Report: The
Persistent Problem--Inequality, Difference, and the Challenge of Development
Released
on July 10, 2008
Global levels of
inequality today are at extremely high levels even as conditions for
alleviating deprivation are more favorable than ever before.
Inequities in the international system and within developing countries
threaten to halt progress toward greater democratization and economic
development for the poorest countries in the world.
The report by the Task
Force on Difference, Inequality, and Development of the American
Political Science Association, entitled The Persistent
Problem: Inequality, Difference, and the Challenge of Development, highlights
how these problems threaten efforts to alleviate deprivation such as
the Millennium Development Goals. It shows that in an increasingly
interdependent world, international institutions should be made more
accountable to poor countries if they are to maintain their legitimacy
and effectiveness.
For democracy and capitalism to fulfill their promise of ending deprivation
in developing countries, they must be based on institutions that
reflect their distinctive histories and cultures. Deepening
democratic processes in developing countries is essential for
establishing political and economic institutions to equitably reflect
local experiences. Effective change will be interactive, not imposed.
Full
Report
Executive Summary
I. Introduction: Inequality in a
World of Promise
II. What We Know About Global
Inequalities -
Income Polarization -
Household Wealth -
New Inequalities among
“Developing” Countries -
Accelerated Growth but the
Persistent Challenge -
Sidebar: Africa: The Challenges of
Global and Domestic Inequality
III. Inequality, Difference, and the
Politics of Global Markets -
Global Trade in an Unequal World -
Institutions and Power
Disparities -
Sidebar: The WTO Process -
Global Finance in an Unequal World -
More Frequent Financial Crises -
Cost of Restoring Stability
IV. Domestic Inequality and the Politics
of Economic Development -
Inequality and Growth -
Reforming Economic Institutions -
Colonial Legacies, Inequality, and
Economic Development -
More Democracy but Increasing
Inequality -
Impact of International Markets
and Technological Development -
Limited Advance of Democracy in
Developing Countries -
New Patterns of Popular Mobilization -
Persistent Inequalities Often Increase
Inefficiency and Insecurity -
Sidebar: China: Rapid Growth but
Increasing Inequality and Insecurity -
Sidebar: India: Persistent Problems of
Inequality and Insecurity Despite
Accelerating Growth
V. Confronting Social Difference:
Marginalization, Conflict, or
Recognition? -
Sidebar: The Myth of the “Primordial”
Ethnic Conflict -
Democracy and Violence -
Marginalization and the
Post-Liberal Challenge
VI. Conflict and Economic
Development
VII. Conclusion: Overcoming
Persistent Inequalities
Bibliographic Essay
Globalization and Global Inequalities
Inequality, Difference and the
Politics of Global Markets
Domestic Inequality and Economic
Development
Conflict and Economic Development
Endnotes
Executive Summary
Bibliographic Essay
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| Report Fact Sheets
Each fact sheet below summarizes the key
points from each main section of the report The Persistent Problem:
Inequality, Difference, and the Challenge of Development.
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All figures, charts, and graphs
from the task force report The Persistent Problem: Inequality,
Difference, and the Challenge of Development are available
for download here. These images are available for public use with
appropriate citation
Figure 1: Inequality,
Social Hierarchy, and the Persistence of Inequality
Figure 2: Historical
Trends in Global Inequality, 1820-1992
Figure 3: International
Inequality Measured by Gini Coefficients, 1950-2000
Figure 4: International
Income Polarization in PPP$, 1960-2005
Figure 5: Net
Wealth Per Adult in 2000
Figure 6: Number
of People in Absolute Poverty ($1/day) Per Region, 1981-2004
Figure 7: Distribution
of Manufacturing Exports from Developing Countries, 1990-1999
Figure 8: Distribution
of Foreign Direct Investment Inflows to Developing Countries,
1990-1999
Figure 9: Developed
Country Tariffs Against Imports by Region, 2000
Figure 10: Frequency
of Financial Crises
Figure 11: Inequality
Within Countries--Trends from 73 Countries from 1950s-1990s
Figure 12: Financial
Crises and Income Distribution
Figure 13: Regime
Types in Developing Societies, 2001
Figure 14: Unemployment
in Developing Countries by Region
Figure 15: Non-Agricultural
Self-Employment in Developing Countries
Figure 16: Armed
Conflicts, 1990-2000
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