Sociology › Section J · Global inequality › Topic J.1
Global stratification and classification
To study inequality between countries, researchers first have to sort them, and every sorting scheme carries assumptions. This topic compares the main systems, from Cold War labels to Wallerstein's world-system and the World Bank's income groups, and the tools used to measure inequality inside countries.
In this topic
- Why labels matter
- Cold War terminology
- Developed, developing and the Global South
- Wallerstein's world-systems approach
- The World Bank's income groups
- Worked example: applying the thresholds
- Beyond income: the Human Development Index
- Measuring inequality inside countries
- Worked example: a ratio that hides the middle
- Problems by income level
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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