Chapter 23, Maya Coffee Farms, WP Article

Chapter 23 compares the differences between global inequality and individual inequality (inequality within a single country) by using three different methods. This chapter was very informative, and each method broke down the various concepts within global inequality and how, depending how you analyze it (positives vs. negatives), can affect the way in which inequality is measured. "True" inequality, as mentioned in the text, is the best way to depict the trend in global economics through the years, because it factors in what the other two methods overlooked: the differences in income from person to person in each country, and the price levels those people face. This information is subject to change overtime as price levels increase and vary from nation to nation. Not to mention the fast growth of nations overtime, as seen with China and India, can greatly impact global inequality and even cause it to decrease.  

The article "Maya Coffee Farms" conveys a real-world example of the "commodity chain" discussed in class where the farmers have the least power. As an alternative to the commodity chain, the concept of "fair trade" is introduced as a way to help improve the development of disempowered producers, such as community members in a Tz'utujil Maya community in Guatemala. In reading about the benefits and drawbacks of this movement, one part that stuck out to me the most was the farmer's trade relationships and prices. Although the trade relationships maintained between roasters and importers, as well as the guaranteed price allow for the producers to live somewhat of a sustainable life, the earnings that these farmers receive are still undesirable and just enough for them to maintain their current standard of living rather than grow and develop. 

The article "The Cobalt Pipeline" addresses the significant global impact that the DRC has on the cobalt trade and the production of lithium-ion batteries. Once again, the reader's are shown the unsavory and unethical ways in which materials for large manufacturers are harvested. In this instance, miners in the Congo, a lot of which are children, are responsible for mining cobalt in dangerous working conditions. Much like other instances we've seen in class, regarding children and/or adult workers being forced to work long hours for little pay, with regular risk of workplace casualties, the companies accused of sourcing their materials from these mines have claimed they were unaware about the way in which the cobalt was harvested. Additionally, many companies when confronted with these accusations either promise that they do vet where the materials for their products come from, or that they will start doing that moving forward. After seeing the exact same story time and time again, with companies claiming they were unaware of sweatshops and child labor and environmental effects of their operations, it's clear that this is a pattern. Unsurprisingly, international companies like LG or Apple do not care where their materials are sourced from, or how they are sourced so long as they can produce their product as quickly and as cheaply as possible.