Tan Yiwei Darren - Social Problems in a Global Context

Ecology: Waste management and environmental sustainability in Singapore

2008-11-07T22:10:00.000+08:00

Singaporeans are generally fortunate relative to our regional neighbours in the sense that we can breathe clean air and enjoy green spaces. The number of private vehicles on the roads is limited by expensive prices and even more exorbitant prices of COEs, thus ensuring good air quality.

The state puts lots of effort into waste management and sustainable development.

Singapore has just opened the Marina Barrage, the first city reservoir. It is a model of sustainable development. The nation stands to be completely self sufficient in water. Other than increasing the nation’s water supply, Singapore's largest solar park, at 1,200 sq m or about a third the size of a football field, is also there - with 405 solar panels generating 'green' power for the facility. Grass on the roof also helps to lower the building’s temperature so that less energy is used.

To cater to the increasing waste of Singaporeans, in 1999, a $1.3 billion offshore landfill was created by joining Pulau Semakau to Pulau Sakeng with rock bunds. The dumping ground covers an area of 350 hectares and has a capacity of 63 million cubic metres. Rubbish is taken by barge out to sea and spread over 840 football fields, and piled three storeys high.

During the construction of the landfill, effort was made to protect the marine ecosystem, especially mangroves and corals. 13 hectares of mangroves were replanted to replace those removed during construction of the bund. However, one wonders if quick-fix replanting can actually compensate for untouched thousands-year-old mangroves. Wildlife continues to thrive on Pulau Semakau, and the air and water quality remains good. In 2005, the island was opened to the public for nature-related recreational activities such as bird-watching and intertidal walks. Next week, its green technologies such as solar energy and algae farming will be showcased at the International Solid Waste Association’s annual congress here.

However, communities on the islands were driven out and their way of lives destroyed. Pulau Sakeng used to be the location of a sea village (kampong laut) inclusive of several shops catering to islanders and visitors. The village was built largely on stilts over a reef flat. Most of the villagers were subsistence fishers, making a living off the nearby reefs. Pulau Semakau housed a slightly smaller community. One of the oldest residents continued to live on the island even after the settlers were relocated to mainland. He eventually moved out as well, as the jetty fell into disrepair. As we can see, the actions of the mainland population have affected the communities on the islands.

Waste management fails to address the problem of the average Singaporean throws away about 1.1 kg of solid waste a day, a figure that is one of the highest in the world. It is a four-fold increase over the last 20 years, a situation created by our consumption culture that comes with economic development.

Despite the presence of environment interest groups such as Earthlink in NTU and the Nature Society, Singaporeans are generally insouciant to the plight of deteriorating environment. According to the National Environment Agency the Singaporean uses an average of 600 plastic bags annually. Recently going ‘green’ has become fashionable. Corporations have superficial, ineffective green campaigns that only last for a limited period of time to encourage Singaporeans to be environmentally friendly. For example, during my work stint in media company MediaCorp this year, they launched a month-long green initiative Saving Gaia. While the company exhorted the public to go green, the board members continued driving their fuel-guzzling SUVs and other big cars. Also, Singapore’s largest supermarket chain NTUC Fairprice dedicates every Wednesday to being Bring Your Own Bag Day. It is however a mere half-hearted effort as plastic bags can still be bought at a paltry 10 cents each. This is ineffective in stamping out the use of plastic bags. Food courts now charge 20 cents for the plastic container for take-outs which may cost less than $3, and patrons simply pay up.

One also observes in the neighbourhood that recycling is done with disregard to human safety and in relation to poverty. Low-income and elderly karung guni (rag-and-bone) people sieve through dustbins to find items that can be recycled. They are exposed to batteries filled acid, plastics that release toxins and bacteria-laden decomposing food items.

References

Ang Keng Hong Phillip. 8 March 2008, “Curbing plastic bag usage: FairPrice, please copy Ikea”, The Straits Times, http://www.straitstimes.com/print/ST%2BForum/Online%2BStory/STIStory_214442.html

APEC-ISTI. September 2008, “Environmental Technology in Singapore – A Country Study”, http://www.apec-isti.org/isti/abridge/sgz/zsgzenv.htm

Liaw Wy-Cin. 1 November 2008, “First city reservoir opens”, The Straits Times, http://www.straitstimes.com/Prime+News/Story/STIStory_297019.html?sunwMethod=GET

Wild Singapore. “Pulau Semakau” http://www.wildsingapore.com/places/semakau.htm

Technology: Technology controls our lives

2008-10-31T13:25:00.000+08:00

The advent of information technology (IT) has affected society on an immense scale. On an inter-personal level, social relations have been greatly affected. For example, in the past, to send birthday wishes one would send dedicated birthday cards or at least make a phone call. With the arrival of Facebook and mobile phone texting, wishes are not as sincere anymore as they are easily dispensed with the click of the mouse or typing of the keyboard. Going online to chat with friends and to read blogs every night is a ritual among people my age. No doubt it is a way to keep in touch with many friends at once with this new found interconnectedness, but it also means that those who do not subscribe to technology are neglected and forgotten. IT may reduce social isolation for people in rural areas, with prospects of opening a world of global contacts and new relationships. It is however, also isolating because people now maintain virtual friendships in virtual communities from the confines of their rooms.

