Educating the Masses

Casey French

State-sponsored education is now transforming into global institutions. The concept of educational practices is being homogenized informally by the ideologies of the western model. Many nations are adapting to globalization through educational means, because they believe education is a global currency that leads to employment and higher wages. This belief is shown through programs within our own campus here at UW-Stevens Point. Study Abroad programs, international student enrollment, and online classes are examples supporting this concept of homogenization. The blending of cultures in the framework of education influence other nation-states to be on par with the rest of the world. Some countries, however, are falling behind in the ranks and this poses a problem to the fate of that nation-state. The nation-state is already at a decline due to the advancements of trade, policy, and technology. Education is the pillar of nation-state institutions and when a country invests limited percent of it's GDP to education, the population suffers, leading to mass-illiteracy and unskilled labor. The structure of schooling is more than just the actual information being transmitted to the population. Children and young adults learn latent curriculum as well, providing them with skills that are beneficial to real-world experiences. Social relationships, personal principles, and obedience to authority is crucial to the well-being of a population at such an impressionable age.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYUEaBTTvx8

Sorry I couldn't put embed the video into my blog. The idea of mass-schooling in Pakistan is very important. The country has a 50% literacy rate and is ranked the lowest in the world in rural communities with 5% literacy. In the video, it describes how the government contributes 2% of it's total GDP towards education. It also shows inside the school and how the structure of the classroom is a replica of the education system of more developed nations. The difference is the lack of qualified teachers and the poor funding and conditions of the institution. I feel this video is important because as the nation-state is weakening by globalization, some countries are taking education for granted and are setting themselves up for poverty and instability.

The World Bank

10/17/13

The World Bank is international financial organization that strives to reduce poverty in developing countries through loans. Through collaboration with nation-states, The World Bank follows a strict criteria that dictates whether or not that developing country qualifies for a loan. This organization wants to combat extreme hunger/poverty and HIV/AIDS diseases as well as promote environmental sustainability and maternal health. The World Bank also require nation-states to have universal primary education and they advocate countries to tackle child mortality rates. The World Bank was created in 1944 and is based in the United States. The United Kingdom also has a major role in the decision-making, but is more linked to the International Monetary Fund. Together, those two nations are the most powerful of negotiating terms. France was the first country to receive a loan from the World Bank over Poland and Chile, who also requested assistance at the time. A common tendency of the World Bank is to closely monitor and ensure that the country they lend money to meets their conditions. 

The World Bank is extremely influential. Countries that receive the loans could be subjected to manipulation of their government policy. In the past, The World Bank has been involved in demanding privatization and deregulation of certain issues that they believe is to the benefit of that nation-state. The United States has an authoritative role in this organization which poses the question of the legitimacy on the decision-making. Overall, the World Bank's mission is to aid developing countries on their path to becoming a developed country. 

I believe the nation-state is becoming weaker and weaker. Nation-states have little relevance to executive decisions nor much power in enforcing them. The power lies in these organizations that bypass legislation and operate on it's own terms. Nation-states are hindering global economic integration through transaction costs and regulatory processes. They present an obstacle to a unified global market through different currencies. That is why I believe they are becoming obsolete and more assimilation will occur in the near future.

Is stratification inevitable?

10/12/13

In class, we were asked to ponder if stratification is inevitable and/or necessary in society. I felt like the answer was simple and after doing some research, I found theories to support my opinion. Equality is desirable in society. Nobody wants to see overwhelming poverty, intolerance of cultures, or prejudice in the world. However, people have different strengths and abilities that set them apart from others. In some systems like ours, we accommodate those skill-sets with higher incomes and higher social status...in theory (see video attachment below). It is impossible to achieve equality. As much as I hate to say it, that is what makes a human. Our differences is what affects our standing with the people we interact with everyday, whether it be in a positive or negative way (based on a society's ideology). Equality is harmony and only fits into Utopian systems that don't exist. They don't exist because there has to be a universal consensus of what it means to be equal. It's something to strive for, but will never reach. That's the reality.

The real question should be "Is stratification necessary?". In systems like ours, yes. If we had a communist government, our wages would be identical and the inequality would be minimal. But how do you get people to work hard? How do you motivate those that work significantly faster or better than others? We like to be rewarded for our efforts. Otherwise, what's the point, right? Inequality has some positive aspects attached to it. By allowing us to compare ourselves to others, we can improve as individuals and learn from each other. I believe that inequality is necessary evil. Without differences, we are all the same and life would be dull. Many countries try to bridge the gap between classes with taking the money from the rich and dispersing it to those who are poor. That's counterproductive and unjustified. Sadly, I don't have a solution to fix inequality. Sorry.

Here's a few quotes that I found interesting:

“…Stratification can be seen as emanating from several sources (class, status, and party), not simply one’s place in the productive system."

“Those from more-well-to-do families are not necessarily the best and brightest, but they are

given the opportunities, the ‘stage,’ so to speak, in which to pursue and fully develop their aspirations. The system by which the ‘most capable’ are chosen to fill the most important positions is rigged in favor of those closer to the top of the social hierarchy. Again, it is power—political, economic, and social—that is the key to understanding social inequality.”

“Regarding the second key theoretical question, whether social inequality is inevitable, Marx answers a ‘no.’ …The creation of a classless—and thus equitable—society was possible.”

Source: Theories of Class and Social Inequality

This cleverly-made video displays how skewed our system is in reality and how inequality has dangerously escalated in the United States. The video captures the dispersal of wealth within the nation and how the gap between the rich and the middle class has widened and how poverty is threatening the middle class. It's a fascinating, yet scary way of visualizing stratification of wealth.

World Economy & Capitalism

10/6/13

In class we discussed the world economy and how it attempts to categorize large zones into regions based on cultural, political, or geographic similarities. Many of the terms that divide our world today are arrogant and gave the sense that some countries are superior to those that do not have economic stability. Terms like first, second, and third world countries have a crude connotation attached to it. Based on Wallerstein's journal, the world economy tries to incorporate many cultures and groups into areas that believe to have a unifying component. That unifying component is the division of labor. The three categories we discussed were core, semi-periphery, and periphery. Countries are sorted and ranked into these categories based on economic and political strength. Who is to judge the framework of a country's political structure? Is monetary value enough to condemn semi-periphery and periphery countries that are not as industrialized and capitalistic as core countries? Capitalism blends into the world economy perfectly, because what the world economy lacks is what capitalism has to offer. The two components are designed to dominate the open market, offering a universal exchange of wealth through countries all over the world. The downfall of capitalism is that the structure of it's ideology allows for winners and losers. The core countries who have the wealth can manipulate those in the periphery for resources and the semi-periphery for their production. Consumerism in core countries encourages cheap labor costs in periphery and semi-periphery. The real "winner" is this scenario is core countries whose profits explode while others suffer the exploitation of their environment.

If you have the time, you should watch Life and Debt on YouTube. It's an hour long documentary of how organizations like the IMF have control over the economy of developing countries and how they can manipulate policy and growth through debt. The world economy has provided enormous opportunity for growth by integrating open markets and promoting interdependence among countries. However, fluctuating price swings and competition between local markets and the world markets show a darker side of globalization. Globalization constantly pressures developing countries to compete for profitability of their products. In the case of Jamaica, short term loans at full interest by the IMF hinder the ability to achieve economic stability. This documentary shows how countries are kept within the realm of semi-periphery and under the control of organizations in core countries.

If you haven't seen this before, watch it. This short clip gives a realistic perspective of how we take our circumstances for granted.