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224 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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income
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the amount of money a person earns or receives from another source in a given year
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wealth
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a person's total economic assets (cash, real estate, cars, stocks, bonds)
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richest top 20% of americans have what percent of income
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50.4 % of all income
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in 2005, top 20% of americans received ____ amount of income as the rest of popluation
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same amount- 50% of nations income
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second 20% (quin tile) receives what percent of income
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23.1%
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third 20% quin tile receives what percent of income
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14.6-15%
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fourth 20 % quin tile receives what percent of income
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7-9%
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fifth 20% (bottom) receives what percent of income
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3-4%
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top 20% of americans receive what percent of wealth
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84%
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bottom 80% of americans receive what percent of wealth
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16%
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poverty
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having insufficient resources to provide a minimum standard of living
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relative approach/poverty
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people are poor if they are significantly less well off than the average person in their society- divides poor from non poor on basis of the wealth and income of average person
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absolute approach/poverty
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used by most gov agencies- defines poverty as the lack of the essentials of life, such as food shelter and clothing- divides poor from nonpoor on basis of some fixed standard of living
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in late 1960s and 70's the poverty rate ______, only to _____ again in the 1980's and early 1990's
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decreased, increase
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why did the poverty rate increase in the 1980's and early 1990's
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because of cuts in poverty programs and changing economy
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extreme poverty
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the poorest of the poor- defined as those whose income is less than half the poverty level
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when did poverty rate drop because of an economic boom
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1990's and early 2000's, only to increase afterwards
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what groups are the most likely to be poor
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the young- also children from single mothers families and members of ethnic minority groups
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where is the poverty rate the highest in a society
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the inner city and rural areas
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where is the poverty rate the lowest in a society
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the suburbs
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who are at the very bottom of the social heap
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the homeless who lack almost all essentials of the lifestyle expected in a society
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the working poor
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those who hold down jobs but earn too little to be above poverty line
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ideology of individualism
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the belief that each individual is personally responsible for his or her own economic success or failure
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what has made americans far more likely than citizens of other industrialized nations to blame the poor for their own condition
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ideology of individualism
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what forced the gov in the 1930s to deal with acute probelms of poverty
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the great depression
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what were the latest series of efforts to cut welfare and force welfare mothers to get jobs
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welfare reforms enacted in 1996
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what is one explanation for poverty in a non industrialized nation
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economic base is so weak that people must go hungry because there is not enough food to go around
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major causes of poverty in industrialized nations
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unemployment and low wages- caused by the basic economic structure and competitive demands of capitalist marketplace
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why do gov actions fall short when trying to redistribute wealth
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because the rich and powerful oppose effective measures to eliminate poverty
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who developed the theory "culture of poverty"
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Oscar lewis
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culture of poverty
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oscar lewis's theory that holds there is a self-perpetuating subculture among some poor people that helps trap them in poverty
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first proposal to reducing poverty
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create more and better jobs by improving economy and providing job training and better education and raising minimum wage
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second proposal to reducing poverty
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improve welfare programs by eliminating bureaucratic waste and inefficiency, provide day care and education to help welfare mothers find employment, provide basic necessities such as health care to all citizens
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third proposal to reducing poverty
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the poor could organize themselves to push for gov programs that meet their needs
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functionalist perspective on problems of the poor
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see extremes of poverty and wealth as result of breakdown in social organization- economic inequality is beneficial for society- people need to be rewarded for their efforts
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2 functionalist theorist
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Kingsley Davis and Wilbert E Moore
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who said that in order to promote merit, stratification is good
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Davis and Moore
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conflict perspective on problems of the poor
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convinced that poverty thrives because the wealthy and powerful benefit from it
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internationalist perspective on problems of the poor
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concerned with the problems created by being poor in an affluent society and they note that the socialization of the poor encourages them to develop attitudes and behavior patterns that make upward mobility difficult
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distribution of ____ in US is more unequal than distribution of ______
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income, wealth