The Internet, an invention of humans, has turned into the inventor – today we have come to rely on the Internet to programme our social behavior. People depend on it as the solution to their everyday lives. Find an answer on Google. Find instant love with an account and profile – it is why the online dating industry is booming. Get a coveted job by buying a degree for US$50 and you can get a prestigious certificate from a university of your choice, if online advertisements are to be believed. Morals have also been altered. Take Google’s new Mail Goggles for example. It restrains one from sending off angry or embarrassing emails and regretting it later by flashing five mathematical sums which he has to answer before the email gets sent. This points to the diminishing of good old-fashioned self-control and self-respect for others.

Governments around the world recognize that computing power is global power. Technology has also become an important tool for economic reasons, and for elites to maintain their position of authority.

One observes that the Singapore state has many investment stakes in the Asian telecommunications industries. This is because with the world becoming increasingly wired, lots of money can be made in providing communication services. SingTel has stakes in mobile companies in Thailand, India, the Philippines, Australia and Pakistan among others; and SingTel’s parent company is Temasek Holdings, which the sovereign wealth fund of the Singapore state.

In North Korea, the authoritarian communist regime utilizes television and radio as a means to maintain its position of power, and to repress and indoctrinate the population with propaganda. All domestic radio and television are controlled by the state. Radio and television receivers are locked to government-specified frequencies. Content is supplied almost entirely by the official Korean Central News Agency, which fawns daily coverage of “Dear Leader” Kim Jong Il. The country’s poverty or famines are never mentioned. After a deadly munitions train explosion in April 2004 in Ryongchon, the KCNA reported that citizens displayed the “spirit of guarding the leader with their very lives” by rushing into burning buildings to save portraits of Kim before searching for family members. The international press was barred from the scene, where more than 150 died and thousands were injured.

Technology is also a means of maintaining inequality. As power lies more in information and knowledge, and less in production, large multinational corporations produce designs, programmes, patents and copyrights that allow them to direct and profit from the production in developing countries. This allows for the immense proliferation of wealth of MNCs while developing countries languish in poverty because cheap labour is exploited by the power elite.

References

Committee to Protect Journalists. 2 May 2006, “North Korea tops CPJ list of ’10 Most Censored Countries’ ”, http://www.cpj.org/censored/index.html

Tan Weizhen. 27 October 2008, “Is the Net minding your manners?”, The Straits Times, pg B10, Singapore Press Holdings

Population and Health: Healthcare in Singapore

2008-10-24T14:27:00.000+08:00

In Singapore, the state plays a huge role in healthcare. The underlying rationale for healthcare in Singapore is economic rationality. Because Singapore’s only “natural resource” are its people, the state needs its people to stay healthy and to join (and stay in as long as possible) the workforce and to power its economy.

There is a top-down management of healthcare in Singapore. In primary school, Health Education as a subject is taught to children. Children are taught to eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly and avoid tobacco. There are compulsory Physical Education lessons, and obesity and underweight among students are managed respectively. The National Physical Fitness Award (NAPFA) test was introduced in schools in 1982 at the secondary and pre-university levels and in 1992 at the primary level as an indicator of fitness levels of students. When males reach the age of 18, they are drafted into the defence forces where they will undergo more physical training. In new towns, there are community centres which have gyms and badminton, basketball, and football courts among other sports facilities. In its battle against smoking, the state bans targets to eventually implement a near-blanket ban on smoking in public places, and cigarette packaging in Singapore has mandatory pictures that show graphic images of a cancerous lung, for example.

The state also has imposed the Central Provident Fund act on working adults such that they set aside 20% of their monthly salary. The money accumulated can be used for hospitalization and withdrawn in old age. This creates a self dependency among the population for their health needs.

From the Sernau reading this week, “an ironic relationship exists between health and population: The sickest populations… have the highest rates of population growth. As a result, seeing each person as unique, precious, and worthy of great investments of time and money goes hand in hand with slowing population growth”. This can be observed in the 1960s. The state implemented the stop-at-two policy in order to curb the rapidly expanding population when there was polio, tuberculosis and cholera, and the state also introduced vaccines. These diseases have been eradicated since then. Shifting the population into HDB flats was also a huge step in improving the health standards because squatter settlements were a breeding ground for diseases.

