colonialism
imperialism
neo-colonialism
The central argument is that the development of some societies and the underdevelopment of others may be connected.
Global inequality as a relationship
Modernisation theory can suggest:
Some societies are poorer because they have not yet modernised sufficiently.
Dependency theory instead asks:
Could unequal relationships with wealthier societies help to reproduce their disadvantage?
This turns global inequality from simply a difference between societies into a question about relationships of power between societies.
World-systems approaches
World-systems approaches, associated with Wallerstein in AQA mark schemes, also examine societies as interconnected parts of a wider global system.
Rather than assuming that national development can be understood independently, this approach draws attention to the position societies occupy within the global economy.
This reinforces the broader dependency argument that inequalities between societies may be structured through global relationships rather than being caused only by domestic factors.
These ideas prepare you for globalisation, political and economic relationships [Globalisation, political and economic relationships].
Evaluating dependency explanations
A major strength of dependency approaches is that they place power at the centre of global inequality.
They encourage sociologists to consider:
historical relationships
control of economic resources
relationships between richer and poorer societies
whose interests global economic arrangements serve
This provides a strong challenge to modernisation theory.
However, dependency explanations can be evaluated by asking whether they give enough attention to differences within developing societies themselves.
Countries do not all experience global economic relationships in identical ways. Internal political, economic, demographic and social conditions may also influence development.
A strong evaluation therefore avoids claiming that either internal or external factors alone provide a complete explanation.
Neoliberal explanations
Neoliberal approaches emphasise free markets and participation in the global economy.
From this perspective, economic development may be encouraged when societies can:
participate in international trade
attract investment
develop businesses and industries
compete in global markets
Economic growth may then reduce inequalities between societies.
This view contrasts strongly with dependency theory.
Dependency theorists are more likely to argue that involvement in global economic relationships can reproduce unequal power and dependency.
The debate becomes:
Neoliberal approach | Dependency approach |
Greater participation in markets can create opportunities for development. | Global economic relationships may reproduce inequality. |
Economic growth can help societies close development gaps. | Growth may benefit more powerful societies disproportionately. |
Global economic integration can offer opportunities. | Integration may create or reinforce dependency. |
The effects of global economic integration are explored further when studying transnational corporations [Transnational corporations].
Globalisation: reducing or increasing inequality?
Globalisation adds another layer to the debate.
Greater global interconnectedness can create opportunities through:
employment
migration
investment
education
trade
exchange of technology and knowledge
However, these opportunities may be distributed unequally.
Globalisation can therefore potentially reduce some inequalities while reproducing or increasing others.
This is why sociological explanations need to analyse mechanisms rather than simply stating that globalisation is "good" or "bad".
Employment and global inequality
Employment can influence inequalities between societies because work provides income and can contribute to economic development.
Industrialisation and globalisation may create new employment opportunities.
However, the quality, security and distribution of employment also matter.
Differences in access to skilled work or productive employment may contribute to wider differences in:
income
poverty
living standards
health
educational opportunities
The relationships between employment and development are examined in employment and education [Employment and education].
Trade, investment and global inequality
Trade and investment can potentially provide developing societies with:
markets for products
employment
economic growth
access to resources and technology
A neoliberal interpretation may therefore see greater participation in the global economy as an important route to reducing inequality.
Dependency approaches raise a different question: who receives the greatest benefits from these relationships?
A society's participation in trade does not automatically mean that inequalities have been removed.
This is why you should avoid arguments such as:
"Trade causes development."
A stronger sociological answer would explain:
the mechanism through which trade might encourage development
who benefits
whether benefits are evenly distributed
how an alternative theory would interpret the same process
Aid and global inequality
Aid may be intended to reduce inequalities by providing resources for development.
From a modernisation perspective, aid may contribute towards economic growth and help societies develop.
Dependency theorists may be more critical, arguing that aid can sometimes reproduce dependency rather than removing unequal relationships.
This debate is covered fully in aid and development [Aid and development].
For this lesson, the important point is that disagreements about development strategies are also disagreements about how global inequality is created and how it might be reduced.
International agencies and inequality
International organisations may influence development strategies through their involvement in areas such as economic development, education and health.
Their role can therefore affect inequalities between societies.
Different sociological perspectives may interpret these organisations differently:
some may see international cooperation as helping reduce global inequalities
critical perspectives may question whose interests development policies serve
This issue is examined in international agencies [International agencies].
