Erica's Blog

Week 10 Analysis

2005-11-28T22:34:00.000-08:00

The Weight of the World contains essays and interviews by Pierre Bourdieu and many others which address the issues of social suffering in contemporary society. The real life interviews give a voice to the marginalized and exploited. I saw in the stories of the individuals in this book many of the complex issues I have been researching concerning poverty. Several of the stories dealt with the difficulty of making enough money just to survive and provide for one’s family. In Ramon’s situation, he was homeless with a wife and child. He found that there was no way to make money except to sell drugs. I was shocked to read that his welfare money was lessened when he and his wife lived in a shelter because it was rationalized by the state that they were receiving a place to sleep and free meals. However, the money that welfare provided was not enough for them to live on, let alone to provide for a child.

The chapter “Inside ‘The Zone’” described the rampant poverty and violence occurring in the Chicago ghetto while the government ignores the problem. One-half of all households in this particular ghetto live under the poverty line. 75% of all adults are unemployed and 71% need food stamps to survive. It is no surprise in this kind of environment that violence and drugs are prevalent. I am sure when you are deprived of an acceptable way of making ends meet you might resort to using any means necessary. Wacquant writes “caught between the collapse of the wage labor market and the start insufficiencies of welfare support, many ghetto residents have no choice but to turn to the informal economy of the streets and in particular to…drugs (p.135). For Ramon and Rickey, this is an undeniable reality. The authors note that welfare is less about improving the lives of the needy and more about reducing the number of recipients (p.137). Those who do not live in such tragic circumstances do not think it is their responsibility to help others. They assume that with a little effort and determination everyone can become successful. These stories show that there are many places in the U.S. today where this is simply not the case.

Another pervasive problem is the state of the schools. In Chicago, it was reported that the public schools are attended almost entirely by Black and Latino students. Teachers, mayors and school officials do not send their children to the public schools. These schools suffer from constant budget cuts which allow them to spend only half of the money per child that is spent in wealthier towns. Lest we think that this is only a problem in other areas, I happen to know that it is still going on in our own backyard. I was an intern at Harambee Christian Fellowship in Northwest Pasadena this summer. I was shocked and dismayed to learn that the same is true for the majority of high schools in Pasadena. Most of the white children go to private schools or schools in other areas. Evidently, the schools are known to be terrible by all concerned parents in the neighborhood. Violence is rampant, teaching is mediocre and resources are limited. As Christ followers we cannot ignore these problems. We must get involved at whatever level God has placed us and work for change. This book provides the awareness that is a helpful first step in this direction.

Week 9 Analysis

2005-11-21T22:30:00.000-08:00

John Storey‘s book Inventing Popular Culture revolves around the interesting premise that the concept of popular culture was invented in response to middle and upper class fears in order to maintain social class inequalities. The author reaches many of the conclusions I have been coming to, but in so doing, helped me to see how the economic and social inequalities I have been studying have evolved. He begins by noting the perception that culture is distant for the majority because they are a primitive, simple people. There is a fear that the culture of the masses is corrupt and will lead to chaos (p.22). Such critics believed the golden age was marked by authoritarian and hierarchical principles (p.23). They assume that it is “impossible to educate the masses” (p.25). Storey seeks to address the way that many assume popular culture represents “cultural decline and potential political disorder” (p.31).

This entire predicament fits in with the conclusion I have been coming to on the wiki project. If we want to deal with the international economic problems facing our world, we must personally know the poor. We cannot simply assume that people are in dire situations because of laziness or lack of resourcefulness. We must be open to investigating the economic, political and social structures that create and maintain these inequalities. As Storey points out, it is important that we “understand the relationship between culture and power” (p.62).

Storey’s suggestion that Shakespeare’s plays have been removed from mainstream culture and made an experience for the middle class is very insightful (p.35). This is a reality that I have never given much thought to, but I can see that the shift has been fairly recent. He notes that opera has shifted in much the same way. It is amazing to me that such little changes shape culture in powerful ways and we are not even aware of how we are affected. In addition, Storey mentioned the fact that “cultural consumption is the means by which people are produced, maintained and reproduced” (p.43). Our purchases classify us and result in inequalities between social classes. This reality confirms my growing conviction that addressing the vast problems of poverty must begin with our awareness. It is through the denial of this process that certain individuals are given great power (p.44). The dominant impose their way of thinking on others and equate it with excellence (p.45). Whether we are in a position to benefit from this practice or not, as Jesus followers we must be aware of the way some are being marginalized, misrepresented and excluded. Before we can decide what to do, we must understand how those in power shape our culture and protect their power. By unknowingly going along with such practices, we can end up supporting the very things we stand against.