The healthcare system in Singapore also demonstrates the class inequality that exists. Private (and better) healthcare is available only to the wealthy, while the middle and working class are able to afford public healthcare. If one goes to observe the polyclinics in the heartlands, a long queue of elderly people starts forming even before the opening time to obtain cheap healthcare. On the other hand, private hospitals are situated near the upper class districts to cater to them – Mount Alvernia Hospital at Lornie Road, Mount Elizabeth at Orchard Road, Gleneagles Hospital at Napier Road.

With globalization, we also see the proliferation of health products. Multinational gym companies such as California Fitness have set up branches in Singapore. These are actually reactions to the modern lifestyles of sedentary jobs and fast-food diets, which are products of globalization and capitalism. Health products are also enhanced by the media, which often expounds the image of slim people as beautiful people.

In the field of palliative healthcare, more specifically on the talk of legalizing euthanasia here, a reason cited during feedback sessions with public has been “financial burden”. It is perhaps a veiled protest against the high costs of healthcare. Rather, I feel it reflects how morals in society have degenerated with the spread of capitalism. Everything has an economic value placed on it – old and disabled people are perceived as de-valued because they are expensive to take care of.

References

Agence France Presse. 9 March 2005, “Singapore to extend smoking ban to pubs, bus shelters”, http://www.singapore-window.org/sw05/050309a2.htm

Khalik, Salma. 22 October 2008, “Euthanasia law: Let’s take it slow and easy”, The Straits Times, pg A2, Singapore Press Holdings

Urbanization: Urbanization in Singapore with the focus on housing

2008-10-17T14:25:00.000+08:00

When Singapore became independent in Singapore in 1965, the state embarked on an economic programme of industrialization. Urbanization and its public housing policy was the main means to accomplish this. Farming was seen as having low value and removed, and the population was moved into Housing Development Board flats to pressure them to work in wage-paying jobs, instead of being able to rely on their families’ welfare, and so as to pay off their house installments. The arrival of new towns meant the arrival of the now standard spatial separation between places of work leisure and home. About 90% of the population lives in HDB flats today.

Established settlements which had to be demolished in order to make land available for new housing estates were justified by an ideology that ‘land is scarce’ in Singapore. Communities of urban squatters or semi-rural villages tended to be racially homogenous, for example Malay kampongs or Chinese shophouses. Destruction of these estates meant the destruction of ‘racial’ residential areas and their attendant cultural practices (Chua and Kuo, 1995). The dispersions have the worst consequences for minority groups. Since quotas for each of the three races for each HDB block are controlled, this deprives minority groups of certain social supports that can be fulfilled by their respective members. For example, working Malay Muslim parents find it difficult to entrust childcare responsibilities to non-Malays because of stringent rules on food and gender relations. But this is justified by the state’s interest to encourage inter-racial understanding.

As with other urbanized countries, we can also observe the class inequality in different urbanized areas of Singapore.

Although HDB flats look similar from the outside, if one looks within the blocks, different estates house different types of residents. Chinatown, more specifically Kreta Ayer, though beside the Central Business District, retains its population of elderly and poor people, setting a contrast. I also see similar circumstances of destitution in Tiong Bahru, Whampoa and Kallang. Along Kallang River, there are even vagrants who sleep on benches and bathe in public toilets.

One also observes that the best schools which cater to a lot of the upper class are situated in the Bukit Timah area, while neighbourhood schools are located in the heartlands and cater to the middle and working classes’ children’s educational needs, further exemplifying the concept of core and periphery.

A characteristic of urbanization is the immigration of people from the rural areas to the city. In Singapore’s case, foreigners come to Singapore to work. Expatriates are treated with envy and resentment, while blue-collar workers from South Asia are looked down on.

Foreign workers usually live in dormitories in industrial areas such as Tuas, Woodlands and Kaki Bukit. But in September, the Government’s plan to site a dormitory for foreign workers in the private estate of Serangoon Gardens caused a major furore among its residents. They described the move as one that will “create security and social problems and spoil the ambience of the estate” and petitioned to protest against the plan. In the end, the state compromised by giving the dormitory space to male and female workers from the manufacturing and service industries rather than the construction sector, and constructing a $2-million road that is away from the estate. This shows Singaporeans’ intolerance for blue collar workers. Even though Singaporeans know they are needed to build our houses and roads, they prefer to be ignorant when it comes to providing shelter, a basic human necessity, for these people.