Global inequality may change rather than simply disappear
It is important not to treat global inequality as fixed.
Changes in education, health, migration, industrialisation and employment can alter inequalities.
AQA's own assessments demonstrate this by asking students to analyse processes that may reduce or exacerbate inequality. For example, its 2025 mark scheme accepted both the possibility that a young population or remittances could reduce inequality and that skilled emigration could reinforce it.
This means good sociological analysis frequently uses language such as:
may reduce
may reproduce
may exacerbate
depends on
to the extent that
Avoid presenting complex relationships as automatic.
Comparing sociological explanations of global inequality
Perspective | Main explanation of global inequality | How inequality may be reduced | Evaluation |
Modernisation theory | Societies are at different stages of economic and social development. | Industrialisation, education, economic growth and modernisation. | May underestimate unequal global relationships and assume a common path to development. |
Dependency theory | Inequality is reproduced through unequal relationships between more and less powerful societies. | Change unequal global relationships and reduce dependency. | Highlights global power but may understate internal differences between societies. |
World-systems approaches | Societies occupy unequal positions within an interconnected global system. | Changes to unequal structures and relationships within the world economy. | Highlights interdependence, but national circumstances may also matter. |
Neoliberal approaches | Limited participation in competitive markets can restrict development. | Trade, investment, market participation and economic growth. | Economic integration may create opportunities but benefits may be distributed unequally. |
Feminist approaches | Development theories and processes may overlook inequalities experienced by women. | Greater attention to gender inequalities in education, health and employment. | Demonstrates that national economic development does not automatically mean equality for all groups. |
Evaluating evidence about global inequality
When evaluating evidence, remember that the result depends partly on the indicator used.
Economic evidence
Economic indicators are useful for showing differences in national income, growth and poverty.
However, they may hide:
differences in health
differences in education
gender inequalities
unequal access to opportunities
environmental consequences
Social indicators
Measures relating to health and education can provide a broader picture.
However, no single social indicator captures every aspect of development.
Composite measures
Measures such as HDI combine different aspects of development and may therefore provide a broader picture than national income alone.
However, even wider measures involve decisions about what should count as development.
Avoid treating countries as internally equal
When comparing societies, another important issue is that national averages can conceal inequalities within each society.
For example, an improvement in average educational or economic outcomes does not necessarily mean that every social group has benefited equally.
This is especially important when considering gender.
The AQA specification requires gender to be studied as an aspect of development, meaning that students should recognise that national-level development and equality between social groups are not the same thing.
Bringing the argument together
Global inequality is best understood as a multidimensional and contested sociological issue.
There are clear inequalities between societies, but sociologists disagree about:
the most important dimensions of inequality
how those inequalities should be measured
what causes them
whether global economic relationships reduce or reproduce them
which strategies are most likely to reduce them
The strongest answers therefore do not simply say:
"Some countries are richer than others."
Instead, they ask:
What is unequal, how do we know, why does the inequality exist, and which sociological explanation gives the most convincing account?
Key Words 🔑
Key word | Student-friendly definition | How it may be used in an exam |
Global inequality | Unequal access to resources, opportunities and development outcomes between societies and populations worldwide. | Define the central concept and apply it to economic, health, educational or gender differences. |
Economic inequality | Differences in income, economic resources and material opportunities. | Use when discussing poverty, national income or economic development. |
Human capital | The knowledge and skills possessed by a population that can contribute to economic activity. | Explain how education may affect development and global inequality. |
Human Development Index (HDI) | A broader measure of development than a purely economic indicator. | Evaluate the usefulness of economic measures alone. |
Modernisation theory | A theory that sees development as movement towards a modern industrial society through economic, social and cultural change. | Explain inequalities as partly resulting from societies being at different stages of development. |
Dependency theory | A theory linking underdevelopment to unequal relationships between more and less powerful societies. | Evaluate explanations that focus mainly on internal barriers to development. |
Neoliberalism | An approach that emphasises markets and economic participation as routes to development. | Apply to debates about trade, investment and global economic integration. |
Remittances | Money sent by migrants to people in their country of origin. | Explain how migration may affect poverty and inequalities between societies. |
Demographic change | Change in the characteristics or structure of a population. | Apply age structure, migration or population change to global inequality. |
Gender inequality | Unequal opportunities or outcomes associated with gender. | Examine development through differences in education, health and employment. |
Hints from the Examiner Reports 💡
Examiner hint: Make the connection to global inequality explicit. In 2025, many students knew the demographic material in the item but struggled to explain how it affected global inequality. Strong answers clearly showed the chain from a demographic change to development and then to either reduced or increased inequality.