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why could the official poverty rate be underestimate the actual amount of poverty
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because the cost of necessities has gone up faster than the consumers
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what fraction of american workers did not earn enough money to keep family of 4 above poverty line
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1/5
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what fraction of people cannot read in less-developed countries
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1 in 3 people
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what is the largest employer in the third world
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farming
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what are the 4 stages in economic growth
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1) tradition stage 2)takeoff stage 3)drive for technological maturity 4) mature stage
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world system
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the network of economic and political relationships that links the world together
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what do world system theorist see as the most important cause of poverty in the third world
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exploitation by the wealthy nations
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2 reasons for industrialized nations to help the third world
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lack of interest and challenge
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according to who, activist governments are not usually found in less-developed countries
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functionalists
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according to who, industrialized nations buy up the third world's natural resources at a fraction of their real value
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conflict theorists
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what country has the highest inequality in the world
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US
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who suggests that people are stratified by wealth power and prestige
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max weber
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who talks about how the world was rapidly becoming a global village
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marshall mcluhan
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social stratification
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ranks individuals based on objective criteria, often wealth power and/or prestige
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what naturally creates inequality
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social stratification
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what percentage of americans receive less than 27% of nations income
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60 %
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what percentage of the nations income does the top 5% earn
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21.7%
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median of distribution
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midpoint of all the numbers ranked from lowest to highest
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median income in US
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$49,777
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what percentage of us wealth holders has more wealth total than the bottom 90% of the population combined
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1%
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power
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ability to get people to do what you want without having to make them do so
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persuasive power
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means that you use direct or indirect methods to get what you want
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prestige
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the level of esteem associated with our status and social standing
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top three prestige ranked occupations
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1)physician- 86 prestige ranking 2) lawyer- 75 3)college professor- 74
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upper/elite class
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very small in number and holds significant wealth
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how many people in US belong to the upper/elite class
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3 million out of 300 million
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who suggested the prerequisites for being in the upper/elite class
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william domhoff
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prerequisites for being in the upper/elite class
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attendance at an exclusive prep school, belonging to exclusive social clubs and being born into a wealthy or powerful familty
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upper middle class
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consists of higher income members of society who are well educated but do not belong to elite membership of the super wealthy
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average income and percent of population that are considered the upper middle class
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income usually succeeds $100,000 and 15% of us popluation
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middle class
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have moderate incomes and varies from low-paid white collar workers (teachers, policemen) to well-paid blue collar workers (restaurant managers, factory forcemen)
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average income and percent of population that are considered the middle class
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income usually $40,000-80,000 and 34% of us population
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working class
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makes up 30% of population and comprises people who completed high school and lower levels of education
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which class earns hourly wages instead of a salary
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working class
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lower class
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ones who truly feel the effects of poverty- often live paycheck to paycheck if employed at all
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what fraction of african americans and percent of hispanics live near or below poverty line in US
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2/3 of african americans, 60% of hispanics
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urban underclass
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the homeless and chronically unemployed
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the urban underclass usually live in neighborhoods with...
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poor schools, high crime rate and heavy drug use
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who said that both their (urban underclass) lack of vision and role models are what makes it difficult for many to imagine any other way of life
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William J Wilson
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social class effects what factors (5)
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neighborhoods, health, family, education and social mobility
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how does social class effect neighborhoods
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peoples behavior is influenced by the quality of the neighborhoods they live in
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social class and where poor people tend to settle
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overtime poor people tend to settle in areas already populated by their own class
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children that grow up in wealthy neighborhoods tend to...
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do better in school, have a lower risk of teen pregnancy and have higher standardized test scores
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children who grow up in disadvantaged neighborhoods tend to...
