Cambridge IGCSE Sociology: Reducing Inequality and Global Inequality — Revision Notes (0495)

These notes condense key questions 3.2 and 3.3 of Cambridge IGCSE Sociology (0495). Societies try to reduce inequality through laws, welfare states and the work of NGOs; sociologists from the New Right, Marxist and feminist perspectives disagree about how successful these attempts are; and globalisation affects inequality between societies through migration, ecological issues and exploitation rooted in capitalism, colonialism and patriarchy.

Fuller explanations: reducing inequality and global inequality study guide.

Syllabus coverage

0495 syllabus 2025–2027: 3.2 3.2.1 legislation; 3.2.2 welfare states; 3.2.3 NGOs; 3.2.4 sociological views of success. 3.3 3.3.1 migration; 3.3.2 global ecological issues; 3.3.3 explanations for global inequalities.

Key terms

Term	Definition
Progressive taxation	Higher earners pay a higher proportion of income in tax
Redistribution	Moving resources from richer to poorer groups through tax and benefits
Minimum wage	Lowest hourly pay allowed by law
Equal opportunities laws	Laws banning discrimination
Welfare state	Government provision of education, health, housing, pensions and benefits
Universal basic income	Regular, unconditional payment to every citizen
NGO	Non-governmental, non-profit organisation
Microcredit	Small loans to poor people to start businesses
Underclass	A group below the working class said to depend on welfare (New Right)
Culture of poverty	Values such as fatalism passed between generations of the poor (Lewis)
Dependency culture	Reliance on benefits rather than work
Push / pull factors	Reasons to leave / reasons to move to a place
Remittances	Money sent home by migrants
TNC	Transnational company operating in many countries
Colonialism	Rule of one country over another, extracting resources

3.2 Attempts to reduce inequality

• Legislation: progressive tax; benefits; minimum wage; equal opportunities laws; other measures such as conditional cash transfers (Brazil’s Bolsa Família, 2003) and job guarantees (India’s rural employment law, 2005).
• Welfare states: free/universal education; unemployment benefit; pensions; low-cost housing; free healthcare (UK NHS, 1948, after the Beveridge Report, 1942); universal basic income trials (Finland, 2017–2018).
• NGOs: poverty reduction; medical aid (Médecins Sans Frontières); business (microcredit, Grameen Bank); education (BRAC, founded 1972).

Views on success

Perspective	Verdict	Key point
New Right	Welfare harms	Creates underclass and dependency (Murray, 1984)
Culture of poverty	Poverty persists through values	Lewis (1959, 1966)
Marxist	Welfare props up capitalism	Softens exploitation; inequality of wealth remains
Critics of NGOs	Limited	Dependency, donor priorities, small scale
Feminist	Equality laws incomplete	Pay gap and unpaid care persist

3.3 Globalisation and inequality

Area	Increases inequality	Reduces inequality
Migration	Brain drain; exploitation; negative perceptions	Remittances; jobs; skills shared
TNCs	Low wages; weak regulation; resource extraction	Investment; jobs; technology
Climate change	Hits poorer countries hardest	Global agreements and aid for adaptation
Pollution	Concentrated in poor areas	Global environmental standards
Urbanisation	Informal settlements, poor sanitation	Access to jobs and services in cities

Explanations: Marxist exploitation by global capitalism; colonialism’s lasting effects; feminist patriarchy — women do much of the world’s work but own little property.

Worked example: a 6-mark “explain” answer

Explain three criticisms of the welfare state. (practice)

1. New Right: welfare reduces the incentive to work, encouraging dependency culture and an underclass (Murray).
2. Marxist: welfare only manages capitalism’s problems, keeping workers healthy and quiet without redistributing wealth.
3. Feminist: welfare systems may assume a male breadwinner and leave women’s unpaid care work unrecognised.

Each criticism is identified and then explained — the pattern that earns 2 marks per point.

Worked example: a 14-mark evaluation plan

Evaluate the view that NGOs are the most effective way to reduce global inequality. (practice)

1. For: NGOs reach places governments neglect; medical assistance in emergencies; microcredit helps women start businesses; education projects improve girls’ life chances.
2. Against: NGOs depend on donors and can create dependency; they are small compared with state welfare systems; they may follow Western priorities rather than local needs.
3. Alternatives: legislation (progressive tax, minimum wage) and welfare states change whole systems; Marxists argue only changing global capitalism will reduce inequality.
4. Judgement: NGOs are effective for particular needs, but large-scale reduction of inequality needs government action and fairer global trade.

Common mistakes and exam traps

• Listing welfare services without explaining their effect on life chances.
• Treating the New Right and Marxist critiques as the same — they criticise welfare from opposite directions.
• Writing about migration only as a problem; the syllabus asks for economic consequences and cultural diversity too.
• Forgetting urbanisation and pollution in 3.3.2.
• Describing colonialism without linking it to present-day inequality.

Quick self-test

1. Define progressive taxation.
2. Give two forms of NGO work named in the syllabus.
3. What is a dependency culture?
4. Give one push and one pull factor.
5. Explain one way climate change increases inequality between societies.

Frequently asked questions

Which example of reducing inequality is best? One you can explain in detail and evaluate, whether from your own country or elsewhere.

Can NGOs replace governments? Most sociologists argue NGOs help but are too small and dependent on donors to replace state action.

Do I need statistics? Not necessarily; clear, accurate examples and concepts score well.

Related pages: reducing inequality and globalisation practice questions | Paper 1 revision notes