Examiner hint: Develop the precise mechanism rather than stopping after identifying a factor. For example, the 2025 report highlighted successful answers that explained how a young population could provide workers who contribute to development, or how remittances could reduce poverty in the country of origin.
Examiner hint: When answering questions about education and inequality, connect the two concepts. In 2023, successful students considered how education could reduce gender inequalities or inequalities in areas such as health.
Examiner hint: Do not let theory replace the question. The 2023 examiner report noted that students sometimes lost focus when discussing theories. Use modernisation, dependency or another perspective to explain the specific inequality in the question rather than reproducing everything you know about the theory.
Examiner hint: For a 10-mark analyse question, use the two hooks in the item and develop each separately. AQA's reports consistently emphasise that item material is there to be applied, not merely repeated.
Common Mistakes ⚠️
Mistake: Defining global inequality only as differences in wealth
Why this is incorrect: Economic inequality is important, but AQA also requires students to understand development through employment, education, health, demographic change and gender.
How to improve: Think multidimensionally. Consider whether a question can be developed through economic, educational, health, demographic or gender inequalities.
Mistake: Describing a factor without connecting it to inequality
Why this is incorrect: Writing "developing countries have young populations" does not explain global inequality.
How to improve: Build the full chain:
young population → larger potential workforce → possible economic growth → narrowing of inequality between societies
Then evaluate whether that outcome is guaranteed.
Mistake: Assuming education always reduces inequality
Why this is incorrect: Education can develop skills and opportunities, but its effects depend on access and what happens to those skills. Skilled workers may also emigrate.
How to improve: Show both possibilities and explain the conditions under which education reduces or reproduces inequality.
Mistake: Treating modernisation theory as fact
Why this is incorrect: Modernisation is one sociological explanation. Dependency theory provides a very different interpretation of why global inequalities exist.
How to improve: Attribute claims explicitly: "Modernisation theorists argue..." and then evaluate them using an alternative perspective.
Mistake: Writing two separate theory descriptions without comparison
Why this is incorrect: Describing modernisation and then describing dependency does not automatically produce evaluation.
How to improve: Make the theories interact. For example, explain that dependency theory directly challenges modernisation's emphasis on internal barriers by arguing that unequal external relationships can reproduce underdevelopment.
Mistake: Assuming globalisation must either increase or reduce inequality
Why this is incorrect: Its effects may operate in different directions. Migration, trade, employment and investment can produce opportunities while also generating or reinforcing disadvantages.
How to improve: Identify the mechanism and consider its consequences rather than making a blanket judgement about globalisation.
Mistake: Using a national average as proof that everybody benefits equally
Why this is incorrect: National indicators can conceal inequalities between groups within societies.
How to improve: Where relevant, consider whether development has been experienced differently according to factors such as gender.
Exam-Style Questions ✍️
Question 1
Which term refers to unequal outcomes, opportunities and resources between societies across the world? (1 mark)
Question 2
Explain one reason why national income alone may provide an incomplete picture of global inequality. (4 marks)
Question 3
Explain two ways in which health or education may be used as evidence of global inequality. (6 marks)
Question 4
Outline and explain two ways in which education may reduce global inequalities. (10 marks)
Question 5
Outline and explain two ways in which migration may affect global inequality. (10 marks)
Question 6
Read Item A and answer the question that follows.
Item A
Some developing societies have growing populations with a large proportion of young people. At the same time, increased international migration means that workers may move abroad to find employment. Some migrants send part of their earnings to people in their country of origin.
Applying material from Item A, analyse two ways in which demographic change may affect global inequality. (10 marks)
Question 7
Read Item B and answer the question that follows.
Item B
Some sociologists argue that inequalities between societies result because countries have reached different stages of economic and social development. They suggest that industrialisation, education and economic growth can help poorer societies close the development gap.
Other sociologists argue that global inequalities cannot be understood without considering unequal economic relationships between societies.
