Global Inequalities In Developing Countries

An African man walks home from the local market to count the earnings he has made from his corn crops. He counts $2, just enough to feed his family. He owns the last plot of farmland in his village, but this will soon change, as another corporation needs space for agriculture. This man will be displaced along with other villagers with nowhere to work. The domination of developing countries is not uncommon and is threatening the human rights of individuals around the world. The uphold of human rights continue to benefit rich populations while the poor suffer because of inequalities in the world 's systems as well as the systems within impoverished countries. These inequalities are supported by discrimination against populations, corruption in …show more content…
Globalization is short for global capitalism. The system works well for developed countries, but the world 's markets are too biased for developing countries to compete. Two dominant institutions that push globalization are the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. These institutions are led by the West 's rich and powerful. To be specific, the World Bank is 51% funded by the US treasury and the US has veto power in the IMF with 17% of the voting rights (Jalloh, 2007). The methods that support the best interests of the West are privatization, trade liberalization, and high interest rates, which create larger gaps between the rich and poor. In 1998, 80% of the world 's income was used by only 15% of the world 's population (Vidyapeeth, 2000). At the beginning of the rise of globalization income had only been distributed to higher-class populations in the world. The first efforts of globalization were in Mexico. The goal to create short-term capital diverted funds from the basic necessities of the population. From 1987-1994, minimum wage rose by 136% and the cost of basic consumer goods increased by 371% (Global Exchange, 2001). The government also stopped supporting local farmers and implemented free trade, which caused a 45% decrease in the prices that local corn farmers receive (2001). With the IMF and the World Bank pushing the agenda of foreign investment, the NAFTA agreement …show more content…
Transparency International has found that more than 6 billion people live in a country with a serious corruption problem (Fig.1). Corruption can either divert government funding to personal bank accounts or it can consist of petty bribes (Transparency International, 2010). Corruption in the healthcare system reduces funding, resulting in inadequate healthcare. In Liberia, investigators found that employees of the Ministry of Health & Social Welfare were responsible for $4 million in missing funds, which were equivalent to 20% of the ministry 's budget (2010). Another form of corruption that occurs in the healthcare system is the administration of counterfeit drugs. In China, fake drugs account for 200,000 to 300,000 annual deaths (2010). There is also a lot of corruption in water resources and other infrastructures that the general public require to survive. The corruption of these infrastructures causes the poverty of communities. Corruption in water networks raises the price of water by 30-40% (2010). This corruption occurs in locations that are "off the grid" such as slums. Since individuals corrupt the water system for profit, the public cannot access these systems, forcing them to turn to other methods to survive. In Nairobi, Kenya, families must pay bribes to connect to the water system (2010). The average poor family in Mexico spends just over 20% of their income on bribes so they