Poverty in China and Pakistan - Research Paper Example

? Poverty in China and Pakistan Section number Introduction Polity is also referred to as a Every polity contains a form of leadership organization, which in turn determines the form of governance in that particular state. Max Weber refers a state to a political organization within a given territory with a centralized form of governance (Max, 2012). Any state contains a legal system, which is mostly the constitution, which governs that state. It is important to note that a state has laid down rules and regulations, which govern it. The constitution determines the form of governance. Sociology is the study of social aspects of how human beings relate with each other. On the other hand, sociological imagination is the awareness of our experiences and their relationship to the outside world. Sociological imagination helps in shaping the members of the society. That means the relationships between polities or a state is of great importance for the collective benefit of the region. This research paper discus on two major states that is China, Pakistan, and poverty as the major social problem affecting the two states. Literature review In a research article done by Cohen (2011), he gives the accounts of the future of Pakistan relating it to the macro economy of the country. He further defines Poverty as a political issue that is as a result of poor governance in Pakistan. The research paper focuses on China and Pakistan on the increase and decrease in poverty level in the two states. The two states are of great interest in this literature review because of the historical clashes, geographical interest, and racial differences. Pakistan and China are two Asian countries that are found in the Asian continent. Studies show that, corruption and lust within the leaders has highly contributed to the increase in poverty levels especially in the Asian countries. The leaders talk of poverty and improving their condition during a national campaign while they do not even know how the poor people toil and struggle to feed their children. This is to say that, the leaders should live their luxuries lives and spend their day with the poor people so that they may understand how these people live and obtain their daily bread. According to research done by Cohen, (2011) the government in Pakistan gives an upper hand to obtaining of firearms compared to giving its people better health care and basic needs. The government has housing policies that make it hard for poor people in Pakistan to obtain housing this means lack of shelter for the poor people. In addition, the government gives more attention to buildings than providing the basics to its citizens like education and primary health care. The poor people in Pakistan do not have a say in the farming policies. The middle class looks upon them with hostility and they are the ones who are mostly involved in the farming activities and get lower payment which does not even cater for their needs and the needs of the children. The policies implemented in 1990’s did not impact positively on the reduction of poverty levels. This is because the privatization of IMF and World Bank impacted negatively on the country’s economy this led to inflation. Poor people are unable to set up cottage industries because of the procedures involved in obtaining licenses and seeking permission from the government. Notably the government ignores the causes and the rise of poverty levels in Pakistan. In a research article done by Churchill & Tidrick (2005), China is economically stable because of the stability of the economic system. Chinese leaders are more confident in their country’s stability than the foreign observers are. However, the increased rate of inflation in China and floods has resulted in growing labor shortage, the rise in the price of raw materials, energy, and food. Over the 21st century, China has been faced with problems like environmental pollution. The new generation of leadership in China also affects their economy. Historically Chinese people raise an alarm to the leaders if they are dissatisfied with the form of governance. However, the new form of leadership claims that, democracy is not in their agenda. Both China and Pakistan are Asian countries. That means the rapidly developing geopolitical scenario differences will affect these both countries because they are in the Asian continent. Research shows that, Pakistan has been a major arena for many countries’ rivalries. The cold world to be initiated is against Russia and China. Pakistan is declared as the only Islamic nuclear power state this means that it is strategically on the geopolitical location. Considered position/coherent argument Poverty is a social issue not a personal issue. This is because as stated above in the literature review the governance system is responsible for the cases of poverty level in both Pakistan and China. For instance, in Pakistan they give an upper hand to the acquisition of firearms instead of giving basic needs and primary health to their citizens. In addition, in China the new form of governance rejects democracy hence people are not able to voice their grievances to the government. The system of governance should cater for the welfare of its society because their objective is to cater for the social welfare of the citizens. Data and Methods China is one of the most developed countries in Asia. Going back to its history the primitive human beings that lived in China depended on agricultural activities and livestock keeping for livelihood. As the years went by, they started practicing iron smelting. Animal husbandry and agriculture developed as thinkers and philosophers emerged bringing up new farming methods. The centralized system of governance was established as China continued to develop economically. Inventions in China came in such as the compass and the gunpowder mostly used during the wars. The other inventions included papermaking and printing. In 1840, the British started the Opium war against China. As a result of the Opium war in China was transformed into a semi-feudal and semi-colonial society. Later the semi-feudal society was abolished leading to the formation of the Republic of China (Ebrey, 2010). On the other hand, in Pakistan the British ruled them for nearly 200 years. The British political reforms, allowed the Muslims in Pakistan to form political parties making it easy for them to demand for their independence. Thus, the Muslim League was formed to represent Muslims. The representation in the legislative granted them independence in 1947 (Jaffrelot, 2004). However, they were separated into two as China this later brought many problems in Pakistan. This history clearly shows that both China and Pakistan were colonized by British thus an indicator of a favorable relationship between Pakistan and China. Theory Social conflict theory brings out that the social disorder is a result of poor governance. It is important to note that in the literature review above poverty in Pakistan and China is as a result of the poor system of governance. In this theory, Karl Marx sees the society fragmenting into groups as a result of the competition for economic resources. The citizens suffer at the hands of those who are in leadership. The constant competition for leadership results to change in the nature of the system hence poverty (Chibucos, Leite & Weis, 20005). Thus social conflict theory supports the social problem discussed in this research paper. On the other hand, functionalism and symbolic interaction theory do not support this social problem. This is because functionalism is concerned with the terms that lead to the stability of the whole society while symbolic interaction focuses on the different meanings that people impose on objects and events. Conclusion Concisely, the essay above gives an account on Pakistan and China. Moreover, how poverty has affected the two states. The essay contains a literature review that has conducted a review of relevant academic literature pertaining poverty as a social problem affecting Pakistan and China. The essay also gives a coherent argument that shows that poverty is a social problem not a personal problem. In addition, the essay gives data and methods by giving a brief history on the two polities. Social conflict theory is introduced in the essay and its application to the social problem over symbolic interaction theory and functional theory. References Chibucos, T. R., Leite, R. W., & Weis, D. L. (2005). Readings in family theory. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications. Cohen, S. P. (2011). The future of Pakistan. Washington, D.C: Brookings Institution. Ebrey, P. B. (2010). The Cambridge illustrated history of China. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Jaffrelot, C. (2004). A history of Pakistan and its origins. London: Anthem. Max Weber. (2012). Comparative historical Sociology. Ashgate Publishing Ltd. Tidrick, G. M., & Churchill, A. (2005). China: An evaluation of World bank assistance. Washington, DC: World bank. Operations evaluation department. Read More