We must intentionally become more aware that high culture is not a “universal unchanging culture” but has been shaped by those in power (p.93). According to Storey, even our education can reinforce inequalities. As I strive to work against poverty, I want to better understand that structures and practices that are allowing this to happen so I can determine how they can be redeemed and better represent all people. After reading this book, I plan to look for ways that aesthetic value is used as a tool to exclude others (p.105). As Jesus followers, we can look for ways to be more inclusive in our interactions with others. We can be suspicious of our tendencies to quickly put people in groups and see them as outsiders in relation to whatever group we are in. I think it is essential to understand that the lives of many poor people are shaped “by the powerful actions of unknown people” (p.115). As Jesus followers we should get involved because so many are casualties of a system that exploits others for its own benefit. I agree with Storey‘s goal that we should create a world culture that values diversity and sees different approaches as equally valuable ways of living (p.120). However, I wish he outlined some specific ways to go about achieving this. I believe that cultivating relationships with the poor and developing a greater awareness of how power influences culture is a good place to start.

Week 8 Analysis

2005-11-16T09:35:00.000-08:00

I found the book Globalization and Culture much more accessible than Global Transformations and enjoyed reading it, but wish that Jan Nederveen Pieterse had included more of the practical benefits we would receive from understanding culture through the hybrid paradigm. I appreciated Pieterse’s point that the powers have a tendency to turn to military means rather than to democratic avenues for change. In studying the effects of the US economy on other countries, I have seen various ways we are concerned with utilizing the economy in a way that benefits us, while ignoring the negative implications for others. As human beings we have an uncanny ability to protect our own rights and freedoms while taking little responsibility for the way we infringe on other’s rights.

Pieterse also discusses the growing agreement that globalization must be managed in some way or even the richest countries may find themselves in jeopardy. He argues that globalization involves the trend toward human integration, but must be understood in contrast to Eurocentric views. Such views attribute the unification of humanity to modernity and do not look seriously at the growing inequalities. While globalization is increasing our connectivity, the majority of the population in Africa, Asia and Latin America remain excluded or at least are included in an uneven manner (p. 30). Pieterse points out that global inequality leaves us all with political, security, economic and ecological risk. These are factors we have seen in talking about the ecological problems intertwined with technology or the security concerns the US faced after 9/11. In addition, globalization has left us with a moral dilemma. Many of the moral issues are tied to economics and these are the main concerns our group has been dealing with. Human trafficking and unfair trade are moral issues that are products of globalization which have resulted from the growing interconnectivity between countries.

Pieterse suggests that we are all migrants because our ancestors traveled to the places from which we came. This an interesting point. We are quick to label another as an outsider when all of us were outsiders at one point in history. I think this is a more balanced way of approaching globalization. Pieterse also illuminates the fact that the contributions of foreigners and minorities have been largely ignored since to acknowledge them goes against the nationalist mindset. This trend is pervasive in our society. Many people speak negatively about immigrants and argue for more tight controls on immigration and are oblivious to the ways they benefit from the goods and services of immigrants whose. Pieterse raises the question of how immigration contributes to economic development (p.34). This is an important point to consider and an area we have not really explored in our wiki. This aspect helps us to remember that we are not just to help the “less-fortunate”, but to realize that we are interdependent and benefit from our relationships with others as much as they benefit from their relationships with us. There are other ways to measure besides material gain.

Pieterse describes three perspectives on globalization: the clash of civilizations, McDonaldization and hybridization. He argues for the last option because it advocates border-crossing. Critics fear this approach because it subverts nationalism (Chapter 3). Pieterse seemed to highlight three main reasons a hybridization paradigm is useful. First, we must come to terms with the fact that “we are all mixing cultural elements and traces across places and identities (p.109) I agree that this is true and I think we would benefit from seeing it as an asset rather than a problem. Second, critical awareness of inequality comes from acknowledging rather than suppressing hybridity. Since dealing with economic equality is the focus of our group, I believe this is an important point. We need to begin talking about the unequal distribution of wealth and scrutinizing our business practices and shopping habits to uncover the corruption and begin to deal with it. This is a particularly difficult aspect to deal with because it has largely gone underground and is not always acknowledged. Last, the hybrid model transcends the “us versus them dualism” (p.117). This is another convincing argument for looking at globalization this way. It is an issue I have been coming up against in combating poverty. Even in trying to help others, churches often remain separate and send money to organizations without knowing the people they are trying to help. Poverty becomes an entity out there rather than our neighbor.

When I reflect on the way that Jesus interacted with others, I notice that he was inclusive. In a sense, he encouraged boundary-crossing even with the mix of people he selected for the 12 disciples. Everyone was to be included and was thought to possess something worthwhile for the whole group. Pieterse's understanding of globalization seems to be moving in a direction that is more in line with the way that Jesus understood community.