References

Chua Beng Huat and Eddie Kuo. 1995 “The Making of a New Nation: Cultural Construction and National Identity”, in Chua Beng Huat, Communitarian Ideology and Democracy in Singapore. London: Routledge, pp 114

Lim, Lydia. 7 September 2008, “Why I did not sign the petition”, The Sunday Times, pg 4, Singapore Press Holdings

Tan Dawn Wei. 12 October 2008, “The ‘Them And Us’ Divide”, The Sunday Times, pg 27, Singapore Press Holdings

Globalized Identity – Singapore Identity, Women in South Korea

2008-10-10T13:40:00.000+08:00

What is identity to me? I’ve been brought up thinking I’m Singaporean, Chinese and Taoist. These are the most common, basic identifications we are given living in Singapore, perhaps internalized by the government.

I however feel that the Singaporean identity is mostly one united by desire for economic gain. It has existed since the PAP came into power. When we were unceremoniously booted from our merger with Malaysia, the state had to form an identity for the nation-state (as opposed to the people having a common identity and thus forming a nation). It thus formed one that is committed to economic achievement and pragmatism, which has existed till today. The state has created a sense of national pride in Singapore as country which rose from a third world to a first world country, with nothing but the people’s hard work and the state’s administration. This has also developed a shared identity of worrying about jobs and our children’s studies.

The ideology of multiculturalism prescribed by the state (with me being Chinese) which accords equal status to the various races has functioned as a powerful force against ethnic discrimination, thus fostering solidarity. There is a shared fear of racial strife, which occurred in the past.

I feel the state though placing a great emphasis on the material chase, also emphasizes practice of religion in our daily lives. This is because organized religion is “the opiate of the masses”. Religions usually teach conservative values. As such, citizens will be docile and obedient, willing to listen to the state’s policies even if the policies would affect us negatively.

I read an article that was deeply interesting. It was about how neo-Confucianism in South Korea serves to sustain a legitimizing identity in women in South Korea through plastic surgery.

In South Korea, parents offer their children cosmetic procedures as high school graduation presents. 62% of women have undergone cosmetic surgery before. This is built on neo-Confucianism, what I interpret as Confucian fundamentalism suited to our modern times. In Confucianism, the ever-flowing life force called Chi permeates everything. That which flowed through your ancestors’ bodies now flow through yours. But only males have Chi; females are mere receptacles of it. Women are only valued for their bodies as the means of reproducing the larger body – family, society.

Today, neo-Confucianism is the essence of the Korean identity and the state ideology. With consumerist desires and the Korean War idealizing Caucasian bodies as perfect and Asian bodies imperfect, women pursue plastic surgery. As they have internalized the notion that they are bodies and have no selves, and the larger body is more important than themselves, they go under the knife to express sameness; to look alike, not different. The pressure on women to conform to neo-Confucianist rules has turned into pressure to follow this new rule of bodily self-improvement for the unity and stability of the larger body and social harmony. The closer one is brought to the Caucasian ideal, the better her prospects in finding a better job and husband.

References

Ho, Andy. 9 October 2008, “Korean women’s plastic pressures”, The Straits Times, pg A29

Democracy & Human Rights: Democracy and human rights in Singapore

2008-10-03T13:38:00.000+08:00

Ever since the People’s Action Party seized power in 1959 after an electoral process, they have continued their single party domination unabated ever since.

From my personal observation, they have today become an authoritarian democracy to keep them in power and to ensure the country’s political and economic stability.

In Singapore, general elections are very much a democratic process. But the issue is that majority of the constituencies are won by a walkover; there is hardly any opposition parties to contest the incumbent. This is a stark contrast to the days of pre-independence, where the political scene was full of fervor. This can be due to Singaporeans being socialized from a young age into fearing to challenge the PAP. Over the years, many opposition leaders such as Chee Soon Juan and the late JBJ Jeyaratnam have been successfully sued many times by the PAP for defamation.

The constituency of Potong Pasir is one of the last bastions of opposition presence. It is presided over by veteran opposition leader Chiam See Tong’s Singapore Democratic Alliance since 1984. As a result, the estate is underdeveloped compared to other constituencies in Singapore. Roads have potholes, only one bus service plies the estate and there is a lack of sheltered walkways for residents. The estate is neglected because it is not under the rule of the PAP.

If one equates democracy with civil society, Singapore definitely does not qualify as a democracy. The state rules with strict laws and limits on freedom of expression.

Under Singapore law, any public protest of at least five people without a permit is deemed illegal, meaning demonstrations seldom occur (http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gP4BVw4tGYmwMGtdLfjp0YQyZlAQ). The only state-designated outdoor free speech venue is Speakers’ Corner at Hong Lim Park. Speakers must register with police and abide by a list of rules which forbid discussion of religion or topics that might provoke racial tension. The venue does not attract many speakers nor listeners.

