...Fossil Fuel Dependency and Americans | SOC120 - Sociology | University of Phoenix | Lena M. Ward | 10/9/2011 | America’s primary sources of energy come from fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas. The cost of using fossil fuels includes labor cost to mine for coal or to drill for oil, labor and material cost to build plants to generate and transport coal and oil to plants; these hidden costs are included in electricity bills or in the purchase price of gasoline. However, some costs are not included in utility or gas bills, and they are not paid for by companies that produce or sell these energy sources (Payne, Dutzik, & Figdor, 2009). This external cost creates additional problems; such as, health issues related to the air pollution caused by the burning of coal and oil, the damage to land from coal mining and to the miners from lung disease, environmental problems like global warming, acid rain, and water pollution including national security cost to protect foreign sources of oil. This pricing system hides the true costs of fossil fuels which results in damage to human health, the environment, and the economy (Payne, Dutzik, & Figdor, 2009). This paper will examine each hidden cost and evaluate their effects to enlighten individuals on the true cost of America’s dependency on fossil fuels. America’s dependency on fossil fuels began innocently enough with the start of the Industrial Revolution. These changes were small at first with the invention...
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...Critically Compare and Contrast Two Sets of the Following Theories of Development: Modernization, Structural Change and Dependency Since the end of World War 2 international development has become increasingly endeavoured upon by academics and politicians alike. The impulse to further understand growth and development was largely due to the dismantling of the European empires following the war. Nations now freed from their colonial ties strived towards a modern status as economies and societies. These Third-World nations were in search of a development model to stimulate their advance towards a modern and affluent society; this was mirrored globally, for various reasons ranging from economic self-interest to genuine humanitarianism. Development institutions such as the United Nations and International Monetary Fund were created, both in 1945, to aid international cooperation and economic development. The prominent theories of development have long been debated. Adelman (2001, p 103) said “no area of economics has experienced as many abrupt changes in its leading paradigm since Wold War 2 as economic development”. The two competing perspectives of development theory I shall compare and contrast are the Modernization and Dependency theories, both will also be applied to Latin-America. Modernization Theory dominated developmental economics in the 1950’s and 60’s. It explains underdevelopment is a result of traditional society systems, caused by internal problems within the...
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...Modernization theory is a description and explanation of the processes of transformation from traditional or underdeveloped societies to modern societies. In the words of one of the major proponents, "Historically, modernization is the process of change towards those types of social, economic, and political systems that have developed in Western Europe and North America from the seventeenth century to the nineteenth and have then spread to other European countries and in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries to the South American, Asian, and African continents Modernization theory has been one of the major perspectives in the sociology of national development and underdevelopment since the 1950s.Many thinkers wrote about the modernization theory such as David Harrison,Rostow and Daniel lerner.One of the key thinkers in twentieth century Development Studies was W.W. Rostow, an American economist and government official. Prior to Rostow, approaches to development had been based on the assumption that "modernization" was characterized by the Western world (wealthier, more powerful countries at the time), which were able to advance from the initial stages of underdevelopment. Accordingly, other countries should model themselves after the West, aspiring to a "modern" state of capitalism and a liberal democracy. Using these ideas, Rostow penned his classicStages of Economic Growth in 1960, which presented five steps through which all countries must pass to become developed: 1) traditional...
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...Turn Your Automobile Green Turn Your Car Green Are you tried of paying high prices for gas? Are you tried of America relying on foreign oil to fuel our automobiles? In the last week, I have heard more and more friends, neighbors and co-workers complain that we need to finally get serious about pushing alternative-fueled vehicles. The only way this can happen is if we start now. I propose that us as Americans start investing in our own separation of foreign oil dependency. Case in point; the hybrid car is one which typically uses more than one source of power. Hybrids use an electrical motor to run the car and a gasoline engine to charge the batteries which power the electrical motor. The gasoline engine is also used to give the car extra power when needed. Hybrids get about twice the mileage of regular gas driven cars. Whereas the average gas fueled car gets about 20 mpg, the hybrid gets about 40mpg. Experts predict that hybrids could make up 30 to 35 percent of America auto market by 2015. However, if every body in America went out today and traded their regular gas driven cars in for hybrids, we could cut America’s foreign oil dependency in half. Another alternative to America’s dependency to foreign oil is Ethanol Fuel. The problem with this is, us as Americans need to demand it. We can’t set back and wait for the government to make it available for us years down the line. We must demand it now. Ethanol is a liquid fuel made from vegetable type sources instead of from oil....