Week 7 Analysis

2005-11-07T21:10:00.000-08:00

The chapters on trade and finance in Global Transformation provided background on how our economic system has developed and how interdependent on one another countries have become. The problems we currently face, such as poverty and human trafficking, can only be understood in light of this backdrop. Though poverty has always been an issue at some level, we must understand the complexities of trade and finance in today’s society if we hope to address our contemporary problems effectively. I thought it was interesting to note that the principles on which GATT was based (and which later became the framework for WTO) were non-discrimination, reciprocity, transparency and fairness. Though we have been aware of the importance of these issues for some time, discrimination and unfairness in trade continue to exist. Modern trade has become so complex that we need various laws to regulate the global market. What seems fair to one group often has adverse affects on another. We might consider what is best for developing countries and in the process affect U.S. industries in an adverse way. At the same time, in our efforts to make a profit, we exploit other countries in the process. Human trafficking is a prime example of the corruption that pervades trade practices. Profit becomes the chief goal at any cost. Human beings are degraded and discarded in the process. How can we create laws that protect against discrimination and ensure fairness? Should we attack poverty at the national and international level or is it something to fight at the local level? Perhaps we need to find new ways to integrate both.

Another issue that struck me in this chapter was the rampant unevenness between countries in trade. It was stated in chapter 3 that the largest part of service trade is between industrialized countries. The trend toward freer trade may benefit industrialized countries while it creates new problems for countries struggling to compete. While the role of NIEs is increasing, they generally have lower productivity levels. Their exports are largely products that require low skilled labor. Does this lead to the problem of child slavery for cocoa production? How are these countries to compete when sections of the textile, leather, toy and sports industries are wiped out by industrialized countries?

This unevenness is also present in international equity markets because the poor have limited access to private international finance. While developing countries are acquiring more international bonds, they still account for only 10%. This forces them to rely heavily on aid which only seems to perpetuate the cycle of dependence. With this in mind, the idea of microfinance seems very important. If poorer countries are to have the ability to compete, they need access to capital. They need something sustainable that does not just meet the immediate need but can break the poverty cycle. This is also one reason why I see fair trade as a viable option to explore in combating poverty. It allows farmers in other countries the opportunity to maintain some stability over time. It enables the family to receive health care and allows children to get an education.

Week 6 Analysis

2005-11-01T15:59:00.000-08:00

Week 6 Analysis

In reading chapters 1 & 2 of Global Transformations, I did not find a lot of specific information that will benefit us in our wiki project, but it did provide some helpful historical background which explains our current state of political globalization and perhaps a lens through which to understand the unique challenges we face with poverty in this time of tremendous change. There are political organizations all over the world now, but serious inequalities still exist. In addition, the global telecommunications network has brought tremendous benefits for some, but not everyone has equal access and opportunity. This puts poorer countries at a clear disadvantage since they are not able to communicate at the same rate and distance. This affects their ability to compete and cooperate with countries with greater technology. Advances with the internet have resulted in undeniable benefits in the exchange of and convenience of acquiring information, but also creates new problems because it is impossible to control what is being transmitted.

I see the creation of organizations like the United Nations as a largely positive development of transnational activity. Some of the commitments listed in the UN Charter model demonstrate a move towards concern for the poor and marginalized. The intent was to recognize and address inequalities, protect individual rights and preserve peace. However, the special veto power given to Permanent members results in the major powers having even more control and influence. Though the UN has its weaknesses, it has benefited developing countries through controlling diseases, providing humanitarian relief, and working to protect the environment on a global scale.

Studying the development of military globalization illuminates another way that developing countries experience a significant disadvantage in competing in today’s society. They may not have the money or materials to trade to acquire the supply of weapons that are found in wealthier countries. Since they do not have the financial resources to pour into military resources, they become more vulnerable to attack. Since so much emphasis is put on trade, smaller countries may have a difficult time building alliances with more powerful countries if it is perceived that they have little to offer.

It is also interesting to note the unique dynamic the current state of military globalization has produced. There is a combination of competition and conflict within cooperative structures between countries. While institutionalization is widespread, it remains delicate. No one country is in control and relations between countries can change rapidly. As the War of Terror has demonstrated, a sense of security, even for countries like the U.S. can be very tentative.

It should be mentioned that growing U.S. military involvement in other countries can also be related to the issue of human trafficking. One of the studies I read suggested that many women were trafficked from foreign countries by men who they met at military bases and who married (often more than one of) them with the intention of forcing them to work in the sex trade in the United States. Unfortunately, the ease of travel, communication and interaction between countries also results in abuses such as human trafficking.

Week 5 Analysis

2005-10-24T23:30:00.000-07:00

Example of Christ-followers

What are Jesus followers doing to address the pervasive problem of poverty? I found that many Christians are in fact rising to the challenge by attempting to become involved at the individual, regional, national and international level.

