Sociology Chapter 12: The Economy And Politics

Front 1

politics

Back 1

the type of human interaction

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Industrial Revolution

Back 2

the drastic economic change brought about by the introduction of machines into the work process about 200 years ago

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postindustrial revolution

Back 3

the change of an economy into one dominated by high technology

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cottage industry

Back 4

craft workers still worked seperately in their own homes

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factory system

Back 5

method of manufacturing adopted in England at the beginning at the Industrial Revolution, in which each worker completes a separate part of the total assembly of a product.

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Where and when the Industrial Revolution began

Back 6

England in 1760

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4 consequences of industrialization

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1. it changes the nature of work- fewer people, bigger machines, more white collar less blue
2. brings about demographic changes- cities grow, whole population grows
3. changes human relations
4. changes the values of a society- more dynamism and materialism, less traditional

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capitalism

Back 8

an economic system based on private ownership of property and competition in producing and selling goods and services

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functionalist take on capitalism

Back 9

capitalism brings about a prosperous and stable social order

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conflict take on capitalism

Back 10

capitalism threatens society by allowing a powerful wealthy class to exploit a weak lower class

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symbolic interactionist take on capitalism

Back 11

focus on how people's definition of their world creates or supports capitalism

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Adam Smith

Back 12

an economist whose thoery of capitalism has become part of economic sociology (functionalist ideas traced back to Smith)

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Two characteristics of capitalism that allow it to allow us to pursuit self-interest and flourish

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1. private ownership of property
2. free competition in buysing and selling goods and services

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the "invisible hand"

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coined by Adam Smith, brings profits to the efficient producers and puts the inefficient ones out of business; competition

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alienation of labor

Back 15

laborers' loss of control over their work process when specialization occurs; Marx

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communism

Back 16

a classless society tat operates on the principle of "from each according to his own"

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socialism

Back 17

an economic system based on public ownership and government control of the economy

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monopoly

Back 18

the situation in which one firm conrols the output of an industry

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oligopoly

Back 19

the situation in which a very few companies control the output of an industry

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stockholders

Back 20

own shares in the firm and its profits. They don't communicate with each other, let alone organize to control the corporation, but they do exercise the right to vote to elect a board of directors to run the corporation

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two welfare systems in the US (and which is more generous)

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1. the more well-known welfare program for the poor
2. the welfare system through the rich through special tax breaks called tax credits or deductions

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Four corrupt practices that have been liberated by the government's hands-off policy

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1. moving the coporate headquarters to foreign places without their employees to avoid paying US taxes
2. overpaying executives and granting them huge stock options and interest-free loans
3. stacking the board of directors with insiders and friends
4. giving campaign contributions to candidates from both major parties to ensure a receipt of government subsidies, tax breaks, and other favors

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conglomerate

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a corporation that owns companies in various unrelated industries (eg hotels, insurance companies, and bakeries)

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multinational corporation

Back 24

companies with subsidiaries in other countries; often have more economic power than medium-sized countries; many have outsourced to seek cheap labor; spark social conflict but introduce technology and badly needed jobs

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dual economy

Back 25

an economy that comprises a core of giant corporations dominating the market and a periphery of small firms competing for the remaining, smaller shares of business

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Three sectors of an economy

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1. core of giant corporations
2. periphery of small firms competing for leftover business
3. various government agencies

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Breakdown of % of workers in each of the 3 sectors

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1. 30% in government sector
2. 30-40% in private core
3. Most in peripheral sector

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power

Back 28

the ability to control the behavior of others, even against their will

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illegitimate power

Back 29

control that is exercised over people who do not recognize the right of those exercising the power to do so

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legitimate power

Back 30

control that is exercised over people with their consent; they believe those exercising control have a right to do so

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Two kinds of legitimate power

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1. influence
2. authority

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influence

Back 32

the ability to control others' behavior through persuasion rather than coercion or authority (may acquire influence through wealth, fame, charm, knowledge, persuasiveness, or any other admired quality)

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Described three possible sources of the right to command

Back 33

Max Weber

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Three possible sources of the right t ocommand

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1. traditional authority
2. charismatic authority
3. legal authority

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traditional authority

Back 35

people obey those in power because, in essence, that is the way it has always been (kings, queens, tribal chiefs, etc) (often justified by religious tradition)

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charismatic authority

Back 36

people submit to authority because of the extraordinary attraction of an individual

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Routinization

Back 37

followers' personal devotion to a leader is replaced by formal commitment to a political system

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legal authority

Back 38

Weber also called it rational authority; systems that are based on it derive legitimacy from an explicit set of rules and procedures that spell out a ruler's rights and duties, and people grant their obedience to the law (individuals come and go, but the office remains)

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three branches of US government

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1. the executive (including the President)
2. the legislative (Congress)
3. the judiciary (the Supreme Court)

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political socialization

Back 40

a learning process by which individuals acquire political knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes

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ideological conservatives

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are opposed to big government because of their belief in free enterprise, rugged individualism, and capitalism

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operational liberals

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support big government by backing government programs that render services to the public

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political party

Back 43

a group organized for the purpose of gaining government offices

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three functions of political parties

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1. parties recruit adherents, nominate candidates, raise campaign money to support their candidate
2. parties formulate and promote policies
3. parties help organize the main institutions of government

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interest group

Back 45

an organized collection of people who attempt to influence government policies

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political power

Back 46

the capacity to use the government to make decisions that affect the whole society

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pluralist view on who holds political power

Back 47

sees many centers of power as well as many competing interest groups; government relfects the outcome of their conflict; no one group can always reign

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Robert Dahl

Back 48

pluralist that said inequalities are dispersed; what one group may lack in wealth it makes up in knowledge and legitimacy, and vice-versa for another group

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David Riesman and Arnold Rose

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pluralists who said that the US has become so pluralistic that powerful interest groups cancel each other out to become veto groups and end up having to go to the unorganized masses for support; thus the masses have the ultimate power to ensure their concerns are protected

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elitist view on political power

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top leaders in business, gov, and the miltary hold political power, which comes from key positions in those fields. the masses are exploited or manipulated by the power elite

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C. Wright Mills and what he thought about political power

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follows the elitist view; said there are three levels of power in the country: 1. the ordinary 2. congress, political parties, and interest groups 3. the power elite of the fed gov, the military and the large corporations who make all the real, important decisions

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iron law of oligarchy

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even a democracy inevitably degenerates into an oligarchy- rule by a few (elitist)

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Marxist view on political power

Back 53

capitalists and top leaders of the corporate world hold power, which comes from control of the nation's economy, and the masses are exloited or manipulated by the capitalists

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Albert Szymanski

Back 54

Marxist sociologist who theorized four classes in US:
1. capitalist class
2. petit bourgeoisie (professionals, small business people)
3. working class
4. lumpenproletariat (unemployed, down and outs, and criminals)