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Year 11 - Geography

Top-down strategies to reduce global inequalities

Global inequalities

Unit Summary

This unit teaches pupils about global economic development. Pupils learn how, using a variety of measures, economic development is unequal and how this is reflected in demographic characteristics. Pupils learn about the causes and consequences of inequality and consider how they can be reduced.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to describe the advantages and disadvantages of top-down strategies used to reduce global inequalities.

Key Notes

  • Top-down and bottom-up strategies to reduce global inequalities differ in scale, aims, funding and technology.
  • Strategies such as foreign direct investment contribute to globalisation, but some countries benefit more than others.
  • Foreign direct investment by TNCs can lead to large-scale, economic change; but profits leak and jobs may be short-term.
  • Loans from IGOs for large infrastructure projects can deliver technological solutions, but also risk debt problems.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • transnational corporation: TNCs are firms that own or control productive operations in more than one country
  • intergovernmental organisation: IGOs are established by a treaty or agreement between countries pursuing a common goal, e.g. World Bank
  • globalisation: the increased interconnectedness of the world, economically, politically and culturally

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • The 'global shift' of manufacturing industries from developed to emerging and/or developing countries was a one-off movement of jobs.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain this geography topic using two clear key points.

Top-down and bottom-up strategies to reduce global inequalities differ in scale, aims, funding and technology. Strategies such as foreign direct investment contribute to globalisation, but some countries benefit more than others.

2. Define this geography term and use it in an example. 'transnational corporation'

TNCs are firms that own or control productive operations in more than one country.

3. Correct this common geography misunderstanding.

Mistake: The 'global shift' of manufacturing industries from developed to emerging and/or developing countries was a one-off movement of jobs. Correction: TNCs continue to seek locations with the lowest wages, meaning the loss of manufacturing jobs from emerging countries is possible; so some of the benefits of FDI may only be short-term.

More Lessons In This Unit

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