At the individual level, I found a handful of websites and blogs through which concerned Christians can attempt to spread awareness and dialogue with others about how to become involved. The Wesley Blog is a United Methodist site where a variety of people posted their thoughts on helpful organizations, where to send your money, and how to support upcoming campaigns. On another site, a seminary student posted related articles, links to organizations and had online forums for discussions about faith and politics.

At the regional level, there are various churches working to fight poverty in their own communities. One Assembly of God church in Miami, FL created a unique benevolence ministry to meet the overwhelming poverty in that area. As members of the church became educated about the causes of poverty, they realized there was more to the problem than inadequate funds. They developed a family center that would move people from a place of instability to a place of self-sufficiency. This center provided food distribution, hot meals, clothing, day care, housing assistance, legal services, a medical clinic, job training, counseling, and case management. They partner with many other churches and organizations to provide such an exhaustive list of services. They welcome interns from the nearby Catholic university to help run some of these programs. They have found that this program is making a difference in their community. Another church in Austin, Texas also believes poverty must be fought at the community level. Through an organization called CRISES, they have found some success by emphasizing labor, integrity, faith and thrift.

At the national and international levels, there are a variety of faith-based organizations committed to working to eliminate poverty. One such organization called Traidcraft is based in the UK. They aim to expose the impact of free trade deals, lobby for trade justice, organize events to increase involvement in poverty-fighting campaigns, and provide opportunities to travel and personally see the difference fair trade makes. There are also articles concerning trends and developments to keep members informed.

Call to Renewal, led by Jim Wallis, is another organization that focuses on international change. Wallis has organized meetings where many Christians leaders from different denominations come together to discuss strategies for eliminating poverty. He stresses that Christians must unite and put aside their doctrinal differences. He also encourages Christians to talk with the poor, not just about them.

Another such organization is Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP). Their focus is a shift in National and International policies to eliminate poverty and exceed the Millennium Development goals. In particular, they want to encourage governments to:
· Stop pushing developing countries to liberalise at the WTO and allow them the policy space to determine their own trade policies in accordance with their development priorities.
· Immediately end dumping and rich country subsidies that keep people in poverty.
· Enact measures to protect public services from enforced liberalization and privatisation, secure the right to food and affordable access to essential drugs, and strengthen corporate accountability.
· Increase accountability and transparency of governments and international organisations to their grassroots constituencies in the formulation of international trade rules and national trade policies, while ensuring consistency of trade policies with respect for workers’ rights, and human rights more broadly.

These are just a few examples, but I believe they provide a good sample of how followers of Jesus are attempting to combat the problem of poverty.

Week 5 Sources

2005-10-24T22:07:00.000-07:00

I focused my sources this week on the example of Christ-followers:

Traidcraft
This is a Christian organization that uses fair trade to fight against poverty in the UK. It was begun in 1979 and is a trading company and a charity organization striving to help trade benefit the poor. This organization fights for fair laws, informs the public and organizes fair trade. I think it is one viable example of Christ followers responding to poverty.

Volunteerism: Leaders Pursue Unity in Fighting Poverty
This is a link to an article in Christianity Today entitled Volunteerism: Leaders Pursue Unity in Fighting Poverty. It discusses a meeting organized by Call to Renewal that organized Christians around the issue of poverty. The article points out a trend that Christians are coming together to discuss better strategies.

Christian involvement in poverty from the perspective of Gay PASG
This is an interesting article because it talks about the growing involvement of Christians concerning poverty from the gay and lesbian perspective. This site leads to an activist organization for gays and lesbians. It is noted that Christians are not just concerned with homosexuality or terrorism, but also poverty. I thought it might be good to get another perspective and see how Christians are perceived.

Article on Christian aid and religious ties
The author of this article admits that many Christian organizations are doing the best job at providing aid to those in need. However, some are questioning whether they are more focused on creating converts than helping those in need without strings attached.

The Micah Challenge
This site provides details about the Micah Challenge, a worldwide campaign against poverty that took place in October of 2004. This organization uses the bible as a basis and focuses on combating poverty at the national and international level. It is an extension of the World Evangelical Alliance.
“The campaign aims to deepen Christian engagement with the poor and to influence leaders of rich and poor nations to fulfill their public promise to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, and so halve absolute global poverty by 2015.”

Wesley Blog
This is an interesting site that I wanted to check out further. It is a United Methodist site with articles and blogs that address individual Christian views on poverty. The most current blog is written by Shane Ranor who encourages others to sign the ONE declaration and One Life Revolution. It seems that he uses part of his blog to keep Christians informed about organizations fighting against poverty.

Chuck Currie’s blog
This is the individual site of a United Church of Christ seminary student who blogs on issues of faith and politics. There are links to helpful organizations attempting to combat poverty. It seems that there are other people out there trying to use their blogs to create awareness about these issues.