Applying material from Item B and your knowledge, evaluate the view that global inequalities mainly result from differences in the level of modernisation between societies. (20 marks)
Question 8
Applying your knowledge, evaluate sociological explanations of global inequality. (20 marks)
Answers and mark scheme
Question 1
Answer: Global inequality. (1 mark)
Award one mark for the correct term.
Question 2
Up to 4 marks for one clearly developed explanation.
Possible answers include:
National income does not show inequalities in health.
It does not show differences in access to education.
It may conceal gender inequalities.
National averages may hide unequal distribution of resources within a society.
Economic development may occur alongside environmental problems.
For full marks, the student should explain why the limitation means economic information alone gives an incomplete picture.
Question 3
Award marks for two developed ways.
Possible content includes:
Health: Differences in health outcomes or access to healthcare may show that populations in different societies experience unequal life chances and development outcomes.
Education: Differences in access to education and skills may indicate unequal opportunities. Restricted access can also reduce human capital and future economic development.
Other relevant explanations concerning health or education should be credited.
Question 4
A high-level answer should develop two distinct ways.
Indicative content may include:
education creates a skilled workforce that can contribute to economic development
education increases human capital
skills may help societies compete in the global economy
education may help attract investment
education for girls may reduce global gender inequalities
education may contribute to improvements in health
educational opportunities may improve social mobility
education may contribute to modernisation
Students should explain how each process eventually affects global inequality, rather than simply describing the benefits of education.
Question 5
Possible answers include:
Remittances: Migrants may send money to their country of origin. This can increase household resources and living standards, potentially reducing poverty and global inequalities.
Loss of skilled workers: If skilled workers migrate, their country of origin may lose human capital. This can restrict services or economic development and reinforce inequalities.
Employment opportunities: Migration may allow individuals to obtain employment and increase their resources.
For high marks, students need two separate, developed chains of explanation.
Question 6
A strong answer should use both hooks from Item A.
Possible way 1: young population
The item refers to a large proportion of young people. As this population reaches working age, it may create a larger workforce. If sufficient employment is available, this can contribute to economic growth and development, potentially narrowing inequalities between the developing society and wealthier societies.
Analysis could recognise that a large young population does not automatically produce development if employment and other opportunities are limited.
Possible way 2: migration
The item states that migrants may send earnings home. These remittances can increase household income and living standards, reducing poverty in the country of origin and potentially narrowing global inequality.
Alternatively, students might analyse how emigration by skilled workers could reduce human capital and reinforce inequality.
Question 7
A high-level response should directly evaluate the claim that differences in modernisation are the main cause of global inequality.
Indicative content may include:
modernisation theory
stages of economic growth
Rostow
industrialisation
economic growth
education and human capital
urbanisation
changing values
dependency theory
Frank
unequal economic relationships
underdevelopment
colonialism, imperialism or neo-colonialism
world-systems approaches
neoliberal explanations
globalisation
education, health, demographic change and gender as dimensions of inequality
Evaluation could include:
dependency theory's criticism of internal explanations
the importance of historical and global economic relationships
evidence that societies do not all follow the same route to development
the possibility that trade and globalisation create opportunities as well as inequalities
the limitations of measuring development economically
the role of gender, education and health alongside economic development
The conclusion should judge whether different stages of modernisation are sufficient to explain global inequality or whether unequal relationships between societies provide a stronger explanation.
Question 8
A strong 20-mark answer should compare several sociological explanations while remaining focused on the causes of global inequality.
Modernisation theory may argue:
societies are at different stages of development
industrialisation and economic growth can narrow inequalities
education develops human capital
modernisation can transform economic and social structures
Dependency theory may argue:
global inequalities are produced or reproduced through unequal relationships between societies
underdevelopment cannot be explained solely by conditions inside poorer societies
historical and contemporary relationships of dependency matter
development in one part of the global system may be connected with underdevelopment elsewhere
World-systems approaches may argue:
societies occupy unequal positions in an interconnected world economy
global economic structures are therefore important in explaining inequality
Neoliberal approaches may argue:
participation in markets, trade and investment can promote development
economic integration may allow poorer societies to reduce inequalities
Other relevant analysis may include:
educational inequality
health inequality
migration and remittances
demographic change
gender inequality
employment
measurement of inequality using economic and wider indicators
For the highest marks, theories should be compared and evaluated rather than listed. The conclusion should reach a reasoned judgement about whether global inequalities are explained most convincingly by differences within societies, unequal relationships between societies, or an interaction between these factors.
Comments