In 2005, the state decided not to open the Buangkok MRT station with the other stations on the North-East Line due to an insufficient population base in the area. A group of grassroots leaders lobbying for its opening placed eight cardboard cut-outs of white elephants near the MRT station in protest, to coincide with a visit by Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister Vivian Balakrishnan. They received stern warning from the police.

The state’s uptightness on protests has also irked international bodies. During the annual International Monetary Board and the World Bank Fund meeting held in Singapore in 2006, protesters were only allowed to protest at a designated indoor area, and an undisclosed number of civic organizations were barred from entering the country. This was despite the World Bank and IMF having invited these groups to attend and requesting that outdoor protests be allowed. In their defence, the state stated that it did not want to compromise the security of the nation as protests could be used as cover by terrorists.

This brings me to another point. In light of post-911 terrorist threats, the state has stepped up its use of the Internal Security Act (ISA), and in turn reduced human rights. The ISA allows the indefinite detention of suspects deemed as threats to national security. In December 2001, thirteen suspected Islamic militants, believed to be members of the Jemaah Islamiyah group, were detained under the ISA for allegedly plotting to blow up the US embassy and other diplomatic missions in Singapore. Some of the ISA’s aspects have been criticised by human rights groups as draconian (www.singapore-window.org/sw02/020413a1.htm). However, the state has to enforce the act in order to prevent damage to national security.

There is hope yet, though. In August this year, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called for the ban on political videos and outdoor demonstrations to be eased as part of a gradual liberalisation of society.

Even then, Singaporeans in general strangely have a lack of motivation to air dissatisfactions or their views, and have an insouciance of the political scene. This may be because Singapore has prospered over the years and is politically stable under the PAP. Multiple parties competing for control may be highly democratic, giving voices to many voices and groups, but the government may be weak and based on shifting coalitions and complex electoral alliances (Sernau, 2006). And also, marginalized groups lack the knowledge of their rights. The citizens also have a fear of speaking out against the ruling party, as mentioned earlier.

One more interesting point is how the state even seeks to control the citizens’ money. From the age of eighteen, Singaporeans have to set aside 20% of their monthly income and accumulate till retirement when funds can be withdrawn. In between, the fund can be used to buy HDB flats built by the government. This may actually be a plot to make Singaporeans buy flats built by the state.

References

Agence France Presse. 12 April 2002, “Singapore to raise public awareness
about Internal Security Act”, Singapore Window, http://www.singapore-window.org/sw02/020413a1.htm

Agence France Presse. 21 August 2008, “Seven charged in Singapore over IMF-World Bank protests: activist”, http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gP4BVw4tGYmwMGtdLfjp0YQyZlAQ

Arnold, Wayne. 12 September 2006, “Singapore tightens cordon on protest”, International Herald Tirbune, http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/09/08/news/sing.php

Au Yong, Jeremy. 26 September 2008, “Whatever happened to the white elephant station”, The Straits Times, pg A36

Sernau, Scott, 2006, Global Problems: The Search for Equity, Peace and Sustainability, Pearson Education

WAR – Is the prospect of World War III thinkable?

2008-09-19T15:47:00.000+08:00

World Wars I and II claimed millions of victims, caused suffering to even more, and massive destruction occurred. However, these statistics do not matter to many countries and societies which still continue to engage in destructive conflict and war. Will another World War ever occur?

The root cause of World War II was the madness of Adolf Hitler. He wanted to expand Germany and had a plan for world domination. In addition he had allies in Japan and Italy and the democratic powers were passive in allowing Germany to build up its military strength and to recover from WW I.

In my perspective, I do not think WWIII will occur.

Globalization and the increasing economic dependence between countries make war too risky and too expensive. There is a conditional loyalty that exists that maintains this social order. Countries that commit atrocities will attract international intervention, usually led by the United States, but it will not lead to war. This can be seen from the human rights abuses by the Burmese junta on protesting monks and civilians which only attracted strong diplomatic urges from the United Nations and US, and no use of force.

Terrorism, which is “the deliberate targeting of more or less randomly selected victims whose deaths and injuries are expected to weaken the opponents’ will to persist in a political conflict” (Turk, 2002) is today’s major problem in the evolution of war. More specifically, a war of ideology is taking place between the US (and the Western world) and Islamic terrorism. The conflict between the two adversaries had been ongoing for years before it came to a head on September 11, 2001. Since then the US has invaded Iraq and Afghanistan, purportedly to eliminate terrorism. Islamic terrorists have also carried out various bombings in Madrid, London and Bali to target Westerners. As allies of the West, some Asian countries also become potential targets of terrorist attacks. One may argue that this may lead to a world war. I believe a world war is already taking place, because the world is against terrorism, but it is not a total war of mindless destruction. Instead, because of the enemy is always in hiding and its operations clandestine, a war of total devastation may not happen.