One Assembly of God churches' example
This link provides a review of one Assembly of God Church in Miami’s attempt to deal with the growing poverty in their community.

Acton Organization
This article criticizes the top down approach to fighting poverty, claiming that this results in a lot of talk with few results. The author suggests that a more centralized community based program is needed and notes what is being down in Austin, Texas that is creating change for that community.

World Christians
This site posts bible study lessons on poverty with Scripture passages to study, questions for groups to consider, and application in prayer and repentance. I thought it was another interesting way groups are going about inspiring change.

Catholic Organization
An article about how the Catholic church is involved in fighting poverty.

New Perpectives on the Jews Lunch

2005-10-20T17:56:00.000-07:00

I found the discussion today on new perspectives for the Jews very interesting. It is not a topic that I know much about so I found the information the speakers presented very informative. It made me want to learn more. One of the speakers broke down the percentage of Jews in various countries of the world. I found it interesting to learn that there are almost as many Jews living in Israel as in the United States. The second speaker gave a presentation on how the gospel is not just good news to a few Jews, but to all the Jews. He explained that the way Christian missionaries went about their ministry to the Jews made the gospel bad news for the Jews. I especially appreciated his points that we need affirmation in our presentation of the gospel rather than negation, consummation rather than replacement and humility rather than stridency. It is exciting to think that God has a bigger plan in store for the Jews than we might have originally thought.
I do not see an obvious connection to this topic and International poverty, but in studying both issues we see a reminder that as Jesus followers we must be concerned about the plight of all people. We cannot just be concerned about the salvation of some, or the economic plight of those in our own country. As Christians we are called to be informed about the injustices others face and to do our best to change the structures and attitudes that create these injustices.

Week 4 Analysis

2005-10-18T20:39:00.000-07:00

Unfair Trade

The Social Problem

The issues surrounding unfair trade are somewhat complex. One problem is that rich countries “dump” subsidized produce on developing countries significantly lowering the price of local produce. Many of these farmers go out of business as a result. In addition, many poor countries can only export raw materials because wealthier countries charge high taxes on imported goods. Since raw materials do not return as much profit as a finished product, poor countries cannot compete. For example, the U.S. can buy cotton and cocoa at a low cost and turn it into clothing and chocolate that sell for a large profit. Poor countries are not given the same opportunity. Another issue is that transnational corporations (TNCs) employ millions of workers on low wages in unsatisfactory conditions that ignore basic labor rights. These low prices make huge profits for big companies while millions of producers can barely survive.

In several developing countries, small coffee farmers receive less for their coffee than the cost of production. In addition, prices fluctuate greatly making it difficult for farmers to consistently support their families. 40% of the world’s cocoa comes from the Ivory Coast. In Ghana, a cocoa farmer receives 1.2% of the price we pay for a bar of chocolate. Because harvesters receive such low wages many children are used as slaves. These children are forced to work long hours in dismal conditions and are often only paid a few pennies for hours of labor. Since they never receive an education, the cycle of poverty repeats itself again and again.

The Task of Christ Followers

In response to this injustice, Christ-followers must become more informed about Fair Trade. Fair Trade guarantees that farmers receive a consistent and fair price for their product. For coffee, this translates to $1.26 per pound. For cocoa, this means $0.80 per pound for non-organic and $0.89 per pound for organic cocoa. It also means that there is supervision over the working conditions of the farmers. It results in community development, health care, education, and environmental responsibility.

Christ-followers can get involved in a number of ways:

1) Buy Fair Trade coffee, tea, chocolate and fruit. Fair Trade coffee is available at Von’s, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s as well as online. Proctor and Gamble recently introduced a new line of Fair Trade instant coffee.
2) Encourage Starbuck’s to offer Fair Trade coffee as the coffee of the day once a week.
3) Advise friends and family to buy fair trade. Ask local businesses to carry Fair Trade products.
4) Join the campaign pressuring M&M/Mars (the largest chocolate manufacturer in the U.S.) to make their chocolate Fair Trade. Though many organizations have written letters they refuse to take responsibility.
5) Travel with Reality Tours to meet and learn from Fair Trade producers.
6) Subscribe to Fair Trade listserve for weekly updates.
7) Become a member of Global Exchange or another organization that supports Fair Trade.
8) Give out Fair Trade chocolate for Halloween.
9) Call Nestle and demand Fair Trade.
10) Put on a sweatshop free campaign in your community. All the resources you need are available at Global Exchange.
11) Support campaigns against Nike and Wal-mart that use sweatshops in other countries.

Week 4 Sources

2005-10-18T09:35:00.000-07:00

Global Exchange
This is an extremely informative and user-friendly site. I think we should include it on the wiki. It explains the campaigns for fair trade with coffee and chocolate and provides links to Fair Trade Stores. It gives extensive information on how to be involved in supporting fair trade in your community with many practical ideas.