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have lower birth weights, poorer health, and lower levels of education
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how does social class effect health
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poverty influences acceess to food which influences both physical and mental health- poor women with children suffer higher rates of mental depression and worse physical health than wealthier counterparts
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how is health and socioeconomic status (SES) linked
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those with greater SES tend to enjoy better health, where those with lower SES tend to have poorer health
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an individuals health influences what across a lifetime
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social stratification
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how does social class effect family
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social class is the most important factor that differentiates families
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correlations between family form and poverty rates found by US census bureau
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1) female headed households have poverty rates 3X higher than national rate for all families 2) female poverty rates are higher than rates for households headed by single men
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what is the main factor that affects whether or not a child lives in poverty
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family composition
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what three things does Jonathan Kozol suggest about social class and education
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1)schools in urban communities lack educational supplies 2)schools in suburban communities have a surplus of supplies and staff 3) dramatic differences lay in structure of system
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social mobility
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the ability to change social classes
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horizontal mobility
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moving within same status category
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intragenerational mobility
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occurs when individual changes social standing, especially in workforce
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intergenerational mobility
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refers to change that family members ,make from one social class to the next through generations
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structural mobility
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occurs when social changes cause many people to change social status simultaneously
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exchange mobility
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suggests that within the US each social class contains a relatively fixed number of people
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Elizabethan "Poor Law" of 1601
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first real law dealing with welfare and poverty in Britain- attempted to accomplish 4 things
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4 things that the Elizabethan Poor Law of 1601 tried to attempt
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1) separate church from delivering of social services 2) eliminate begging and crime in streets 3) bring social assistance under government control 4) set standards to determine those eligible to receive help and amount of help they should receive
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welfare in the US is largely left to...
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local areas
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why did the need to help the poor become greater than many localities could handle
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because of the large number of injured soldiers and increase in immigration
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two welfare ideas
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1) settlement house movement 2) charity organization society
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what is the key historical event in US in discussion of poverty
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The great depression of 1929
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transitional poverty
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temporary state that occurs when someone goes without a job for a short period of time
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marginal poverty
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occurs when person lacks stable employment
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residual poverty
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chronic and multigenerational poverty
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functionalist perspective on inequality
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Davis and Moore- every system tends toward equilibrium, so inequality in US is inevitable (even essential) for society to function smoothly
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meritocracy argument
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states that those who get ahead in society do so based on their own merit
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what suggests that US is a meritocracy
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occupations that are greatly rewarded on our society are the ones that require the most skills
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conflict theory of inequality
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Karl marx- stratification occurs because the proletariat (workers) are exploited by the bourgeoisie (owners)
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karl marx suggests that
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stratification occurs because the proletariat (workers) are exploited by the bourgeoisie (owners) and also says that life chances influence people
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what conflict theorist suggested that few things affect a person as much as social class and that we reward certain occupations because we are forced to
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Merlin Tumin
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symbolic interationist perspective on inequality
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William Ryan- suggests that when people look at inequality they tend to view those at bottom as creators or co-creators of their problem
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blaming the victim
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william ryan- involves blaming those who suffer from a social problem for that problem- such a process ignores the structural problems in that society
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symbolic interactionist theorists William J Wilson suggested what
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the mentality of blaming the victim prevents us from actually seeing social structural problems that lead to inequality
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What created the temporary assistance to needy families program (TANF)
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when bill clinton signed the personal responsibility and work opportunity reconcilliation act in 1996
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residual welfare
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system of relief intended for people with jobs whose earning are not enough to support them
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institutional welfare
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part of "first line defense" against poverty- assistance offered on preventive basis and no time limits imposed
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two forms of taxation
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progressive and regressive
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progressive taxation
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a system in which people who earn more pay higher taxes
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regressive taxation
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a system that taxes everyone the same percentage of money, but results in the poor paying a higher percentage than the rich
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politics
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social institution where power is acquired and exercised by certain individuals or groups
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economy
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social institution that ensures production, distribution and consumption of goods and services
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political economy
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interdependent workings and interests of political and economic systems
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the 4 features of ideal capitalism
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1. private ownership of means of production 2. pursuit of personal profit 3. competition in market 4. lack of government intervention
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the 3 characteristics of socialism
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1. public ownership of means of production 2. primary motivation is for collective good of all citizens 3. centralized decision making
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mixed economies