The number of countries with nuclear capabilities is ever-increasing. Countries include the US, Great Britain, France, Russia, China, India, and Pakistan. As a legacy of the Cold War, a sense of insecurity exists between these countries that one will mount an attack on another, especially since George W Bush’s administration exercised a policy of pre-emption – attacking an adversary in expectation of what might be done in future – in attacking Afghanistan in 2001. A nuclear war may abruptly erupt. But I believe these countries proliferate their nuclear weapons only as a form of deterrence, having the weapons to ensure the other side did not use theirs to in a stalemate of mutually assured destruction.

Therefore, as seen from above, a third World War may not arise even with the global threats of terrorism and nuclear proliferation.

References

Fuller, Richard, 2006, Causes of the Second World War, http://www.rpfuller.com/gcse/history/6.html

Turk, A. T., 2004, "Sociology of Terrorism." Annual Review of Sociology

Crime - caused by inequalities

2008-09-12T13:34:00.000+08:00

In my perspective, with globalization and thus urbanization, the root cause of crime in urban society is inequalities.

With the shift to high technology and knowledge-based economies, employment opportunities favour those who have more formal academic skills. Those who are less educated will find it difficult to gain employment. These are usually the poor and they experience dislocation. The easiest way to make a living is through street crime. This can be seen in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Brazil is a country with extreme inequality, with a small elite controlling the wealth and power and a huge powerless under-class living at subsistence level (http://www.zonalatina.com/Zldata194.htm). This has led to low street safety, kidnappings, and widespread organized street crime.

When the dislocated urban poor turn to drug consumption to seek temporary solace and to quell hunger, this creates a demand for illegal drugs such as heroin. When they are unable to afford to support their addiction, they rob in order to obtain money. A much more severe problem arises when gangs seek to control the movement and sale of drugs. Sao Paulo’s main and most notorious gang, the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) reputedly controls the majority of illegal contraband and drugs coming in and out of the prisons in the state.

The poor are also by no means the only ones to break the law and try to achieve success using illegitimate means. The passion of people to improve their condition means the rich also try to get richer. Politicians and government officials who accept bribes, stockbrokers who deal illegally and employers who do not protect employees from hazardous waste are examples.

Physical inequality causes women and children of the dislocated poorer class to suffer abuse from men who are unable to find unemployment because they are not skilled enough. They are unable to vent frustration on the abstract intangible forces of globalization and thus may use violence on their family members who are at hand.

I agree with sociologist William J. Wilson that the solution to decrease crime is to support education and provide employment opportunities to the marginalized. It is often from lack of legitimate opportunities that crime arises. In addition, salaries of police forces in places such as Sao Paulo can be raised to stem out corruption.

References

Overseas Security Advisory Council, Brazil 2007 Crime & Safety Report: Sao Paulo, https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=62452

Sernau, Scott, 2006, Global Problems: The Search for Equity, Peace and Sustainability, Pearson Education

Zona Latina, 2001, http://www.zonalatina.com/Zldata194.htm

Gender and Family – The women always suffer

2008-09-05T00:41:00.000+08:00

Around the world and through history, immense changes have taken place in the roles of men and women, and the relationship between work and family. More often than not, it is the women who somehow suffer the most whenever these changes happen.

From the 1800s till today, in the idea of the male playing the “good provider role”, men who fail to live up to this role have the option of deserting their families because they cannot provide for them. In a sense, they have more privileges relative to the women. They can move and start over, while the women are left to raise families with no source of income and little support.

The changing global economy is displacing men who are from lower income group and of the working class and rely on strong backs and arms with industrial automation and mechanization. Women are becoming more employable than men in say, assembly or textile plants. They have limitless patience and are willing to work without complaint. The men can only take up odd jobs. As such, women become the major wage earner of the family. The men also find it difficult to step into traditionally female roles – child care and domestic work – or, being a “househusband”. As such women still mend these tasks and have a double burden. In addition, women are the subjects of family abuse when these displaced men take their frustration and violence out on their wives or sisters.

Even when women go out to work, they face discrimination and handicaps. Women around the world face relatively larger barriers in gaining access to skilled positions in the labour market. Data from the International Labour Office for 1995 show that even in the 30 most developed countries in the world, the average percentage of female managers is less than 30%. For Africa and Asia, rates are lower than 15% (Esteve-Volart, 2004).

A report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has said women across the OECD countries are 20% less likely than men to find a paid job, and they earn on average 17% less. Similar gaps are found for ethnic minorities throughout the OECD. The authors attributed one-third of the wage gap between the sexes and 8% of the difference in gender employment rates to discrimination. In Japan its large reserve of well-educated female workers is squandered. Only 67.4% of Japanese women aged 25 to 54 have a job, compared with 93% of males in the same age cohort. Even when hired, Japanese women can expect to receive lower pay than their male colleagues. South Korea was found to have the widest wage differential between men and women. On average, pay for Korean women is about 61% of what the opposite sex earns (Chen, 2008).