Fair Trade Federation
This site may also be a good resource for the wiki. It provides background info on fair trade and suggests how to become involved. It includes a link to “stories of hope” which detail how Fair Trade has made a difference in several countries.

wikipedia
As usual, wikipedia has a useful background summary and several relevant links that may be useful.

Make Trade Fair
This is another good, informative site with ideas for action, suggestions on how to influence the influential, tips for organizing events and working with the media and other resources. They offer sample e-mails to send to George Bush and Tony Blair calling for their support. It is also suggested that supporters write to Kraft, Sara Lee, and Nestle- three of the biggest coffee companies that have yet to offer Fair Trade coffee.

OxfaAmerica
This organization provides information on fair trade and other aspects of fighting poverty. There are links to relevant articles, and suggestions for how to get involved and a helpful list of local stores that carry fair trade coffee.

Article on unfair trade
This article gives useful background on unfair trade and illuminates how we “no longer trade to live, but live to trade.” Trade is not only a major source of inequality in terms of prices for merchandise, but we are also exploiting our resources more in some countries than others.

Trade overview
This site appears to provide thorough information on trade barriers, intellectual property rights violations, payment problems, foreign dumping and unfair trade practices in the U.S.

Study on Antidumping Trade Laws
This interesting study provides an analysis on the Antidumping trade laws. It is concluded that these laws do not do what they promise to do and actually result in “unfair trade” instead of preventing it. The authors claim that the difference between US prices and foreign markets are not accurately being measured. It may be important to be aware of trade issues as they effect the U.S. so can offer solutions from an informed position.

Article on IMF and World Bank's Contribution to the problem
The author of this article purports that the IMF and World Bank most also share responsibility for unfair trade. Mekay claims that they impose trade rules that favor the rich and that developing countries must be aware of their trade advice. He feels they have a one-sided view of the world economy because they are pressured to align with the perspectives of the US and Britain.

TransFairUSA
This site has a good overview of the problem, a flash presentation on how fair trade benefits communities, several useful links, upcoming events for those who want to support Fair Trade, and lists of stores where Fair Trade products can be purchased.

Week 3 Analysis on Poverty

2005-10-12T21:58:00.000-07:00

Well, diving into the complex issue of poverty this week was a little daunting. The issues are so broad and complicated; it is hard to know where to focus in. The articles and websites I looked at pointed to several causes for poverty. Some came under different headings, but certain categories kept recurring. One source listed social capital, human capital, gender discrimination, institutional failures, income shocks and locations as the biggest factors contributing to poverty. I found it more difficult to find sources that pinpointed the ways the U.S. was contributing to poverty in other countries. There were two recurring issues, however, that I feel we might want to address: inequality and debt.

Some believe that inequality contributes more to poverty than overpopulation, cultural issues, the lack of technology and the lack of food. It is a social and political issue that must be tackled at both national and International levels. One way that inequality can be seen is through unequal trade. Many countries rely on exporting a myriad of agricultural and mineral supplies to richer countries and are highly susceptible to fluctuations in price. Third World producers cannot always wait to sell when profits are high the way those in richer countries can. They are often forced to sell in a falling market. Since there are many more sellers than buyers, the buyers can have considerable control over the price of goods.

Perhaps we should do more research in the area of Fair Trade. It seems with the global economy that it creates a vicious cycle that is hardest on the very poor. Sometimes the food that is produced in these countries costs more than the locals can afford and growers are forced to export it to make enough profit. This in turn forces local governments to attend to the preferences of outside powers. This can negatively affect entire communities as with the banana trade in the Caribbean.

Another way I believe the U.S. contributes to poverty is through International debt. Many third world countries owe billions of dollars that they are unable to pay off. Various organizations that fight against poverty call for debt relief. Jubilee 2000 was a call to forgive countries their debts. UNICEF also suggests that the debts of the poorest countries be canceled. Others suggest that trade restrictions on the products of poor nations be reduced.

Another website suggested that poverty could be combated by promoting opportunity, facilitating empowerment and enhancing security. The weak and powerless must be protected from legally protected multinational corporations. Often the poor are marginalized and they are not given a forum to present their concerns. Women are particularly vulnerable in many countries. Reform can take place on the local level through education and community development, but it also must take place at the national and global levels as well to ensure a more stable economy over time.

Another area I stumbled upon, but did not get to research thoroughly was the US response to the text of the UN Summit, including the Millennium Declaration. This website sited hundreds of changes proposed by the US to the text and stated that US officials felt the section on poverty was too long. We may want to follow up on this to compare the willingness of the US to help compared to that of other countries.
I felt like I barely scraped the surface in this week’s research, but it was a good overview. If we pick a couple of specific causes to focus on, I think we’ll be able to go deeper and be more specific with ways to get involved.