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most economies are this- combination of both capitalism (a market economy) and socialism (a command economy)
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state capitalism
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government is involved in the dealings of private companies and helps set rules, policies and objectives
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democratic socialism (welfare capitalism)
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private ownership of some of the means of production with government distribution of essential goods and services (medical care, child care, transportation)
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why does inequality occur globally
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due to uneven economic development
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preindustrialized economies
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most workers engage in primary-sector production
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primary-sector production
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the extraction of raw materials and natural resources from environment
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industrial economies
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most workers engage in secondary-sector production
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secondary-sector production
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the processing of raw materials (from primary sector) into finished products
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post industrialized economies
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characterized by tertiary-sector production
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tertiary-sector production
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workers provide services rather than goods as their primary source of livelihood (transportation, communication, education, advertising, entertainment)
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what do advanced industrialized societies greatly depend on
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international division of labor
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transitional corporations
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large scale business organizations headquartered in one country but operating in many countries
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why are transitional corporations important
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1. currently account for more than half of total world production 2. they are big and powerful and play a significant role in economies and governments of many countries
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what are the problems in US economy (4)
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1. concentration of wealth 2. corporate welfare 3. national and consumer debt 4. unemployment
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concentration of wealth can be traced through what 3 stages
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earliest stage: 1850-1890, monopoly capitalism: 1890-1940, advanced monopoly capitalism: 1940-today
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monopoly
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exists when a single firm controls an industry and accounts for all sales in a specific market
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oligopoly
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a situation in which a small number of companies or suppliers control an entire industry or service
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national debt
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a problem in US economy- amount of money owed by the federal government to creditors
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consumer debt
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a problem in US economy- individual debt due to loans and credit cards
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corporate welfare
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a problem in US economy- when government helps industries and private corporations in their economic pursuits
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government
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a formal organization that has legal and political authority to regulate relationships among people in a society and between society and others outside its borders
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democracy
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political system where the people hold the ruling power through elected representation
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problems in US politics (6)
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1. political parties/elections 2. voter apathy/gender gap 3. politics and money in political campaigns 4. government by special interest groups 5. government by bureaucracy 6. the military industrial complex
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gender gap
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difference between a candidates number of votes from women and men- women and men seem to view social and economic issues differently
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political action committees (PACs)
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special interest groups that fund campaigns to help elect or defeat candidates based on their positions on specific issues
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special interest groups
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exert influence on single issues (environment, gun control) and make contributions to candidates who will protect their interests and profits
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permanent government
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the top-tier civil service bureaucrats who have a strong power base and play a major role in developing and implementing government policies and procedures
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military industrial complex
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refers to the interdependence of the military establishment and private contractors
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why will US always have an active military industrial complex
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because of our focus on military ideals and significant preparedness for war
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functionalists believe that government has 4 funtions
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1. maintains law and order 2. plans society and coordinates other institutions 3. meets social needs 4. handles international relations
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pluralist model
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functionalist- power is widely dispersed throughout many competing interest groups in our political system
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conflict perspective on government
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elite model- power in political system is concentrated in the hands of a small group, whereas the masses are relatively powerless
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conflict theorists believe that the US gov is run by who
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the power elite- the top business leaders, executive branch of the federal government and the military (top brass)
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according to conflict theorists, the only way to overcome problems in politics and the economy is to
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change the entire system
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globalization
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complex process by which the world and its international economy are growing more intertwined
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consequences of one nations actions becomes shared by all because of
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globalization
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how does globalization bring about convergence in the world
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people from different areas become increasingly alike and have more and more shared experiences
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how does globalization create backlash against external forces
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it increases the strength of the local community
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glocalization
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occurs when countries seek to combine the local and global into a unique structural blend
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why do countries use glocalization
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to maintain native customs while fitting into the global environment
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why globalization has negative effect on natural resources
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different countries have different natural resources and may sell resources to become part of the global game
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negative effects globalization has on poor countries with growing population
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the growing population results in large numbers of young people seeking work, which allows employers to pay less and less for the labor
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instead of leveling off playing field between nations, globalization sometimes..
