4. Inequality and Poverty

About this Lecture

Lecture

In this module, we think about globalisation in terms of inequality and poverty, focusing in particular on: (i) the optimistic view of the connection between globalisation and a reduction in global poverty; (ii) the sceptical view of the connection between globalisation and a reduction in global poverty – has poverty in fact decreased and, if so, is it attributable to globalisation?; (iii) the impact of globalisation on inequality; and (iv) the example of Apple, whose first iPhone sold for $500 in the United States, but whose Chinese labour costs were just $6.50 per phone.

Course

In this course, Professor Ray Kiely (Queen Mary, University of London) explores the concept of globalisation. In the first module, we think about what ‘globalisation’ actually means, before introducing three different perspectives on globalisation – hyper-globalism, scepticism and transformationalism. In the second module, we think about the extent to which globalisation has impacted the ‘sovereignty’ of the nation state, before turning in the third module to the rise of global governance. In the fourth module, we think about the impact of globalisation on inequality and poverty, before moving on in the fifth module to consider globalisation through the lens of international relations. Finally, in the sixth module, we think about the rise of anti-globalisation political activism via a case study of the Trump administration in the United States.

Lecturer

Ray Kiely is Professor International Politics at Queen Mary, University of London. His research focuses on conservative thought and practice in the United States and beyond, and how this relates to globalisation. His recent publications include The Neoliberal Paradox (2018), and he is currently working provisionally called Conservative (Anti-)Globalization, which looks at the extent to which the events of 2016 represent a break from neoliberal globalization.