Week 3 Sources

2005-10-12T12:23:00.000-07:00

www.globalissues.org/TradeRelated/Poverty/Hunger/Causes.asp

This site lists several causes of poverty and comments on each. Some of the issues addressed are land rights and ownership, diversion of land use to non-productive use, increasing emphasis on export-oriented agriculture, inefficient agricultural practices, war, famine, drought, over-fishing, poor crop yield and lack of democracy and rights. There is also mention of structural adjustment as a key cause of poverty which results in debt. This site may be helpful in discerning which causes we want to focus in on.

www.gdrc.org/icm/poverty-causes.htm

This site presents the difference between case and generic theories on poverty. It seems important to be aware of these because our theory will affect the way we promote others’ involvement. There are also links here to the United Nations Development Programme and Poverty Reduction Strategies for various countries on Povertynet.

www.results.org/website/article.asp?id=31

“RESULTS is a nonprofit grassroots advocacy organization, committed to creating the political will to end hunger and the worst aspects of poverty. RESULTS is committed to individuals exercising their personal and political power by lobbying elected officials for effective solutions and key policies that affect hunger and poverty.” This site has a list of International Development Providers and other research sites that might be useful. They may also have helpful suggestions for how Christ-followers can get involved.

www.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/hunger.stm

This is the site for UMCOR, a United Methodist agency to combat world hunger. There are many suggestions for ways churches can get involved, links for more information on Fair Trade and other resource links here. Perhaps we can pull some ideas for how to get involved from this site.

www.basis.wisc.edu/live/institutions/0406poverty%20among%20land%20beneficiaries.pdf

This is a 16-paged study on poverty in the Midlands of Kwa Zulu-Natal. Reasons for poverty listed in this article were social capital, human capital, gender discrimination, institutional failures, income shocks and location.

http://econ.ucsc.edu/~kkletzer/WDRch2.pdf

This document is a chapter of the causes of poverty and provides a proposal for what can be done. It provides a good overview of the aspects that contribute to poverty and explains each, but I do not see anything that specifically addresses the way countries like the U.S. contribute to the problem. It may be helpful for our overview. Aid programs which include education and debt relief are listed among the key ways poverty can be addressed.

www.scn.org/cmp/modules/emp-pov.htm

This site comes from a personal website and has something of a dissertation on the causes of poverty. The five listed are disease, ignorance, apathy, dishonesty, and dependency. They are explained in greater detail. The issues of dishonesty and dependency may touch on the recurring issues like Fair Trade, government policy and debt.

www.cnr.vt.edu/lsg/intro/poverty3.pdf

This site gives a good overview on the problem of unfair trade. I think this may be an issue we need to touch on.

http://www.osjspm.org/debt.htm

This site provides a good overview on debt relief. It may be a link that we want to include.

www.gaple.com/articles/Poverty?mySession=fb2ef7d0d0c62ef1b1b4852fdd1df524

This site provides some interesting discussion on poverty including background information and definitions, causes of poverty, ways to eliminate poverty and debates on the issue. I will summarize what I find here in my analysis.

Week 2 Analysis

2005-10-06T14:26:00.000-07:00

Well, it is abundantly clear right off the bat that the issue of human trafficking is multi-faceted and complex. It appears to involve powers at every level. There were two particular resources that stuck out in my research so far and I found them extremely helpful. The first was an article summarizing a 79-paged CIA report entitled "International Trafficking in Women to the US: A Contemporary Manifestation of Slavery". Interestingly enough, the document was not specifically concealed, but has not been released to the public either. Within the summary it was noted that government officials often do not take on slavery cases because they are difficult to investigate and prosecute. They often do not have enough info to prosecute the captors. The connection to the issue of poverty was also evident. In one particular report, some girls were sold for less than the price of a toaster. This was said to be more prevalent in African and Asian countries where female children are not always valued. It was estimated that 700,000 to 2 million women and children worldwide are victims of trafficking. Primary countries were victims are taken were thought to be :Thailand, Vietnam, China, Mexico, Russia and the Czech Republic. 250 brothels in 26 cities nationwide are thought to hold trafficking victims. I thought this information was helpful for our introduction and the statement of the problem.

Another fascinating source came from the Coalition against Trafficking in Women. There is a 141-paged study found at the website entitled " Sex Trafficking of Women in U.S.: International and Domestic Trends". I think this will be a particularly helpful source for us. I think the website has really helpful resources that we should put on our wiki. There are personal testimonies from trafficked victims from many different countries. I think the report helped clarify the problem in my mind and informed me about some ways Christians might want to consider getting involved.