With the phenomenon of rising divorce rates after having children, and pre-marital pregnancies, single parenting is the single greatest risk factor for poverty in the US. Single mums are more likely to face poverty than single dads (Sernau, 2006). Births to teens are increasingly to unmarried teens. A teen unmarried mother is likely to be lowly-educated and unprepared for parenthood.

References

Esteve-Volart, Berta. 2004. http://209.85.175.104/search?q=cache:g5aJM89e1xkJ:www.lse.ac.uk/collections/pressAndInformationOffice/newsAndEvents/archives/2004/esteve-volart.doc+women+discrimination+labor&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=sg&client=firefox-a

Sernau, Scott, 2006, Global Problems: The Search for Equity, Peace and Sustainability, Pearson Education

Chen Shu-Ching Jean. 2004. OECD: Japan Wasting Its Female Labor Power
http://www.forbes.com/markets/2008/07/03/japan-employment-gendergap-markets-econ-cx_jc_0703markets03.html

Work and Trade: The Global Division of Labour and its Consequences

2008-08-30T15:49:00.001+08:00

We live in highly complex societies today. Technological economies are based on a complex division of labour. This can be seen everywhere from assembly lines in food, textile and electronic industries, to service industries like doctors practicing in narrow sub-fields of medicine and students majoring in a field of study. This specialization in expertise creates higher standards and greater efficiency when all the workers’ labour is combined, and costs are lower.

However there are many disadvantages to having this inevitably proliferating division of labour.

Capitalist owners, ever-seeking to lower cost and increase profit, are always on the lookout for cheap labour. Workers, being so specialized in their work ironically become deskilled and are unable to move readily between positions. This makes them vulnerable as they can be easily replaced like the cogs in a great impersonal machine (Sernau, 2006)

When seeking out a comparative advantage, they also seek out child labour, depriving children of basic education. According to the UNICEF website, an estimated 158 million children aged 5-14 are engaged in child labour - one in six children in the world. They work in mines, with chemicals, with pesticides in agriculture or with dangerous machinery. They are often invisible, toiling in homes, workshops or plantations. What makes it even more difficult is that these children are burdened by their families to make money and often have a fatalist mindset. They only think of living for the day.

Karl Marx also stated that modern industrial workers in capitalist economies experience extensive alienation. Work which is meant to be ennobling and purposeful has become routine, deskilled, repetitive tasks on minute parts of products that meant nothing to them (Sernau, 2006). This can be illustrated by an incident in June 2008 in Tokyo. A distraught man, fearing losing his temp job in a small-town auto parts factory, went on a killing spree in one of the city’s busiest areas. This raised the plight of temp workers in Japan as the number of traditional “jobs for life” disappear (AFP, 2008). Jobs are not only alienating, but impermanent too.

Perhaps we can take a leaf out of Shell. Their efforts to manage their social impacts are highly publicised. Their oil and gas operations take them to various parts of the world, even to places with poor human rights records. But their actions are guided by their general business principles, which state that they “…conduct business as responsible corporate members of society, to comply with applicable laws and regulations, to support fundamental human rights in line with the legitimate role of business….”. For employees, Shell has direct responsibility for issues such as labour rights, working conditions and freedom from discrimination. They are also commited not to exploit children, through direct employment or indirectly through joint ventures, contractors or suppliers. According to their annual internal questionnaire of senior country representatives, at the end of 2007, Shell companies in 99% of countries where they operate had procedures to prevent child labour. In 98% of countries they also require their contractors to have a procedure in place to prevent child labour.

References

UNICEF, Child protection from violence, exploitation and abuse
http://www.unicef.org/protection/index_childlabour.html

Sernau, Scott, 2006, Global Problems: The Search for Equity, Peace and Sustainability, Pearson Education

AFP, 13 June 2008, Tokyo massacre raises concern for Japan's temp generation, http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/Asia/STIStory_247416.html

Shell, Dealing with specific human rights issues, http://www.shell.com/home/content/responsible_energy/society/using_influence_responsibly/human_rights/human_rights_issues/specific_human_rights_issues_16042007.html

Photo credit: http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/childlabor/

Class and Inequalities: Can we bridge the gap between the rich and poor?

2008-08-23T18:56:00.001+08:00

The world is filled with inequalities. There is the double divide: a big gap between rich and poor nations, and a big gap between the rich and poor within countries. In the centre are the global middle class.

In my essay, I will observe both Smithian and Marxist ideals and inquire of there really is a solution to reducing the world’s inequalities by merging their ideas.