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...>>> español INTRODUCTION THEORY OF MODERNIZATION THEORY OF DEPENDENCY THEORY OF WORLD-SYSTEMS THEORY OF GLOBALIZATION A MODO DE COLOFON BIBLIOGRAPHY NOTES 1. Introduction The main objective of this document is to synthesize the main aspects of the four major theories of development: modernization, dependency, world-systems and globalization. These are the principal theoretical explanations to interpret development efforts carried out especially in the developing countries. These theoretical perspectives allow us not only to clarify concepts, to set them in economic and social perspectives, but also to identify recommendations in terms of social policies. For the purposes of this paper, the term development is understood as a social condition within a nation, in which the authentic needs of its population are satisfied by the rational and sustainable use of natural resources and systems. This utilization of natural resources is based on a technology, which respects the cultural features of the population of a given country. This general definition of development includes the specification that social groups have access to organizations, basic services such as education, housing, health services, and nutrition, and above all else, that their cultures and traditions are respected within the social framework of a particular country. In economic terms, the aforementioned definition indicates that for the population of a country, there are...
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...The opioid epidemic has been a growing issue in America, referring to the increased use and dependence of opioid prescriptions. Opioids are strong pain-killers and in recent years, they have been abused for recreational use. In Molly Jeffery’s research, “Opioid Prescribing for Opioid-Naive Patients in Emergency Departments and Other Settings: Characteristics of Prescriptions and Association with Long-Term Use,” it compares opioid prescriptions in the Emergency Department to other clinical settings to see which patients are more likely to become long term users. The objective of this research was to observe the relationship between opioid prescriptions in the Emergency Department and their risk of current use, which can be used as a precaution...
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...In 1619, the first African slaves were brought to Jamestown, Virginia to grow tobacco, establishing the demand for slaves as colonists profited immensely. The demand for labor in American colonies caused slave importations to surge as “[m]ore than seven thousand Africans…stumbled off slave ships in Charleston Harbor in the year 1765…that made the colony more than 60 percent African.” Although African-Americans made up the majority in some colonies, they were still overpowered by white, American males whose freedoms allowed them to be prosperous. Fear of Britain centralizing its power in the American colonies caused white males to express their anger towards the traditional British rule by expelling courtiers, assaulting British dependency,...
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...The term development is wrapped in a lot of controversy, there is a lot of ambiguity surrounding this term and various writers have come up with various definitions of development, however, we cannot have any single definition for this term because of the multi- facetedness and multi-dimensional form that development takes. Development can mean different things to different people and how one views development is usually affected by their own perceptions of life. There is basically the Afrocentric and the Eurocentric views to development, thus what one can regard as development can be viewed in a different light by others. There is no one simple straight forward way to define development.Hoogvelt(1978)defines development as a logical connection between growth and change. Allen and Thomas (2000) view development as generally implying an all-encompassing change, not just change in one aspect. Development can be viewed as a positive change but the problem is the process of change can actually be undesirable to other people who may lose or disrupt their way of life in order to pave way for development. As a result Allen and Thomas (2000) are quick to point out that it may be impossible to achieve good change on a continuous basis without destroying something previously held dear, such as traditional values and forms of livelihood or a sense of control over day to day life. A Eurocentric definition of development could be the definition given by the Brandt Report (1980) which takes...
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...the book: Not Stated Numbers of pages: XV + 198 = 213 ISBN: 978-050-276-9 Reviewer: Johnson, Nsikak Emmanuel INTRODUCTION - PURPOSE OF THE BOOK Development and underdevelopment: The politics of the north-south divide is written specifically to keep the students and the general public abreast of the causes and reasons for Africa, Asia and Latin America Perpetual underdevelopment despite the enormous human and materials resources God deposited in the continent. According to the author of the book, development and underdevelopment: Politics of the north-south divide was written with the intention to familiarize the readers with exciting and challenging subject of political economy of development and underdevelopment. It endeavour to expose the students to various strands of perspectives that are inherent in the study of politics of development and underdevelopment- it is the anticipation of the author that the book would be a good resource material for the researchers and the students of the social sciences as a whole. The students of politics of development and underdevelopment, state and economy, third world and dependency, international economy relations as well as those studying political...
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...Juvenile Justice System There are many aspects that go into the juvenile justice system. Dealing with juveniles is a much more sensitive matter than that with adults. Some of the aspects of the juvenile justice system include the historical development of the system, the predominant philosophy, key differences between the juvenile and adult systems, distinguishing between dependency and delinquency, and the reason behind the importance of confidentiality in juvenile court. After reading the class material and reviewing case laws and legislations, we can have a further understanding of the aforementioned keys. Historically, the juvenile justice system dates back to England in the 1600s. Chancellors were appointed to make decisions, which were in the best interest of the juvenile. In 1839 there was the case of Ex Parte Crouse, which dealt with a father attempting to release his daughter, Mary Anne Crouse, from the Philadelphia House of Refuge. The girl was not given a trial and the courts rejected the father’s claims. The state made decisions on behalf of the child and other states decided to do the same. In the case of Reform Schools and People ex rel. O’Connell v. Turner in 1870, courts were confining juveniles in reform schools. Many children in Illinois were getting put in reform schools for simply loitering or playing in the streets. Many parents began complaining of the unjust rulings. Later on the courts ruled juvenile delinquents would be placed under the...
