There are two sets of questions below (three questions just below the first two clips that deal with stratification within the U.S., and one following the second set of clips that deal with the broader topic of global stratification):
Also: Take a look at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Poverty Guidelines for 2022 before responding/as you consider your responses to the questions below: https://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty-guidelinesLinks to an external site.
Additionally, please review the report published by the U.S. Congressional Budget Office:
Explain how Increasing the Federal Minimum Wage Could Affect Employment and Family IncomeLinks to an external site.
Questions:
What is a meritocracy or “open” stratification system according to your readings. If the U.S. is a developed nation and really has an open stratification system based on meritocracy, why have so many low-wage and even middle class workers and families been struggling to make ends meet even before the pandemic? Given what you read and saw in the clips above, why does the U.S. have the most extreme inequality of all developed nations such that the gap between the “top” and “middle” (not to mention the top and bottom)? (hint/reminder: keep such terms from the chapter as oligarchy, capitalism, stratification, etc. in mind as you develop your response).
Take a look at the poverty threshold (poverty line) for a family of 4 as defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as well as the report published by the Congressional Budget Office about how increasing the minimum wage will impact family income (the links are above under the movie links). Provide what you would consider a better/fairer poverty threshold for a family of 4 (literally give a dollar figure and remember that a higher dollar figure means we can take care of more families and provide more resources than the low amounts the HHS has posted p so your recommendation should be higher than the HHS figures…) and briefly justify your recommendation. While raising the minimum wage is a good thing and long overdue, will this increase really help or hurt more families who typically struggle with poverty (briefly discuss)?
Using one of the three classical theoretical perspectives (functionalism, conflict, or interactionism), discuss reasons why the rich are able to get richer – even during a pandemic and the poor seem to slide further into poverty – even when economic conditions are good and in the absence of a pandemic.
Using Dependency Theory, provide at least one way that you think we can end global absolute poverty (if you do not feel that it is possible briefly discuss why). Then, using Wallerstein’s World Systems Theory, briefly indicate which nations (by type: core, peripheral, or semi-peripheral) benefit the most and which level is abused the most as it relates to actions that are SUPPOSED to help like operating a transnational conglomerate such as Walmart in multiple countries
