Maintaining Global Stratification

• Why do the same countries remain rich year after year?

Maintaining Global Stratification

• Sociologist Michael Harrington argued that colonialism went away, replaced by neocolonialsim

• Industrialized nations turned to international markets as a way to control Least Industrialized Nations

• Exception to the rule is the Middle East• Saudi Arabia supply low price oil even though this area is a

hostile area (US supports the royal family of Saudi Arabia)• US will overlook human rights violations and furnishing the

latest weapons

Multinational Corporations• Companies that operate across national boundaries• Some cases Multinational Corporations exploit Least

Industrialized Nations– United Fruit Co. controlling politics in Central America

• Maintain international stratification simply by doing business – Work with the elite of Least Industrialized Nations

• Beneficiary is the Most Industrialized Nations• Corporations will also move labor to Least Industrialized

Nations

Technology

• Companies put more money into technology to increase profits.

• Ex: Gillette spent $100 million in their production or razor blades

• Least Industrialized Country would love to have $100 million just for their economy