Unit 1 Test

“On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this graded academic work. I am a person of integrity and I do not cheat.” Agree to this statement by typing your name here: Kailey Tracy

Globalization is the increasing interconnectedness of people and places through converging processes of economic, political, and cultural change. Those who are pro-globalization believe that wealth will “trickle down” from rich countries to poor countries. They also believe it will spread the benefits of new ideas and new technologies to all nations. One organization that loans money to nations so they can invest in business is the World Trade Organization. On the other hand, those who are anti-globalization say it is not fair, because the richest 20% of the world’s people consume 86% of the world’s resources, resulting in inequities between “haves” and “have nots.”

Use the CIA Factbook to answer the following questions:

In Afghanistan the life expectancy is 44.64 years, the infant mortality rate is 151.95 deaths per 1000 live births, the literacy rate is 28.1%, and the TFR is 6.53. In Australia the life expectancy is 81.63, the infant mortality rate is 4.75 deaths per 1000 live births, the literacy rate is 99%, and the TFR is 1.78.

We often categorize nations as being “developed” or “developing” nations. Vietnam and Mexico would be considered developing nations; Japan and Canada are developed nations.

The current world population is over 6 billion people. The number that measures how many children the average woman in a nation will bear is known as the total fertility rate, which is abbreviated as TFR. When this number is exactly the same, then the population stays the same; if it’s higher, the population goes up, and if it’s lower, the population decreases. The population is growing fastest in developing nations.

A population pyramid that is shaped just like a pyramid -- wide on the bottom and narrow at the top -- shows a country whose population is growing. If it is shaped more like a vase or a soda bottle, that nation’s population is declining or staying the same. Young people are found at the bottom of the pyramid, and men are found on the left hand side.

When discussing migration, people who are entering a country are known as immigrants, and people who are leaving a country are known as emigrants.

People leave their country for many reasons. An example of a push force is unemployment, and an example of a pull force is a better economic opportunity or health services. If a nation’s net migration rate is a negative number, it means more people are leaving the country than are arriving.

Essay Number 1:

I believe “middle ground” in the argument about globalization is agreeing with some pros and some cons. For example, I think that globalization is helping our world in a sense that other countries get to experience our culture. An example of this is having McDonalds in China. By letting poor countries trade with rich countries, they are not only letting us experience their culture, but also getting money for their economy from the trade. This is another pro I agree with. One con I agree with is that it is not fair that the rich which is only 20% of the world’s population, gets to use up 86% of the whole world’s resources. That leaves only 14% for 80% of the world. I also think that it is wrong that people have to work their butt off in sweatshops only to have most of the money they make from the products go to countries like the U.S. were the product is based. This is not helping the developing countries economy at all. I don’t completely agree with one side of this tough argument, but think there is a middle.

New York Times Essay:

This article is about how Mexicans see immigration both legally and illegally to the United States. A large number of them have claimed that they would want to migrate here even though they know it could be tough. Mexicans have many push and pull factors as well such as unemployment, a better economy and health care, and a better chance to earn money. 78% said that they are not happy with the way their nation is headed. There have been fewer immigrants from Mexico to the U.S. lately but, a survey thinks this is only temporary. Mexico has more emigrants than migrants and more and more people are migrating from Mexico to the United States.