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...this art. The regions of North America, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Sub-Saharan Africa are great examples of the impact globalization have on all areas. Globalization has the ability to join regions economically and culturally as well as affect the local demographics and region local life. North America is a leading powerhouse in terms of world globalization. With large populations, world leading language, available resources and technology, and a diverse mixing bowl of comers, the impact the region has on globalization is large. It is noted in the text “Diversity Amid Globalization” by Les Rowntree that a noted 37 million foreigners are in the North America region. The American cultural is known as the “popular cultural landscape,” also referred to as the American dream. With powerful military, technology advancements, resources, producers, funding, and population, the cultural of the North Americas is a world leader in globalization and is evident in many other regions. In Latin America, globalization is not very surrounding impacting. Neoliberalism is the basis of these regions economic structure with a focus of control from a private division. Latin America has a large dependency on the US for trading and foreign investing. The need for value added goods causes this region to be very dependable on large globalization powerhouses, such as the US, to keep their regions economy afloat. Although there is a dependency, Latin America is a sufficient exportation of seafood...
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... Case: Country A “The Agrarian” Sociology has helped us to understand why different groups of the human race act the way they do, as well as introduces us to other cultures, and different backgrounds. The case study gives a good example of the different roles culture plays in the attitudes of the different groups and how everyday lives are affected. When we look at Case Study A, we must first examine the measurements of underdevelopment, socially, economically and politically. We must also know what defines a undeveloped country and its main theories of underdevelopment. These two theories respectively are the modernization theory and the dependency theory. Almost one half of third world families depend on agriculture to feed there families. One billion of the rural poor live in dangerous conditions. A large percent of the population relys on agriculture for its survival. Agrarian reform is what we are dealing with the case study that involves country A. The availability of land and crop prices play a heavy role here. We have to examine land ownership closely. In some countries only the elite own the land. Others may vary. In these countries like country A we have to take a close look at who owns the land. It has been difficult for these countries to reform due to rural class structures and...
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...is a drug crisis in America, but it is not the only crisis America is facing. I would say that there is a health crisis in America more so than a drug crisis. Even though the number of drug related deaths is quite high, there are still more health related deaths. In 2013, Heart Disease caused more than 600,000 deaths alone (Center for Disease Control, 2013) That being said, I do not think that drugs alone are killing America and that is the most serious issue we face. I still agree that drug use and abuse is a problem in America, and that this issue does need to be dealt with, but it is not our only problem. If America is going to focus on this drug issue, then it must recognize all drugs. Society is constantly placing the blame solely...
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...This relationship also solidifies the developing countries dependency on the developed country allowing the donor constant control over the peripheral developing countries economic growth (‘tied’ aid). Therefore there are no moral obligations involved and this aid may result in further delaying the modernization of the developing countries. Society being comprised of inter-related parts that work to benefit each other, Modernization Theory, thus when one part malfunctions or fails to uphold its duty, society may become chaotic. This can be seen in the Cuba peak oil crisis, which was as a result of the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Cuba’s dependency on the Soviets aid forced the country to relearn or to create new structures to combat the large-scale decrease in economic growth and other negative effects on transportation, agriculture, medicine and other...
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...and Culture Vol. 3(5), pp. 65-72, June 2011 Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/AJHC ISSN 2141-6672 ©2011 Academic Journals Review A critique of modernization and dependency theories in Africa: Critical assessment J. Matunhu Department of Development Studies, Midlands State University, Zimbabwe. E-mail: matunhuj@msu.ac.zw. Accepted 6 April, 2011 The way states and development specialists rationalize how to commit economic resources to development is influenced, to a greater extent by their level of persuasion towards specific development theories. The discourse assesses the influence of modernization and dependency theories on Africa’s development. The conclusion is that both theories have failed to help develop Africa. The discourse pins hope on the African Renaissance theory of development. Key words: Modernization, dependency, rural underdevelopment, African renaissance. INTRODUCTION Africa houses plentiful economic resources. Paradoxically, the continent languishes in poverty as evidenced by high prevalence of famine, disease and ignorance (Buthelezi, 2007). This presentation attributes the poverty to theories of development because the way society deals with underdevelopment is influenced by development theories. The presentation assesses the effect of modernity and dependency theories on Africa’s development and concludes by recommending the adoption of the African Renaissance theory to Africa’s development. In this presentation, development is viewed as...
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