Smith believed that people should be allowed to pursue their own personal, sometimes selfish, gains, individual rights and freedoms. These freedoms will lead to greater wealth. The “invisible hand” of the market will turn ambition into the greatest good for the greatest number.

Marx however, believed that communism, a system of common ownership for the common good, was the way to go.

As we have studied, intense competition created by capitalism drives the capitalist owners to exploit their workers by getting the most work while keeping wage to a bare subsistence level. This creates a gulf in the rich and poor. Communism also will not work to solve the problem of in inequalities; the Soviet Union has split into Russia and other new republics; China, Vietnam and Cuba remain communist but are open to foreign capitalist investment.

Is there an ideal hybrid method of bridging Smithian and Marxist ideas to create a utopian state?

A key step is to limit the power of the government and to encourage privatization. The previous US president Bill Clinton and former Brazil president Fernando Cardoso endorsed policies for sustainable development, in which a smaller but active government promotes trade, while also protecting the rights of workers and assist those who have not reaped the benefits of globalization. This approach sounds ideal but both these countries are now in recession.

Another example is Sweden’s capitalist welfare system. Sweden’s social democrats had maintained a free market. Property rights and the rule of law facilitated economic growth. Between 1870 and 1970 Sweden had the second highest economic growth in the world, second only to Japan. However, during the 1960s, a large scale expansion of the welfare state occurred. Income taxes increased, and the public sector grew. The larger role of the government slowed down entrepreneurship. Sweden has gone from being the fourth richest country in the world in 1970 to being the fourteenth richest in 2002 (Sanandaji, 2005). By adopting communist traits so as to bridge the gap between the rich and poor, the country has instead destroyed the foundation for economic growth and personal accountability.

There seems to be no optimal hybrid. Perhaps, as Marx thought, capitalism must emerge first, so that communism can harness its productive might (Sernau, 2006). But this has yet to occur in any country. And what happens in reality always turns out much different from what seems ideal, so no one knows for sure if it will work.

References

Sernau, Scott, 2006, Global Problems: The Search for Equity, Peace and Sustainability, Pearson Education

Sanandaji, Nima, June 8 2005, Sweden, Capitalism, and the Welfare State, http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig6/sanandaji1.html

Globalization and social problems

2008-08-16T12:33:00.001+08:00

First of all, globalization can be defined as the world and its citizens coming together and being linked although not physically or geographically being together.

I feel that the today’s globalization doesn’t differ much from that of ancient times. From then till now, people venture out for commerce, control and curiosity.

For much of the ancient and medieval world, the greatest centre of power and culture was China. In their sphere were other centres Japan, Vietnam, Mongolia and Tibet. They were constantly in interaction with each other, trading, fighting and exchanging ideas.

Today, the concept of globalization hasn’t changed much. USA are the global superpower. Other countries such as China, India and Russia are its rivals in terms of economic, cultural and political might. The intensity of their rivalry is illustrated by the fact that all the above-mentioned nations have nuclear arms capabilities. This rivalry also causes much insecurity and fragility for each country.

The starkest difference between ancient and modern globalization is probably communication and the speed of information and goods exchange. In the past, for example, the Silk Road was relied heavily upon by ancient Chinese to exchange cultural and technological ideas with the rest of central Asia and even parts of Africa. However, in the modern world, all these exchanges can be done at the click of a mouse or dialling of a telephone.

I feel that globalisation has created many problems as well as benefits. The USA is the epitome in the illustration of the many facets / paradoxes of globalization. The US are the world’s greatest superpower, but it is also a country where poverty is widespread on a scale that is unmatched by any industrial society.

Globalization encourages a high level of competition. Opportunities for prosperity and progress await all. But this has also encouraged greed. The wealthiest become the strongest, while the extremely poor are the weakest. The wealthy take advantage of the poor by exploiting cheap labour, for example. Pick up a Nike product and chances are that it is made in a third-world country where labour is cheap and abundant. The thirst for unilateral power also rears its ugly head: The US invaded Afghanistan and Iraq purportedly to fight terrorism and dictatorship, but critics note the countries’ assets of vast oil fields and accuse the US of plotting to control the world’s oil market.

This monopoly of the world that the US possesses has led to disdain and resentment from the marginalised, which leads to the formation of terrorist cells. With globalization, terrorism has become more widespread.

With globalization, companies operate businesses in many countries, people lose sense of their original roots and identities when they go overseas to work or live for extended periods of time.

With the age of the aeroplane, the classic symbol of a shrinking world, it also means viruses are carried from country to country much easier than before. For example the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome was carried from Hong Kong to Singapore and created a huge pandemic. Most recently, Chikugunya, a mosquito-borne disease was brought into Singapore by Indian carriers.