IB Global Politics Development and Sustainability Key Definitions

Absolute poverty refers to a condition where people do not have enough resources to secure the basic essentials for survival, including food, safe water, shelter, and healthcare. It is measured against a fixed threshold such as the World Bank’s $3.00 per day standard.

Climate justice is the framing of climate change as a rights and equity issue, not merely an environmental one: the communities least responsible for historical greenhouse gas emissions are disproportionately exposed to its worst impacts, raising questions of intergenerational and international fairness.

Common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR) is the principle, enshrined in the UNFCCC (1992), that all states share responsibility for addressing climate change, but that industrialised states bear a greater burden because of their historically higher cumulative emissions.

CBDR is contested: Global North states argue it exempts major emerging emitters like China and India, while Global South states invoke it to demand financing and technology transfers before accepting binding emission cuts.

Development refers to the process of improving the quality of life and well-being of people, often measured through economic growth, education, health, equality, and access to basic needs.

Development refers to the process of improving the economic, social, and political well-being of people.

Energy security refers to the uninterrupted availability of energy sources at an affordable price, encompassing the physical security of supply infrastructure, the diversification of suppliers and routes, and the strategic management of energy as a component of national and economic security.

Equity refers to proportional or differentiated treatment designed to account for existing disadvantage, so that individuals can reach comparable outcomes or access.

It differs from equality in that equity recognises that identical treatment does not produce fair outcomes when starting conditions differ.

Global governance refers to the framework of rules, institutions, and processes that guide international cooperation and decision-making.

Refers to economically and industrially advanced countries, generally located north of less developed nations.

Refers to countries with lower levels of economic and industrial development, typically found south of more developed nations.

Process of increasing global interconnectedness through trade, investment, culture, technology, and population movement. Complex interdependence (Nye).

Inequality refers to the uneven distribution of resources, opportunities, and power among individuals, groups, or nations.

Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs) are formal institutions made up of two or more states that work together on common issues such as peace, security, trade, or the environment. They are established through treaties and operate under international law, meaning member states are legally bound by the organization’s rules.

International Financial Institutions (IFIs) are a specific type of IGO focused on economic and financial issues. They play a vital role in stabilizing economies, promoting development, and facilitating international trade.

Intersectionality is a framework, developed by Kimberle Crenshaw in 1989, that analyses how overlapping social identities such as race, gender, and class interact to produce distinct and compounded forms of discrimination or disadvantage.

Marginalization occurs when individuals or groups are pushed to the edges of society, denied equal opportunities, or excluded from decision-making processes.

Multidimensional poverty refers to poverty that goes beyond just income levels, capturing multiple deprivations people face in their daily lives. It includes limited access to education, healthcare, clean water and sanitation, housing, and basic living standards.

Multinational Companies (MNCs) operate in multiple countries but maintain a strong centralized headquarters in their home country.

Power asymmetry refers to a situation where power, resources, or influence are distributed unequally between actors, giving one side a significant advantage over the other. This imbalance can shape relationships, negotiations, and conflicts. For example, developed countries dominating trade rules over developing countries, employers holding more bargaining power than workers, or a majority group controlling political institutions over minorities are all cases of power asymmetry.

The hypothesis that the terms of trade for primary commodity exporters deteriorate over the long run relative to exporters of manufactured goods, concentrating growth in industrialised economies.

A major theory in global politics focused on power and the idea that international relations are shaped by conflict and self-interest.

Relative poverty describes a situation where people possess fewer resources than the average in their society, which restricts their ability to take part fully in normal social and economic activities. It highlights inequality within a specific context rather than survival itself.

Social justice is the fair distribution of opportunities, resources, and recognition across a society, with special attention to disadvantaged and marginalised groups.

Strong sustainability holds that certain forms of natural capital are critical and cannot be substituted by anything else. Their loss makes the whole system unsustainable, no matter how much else is gained.