Here is some of the information I found at the site. Sex businesses are found in urban, suburban and rural areas as well as at U.S. Military bases. Some are legal, others operate behind legal front businesses. 76-100% of these businesses in the Northeast, Metro NY, Metro SF were controlled and backed by organized crime groups.
83% of U.S. women entered the industry before 25, many as children. There is also a large number of foreign military wives who become victims of domestic violence or end up in prostitution. Many are brought over from foreign countries for this purpose.

There were several methods used to traffick these women. Economic desperation and poverty was a factor. The fact that girls are seen as burdens in their families of origin is another. Sometimes an older brother or uncle was involved in recruitment. Traffickers and pimps often promised that a lot of money could be made in the U.S. Pimps recruit vulnerable women in clubs and malls by befriending and creating dependencies to entrap them. They often develop drug and alcohol addictions and this is used to control them. Emotional and physical force is also used to break their resistance to entering prostitution.

Victims are controlled by denying freedom of movement, isolation, controlling $, threats, intimidation, drug/alcohol dependency and physical and sexual violence.
71% are not free to leave the sex industry. 76% US women had money withheld from them and 64% were held in isolation.

Buyers were anywhere from ages 15-90 from all socio-economic classes. Most of the men were married. 47 % expected sex without condoms. 67 % of women in prostitution said it should not be legalized and 94% said they wouldn't recommend it to others.

The authors of this study propose anti-trafficking policies. Programs must address organized prostitution and domestic trafficking. They point out that it should not be made an immigration issue. Trafficked women shouldn't be treated as criminal illegal immigrants and should be made aware of their rights. Education and public awareness is also needed in both sending and receiving countries. Strict penalties and uniform law enforcement is essential. Traffickers should not be allowed to use consent of the victim as a defense because deception is such a large part of the scheme. Sex trafficking cases need to be given more priority. Laws must prevent the buying of women. Immigration and law enforcement agencies worldwide should coordinate their efforts. There also needs to be a way to track US men who travel to other countries and return with many foreign wives.

In terms of the major powers involved, I found that the big issues are gender-based social-economic inequality worldwide, the male demand for prostitution, economic policies that push certain countries to export women for labor, the expanding transnational sex industry, globalization of capitalism and information technology, and the military occupation in various parts of the world.

Trafficking has been documented in over 20 states. One of the major keys seems to be education that this is not just a problem in other places, but is rampant here. Another discussion I found interesting was that the definition of trafficking needs to use the term "exploitation" rather than "coersion" so that all victims can get the help they need.

I think much of this information will be useful as a particular case study. It may help us in defining the problem and provide some hints at how those interested can get involved.

My first 10 resources

2005-10-04T21:16:00.000-07:00

Well, I dove into the vast topic of human trafficking and found that the resources are vast. Some of my sites are rather broad, but I think some of them may be helpful for the introduction, statement of the problem, and resources part of our project.

1) www.usinfo.state.gov/journals/itgic/0603ijge/gj02.htm
This site has several links, information about current laws regarding human trafficking and U.S. commitment to crack down.

2) www.state.gov/g/tip
This is a link to the Trafficking in Persons Report and has some stastics on human trafficking

3) www.interpol.int
This site may be a possible resource for churches who want to get involved.

4) www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking
This site has a lot of links which may be useful for our resources section.

5) www.vachss.com/help_text/human-trafficking.html
There are several good articles that might be helpful for case studies here. I read one article from 2004 that estimated 10, ooo people in the US victims of trafficking. Most other numbers I've found are higher. I found links here to many useful articles, including an overview of the 79pg. CIA report.

6) www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_trafficking
This site is useful for our general overview and definition of the problem. It provides a good overview of the issue and several helpful links including "Sex Trafficking of Women in the US: International and Domestic Trends"/

7) www.humantrafficking.com/humantrafficking
Good resource; it includes a link to report trafficking, testimonies for case studies from specific countries including Mexico.

8) www.globalrights.org
There are some good resources and articles here including "New Bill Fails to Address Root Causes of Human Trafficking".

9) www.csis.org/americas/pubs/hf_v12_05.pdf
This looks like a helpful article.

10) www.newsday.com/news/local
This is a resent article about a case in NY. It mentions Rescue and Restore as an organization fighting human trafficking.

Hope this is helpful to get us started. Happy searching!

An Introduction

2005-10-02T18:14:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. I am a third year M.Div. student and plan to graduate this June! I grew up in Redwood City, (which is in the San Francisco Bay Area) but have been in Southern California since I attended Whittier College in 1994. I grew up going to a Covenant Church. During college, I attended the Vineyard in La Habra for several years. I am currently doing an internship with the college group at Hollywood Presbyterian. In this class, I hope to learn how to understand and engage the culture. I want to appreciate and utilize the aspects of the culture that are positive and at the same time acknowledge and challenge the elements of our culture that do not adequately depict the Gospel. I am looking forward to further discussions with all of you!