Chapter 23 from the textbook talks about the inequality between countries at the global level and gives examples of ways global inequality can be measured. Inequality 1 accounts for differences at the country level, Inequality 2 looks at the differences at the population level, and Inequality 3 is done at the individual level. What is notable between the three methods is the differences in outcome, where some will show the world becoming more unequal and some showing the world as becoming more equal. It was a bit confusing for me to fully understand the concepts and how the results are achieved, but I have an understanding of how the results are interpreted.
The article on fair trade with the Maya Coffee farmers looks at how fair trade can come with some benefits, but also some negative effects. Benefits that coffee farms may get from being involved with fair trade is the required minimum pricing, or building a good global network for their farm. The structure of the fair with minimum low pricing is said to be set up so that during times of lower pricing on crops farmers still are able to gain a sustainable living. The thing is that's not entirely true with some farmers struggling to even make ends meet. Another thing that is considered a negative of fair trade is debt that farmers end up facing because of the need to accept large loans from corporations who are supposedly “helping” them. Fair Trade is kind of in my opinion advertised as a way to achieve “economic success” for the producers, but when I look at it I just see it as more of a way for large corporations to gain more cash.
The article looking at the Cobalt supply chain in The Democratic Republic of Congo shows the true cost of our technology we use everyday.The mines where cobalt is extracted are far from humane, full of toxic chemical exposure, risky tunnels, extremely low pay (like a few dollars a day), and even having children working in them. This is an example that shows the global unfairness, people mining these important pieces to products making millions do not receive an even close to fair split in that. It highlights how these poorer regions are manipulated into taking these low wages so the rest of the world can enjoy a product at the lowest price. This leaves people like the miners trapped in poverty as the large corporations become richer and richer.
I get what you’re saying about fair trade, especially how it’s presented as something that helps farmers when it doesn’t always work that way in reality. The minimum pricing sounds good, but like you pointed out, if farmers are still struggling or going into debt then it’s not really fixing the problem. I also agree with your point about cobalt mining, because it really shows how uneven globalization is. People are working in those conditions while others benefit from the products, and it feels like there isn’t enough accountability from the companies involved.
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