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benefits the wealthy nations and put poor nations at greater disadvantage
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brain drain
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occurs when individuals with the greatest talents leave poor countries, providing an even greater advantage to wealthy countries
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one concern of brain drain
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developing nations who send their best and brightest generally receive nothing in return
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some suggest that the expansion of common influences due to globalization will cause...
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differences to be eventually nonexistent, all cultures may meld into one large homogeneous society
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how does globalization influence migration patterns
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the influx of people- both legal and illegal- associated with various social problems
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how does migration from globalization create backlash against the people who enter a new country
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results in issues of violence, victimization and abuse
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globalization has caused how much of the world's population to live outside their nation of birth
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3 percent
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what are the results of a capitalist nation using developing countries as a source of cheap labor
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negative effects on poor citizens of these nations, at the same time benefiting consumers in wealthy nations
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positive viewpoint of globalization suggests that
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globalization is major opportunity for poorer nations to improve economic status
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globalization is related to how the world is divided between
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the rich and the poor
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the book guns, germs and steel by jared diamond explains what
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why the western world advanced so quickly and other regions of the world did not
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how did the world become stratified
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1. climate, geography and available natural resources played a role 2. ability to use trade and interaction for citizen's own advantages 3. increase in trade results in increase of knowledge
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global stratification
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the categorization of countries based on objective criteria such as wealth power and prestige
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what highlights social patterns and inequalities around the world
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global stratification
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per capita income
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calculated by dividing a county's total gross income by the number of people in that country
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what makes a country considered an underdeveloped nation
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if it is relatively poor and not yet industrialized
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who provides assistance to underdeveloped nations
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the United Nations
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the united nations provides assistance to underdeveloped nations based on 3 criteria
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1. the country must have a low gross national income 2. the population must meet health and education criteria 3. population size and proximity to other developed nations must be taken into consideration
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what area is the most disadvantaged in the world
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the sub-saharan region of africa
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why is the sun-saharan region of africa the most disadvantaged area in the world
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infant mortality, childhood death, hunger and poverty rates are worse than anywhere else in the world
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what are the two major dividing factors between modern developed countries and underdeveloped countries
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communication and literacy
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when people lack the ability to read
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they are forced to take unskilled, labor intensive jobs to support their families
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increasing levels of slavery around the globe are caused by
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globalization and the extension of capitalism
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contract slavery
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form of slavery in which a person signs a work contract, receiving food and shelter from employer but is threatened when he/she tries to leave
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what are the factors that contribute to the fact that we have more slaves on the planet than any other time in history (5)
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globalization, pursuit of cheap labor, rapid population growth, weak local governments and consumer desires for cheap goods
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one reason why slavery is so difficult to eradicate
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Ritzer- grobalization
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grobalization
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Ritzer- refers to the idea that capitalist countries use corporate interests to expand their power throughout the world
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characteristics of developed nations (4)
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well educated population, regular elections, abundant industry, free enterprise
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what country has the highest percentage of people living in poverty of any developed nation
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US.
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how much of the US is under the poverty line
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17%
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one way to measure the quality of life in a country is to look at
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the measure of health and longevity
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what nation has the highest life expectancy in the world and what is it
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Andorra- small nation in Europe. 83.5 years
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what nation has the shortest life expectancy in the world and what is it
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Swaziland in Southern Africa. 31.9 years
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what nation has the lowest infant mortality rate and what is it
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Singapore. 2.3 deaths per 1000 babies born
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what nation has the highest infant mortality rate and what is it
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Angola. has 80 times Singapore's rate at 184.4 deaths per 1000 babies born
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other factors (besides health and longevity) to consider when looking at quality of life
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access to telephones, television, newspapers, the debt ratio and gross national product
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who created a system to rank countries by their quality of life
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Kai Muller
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what country was determined to be the best country in the world to live in and who determined it
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Kai Muller- Norway
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what country was determined to be the worst country in the world to live in and who determined it
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Kai Muller- democratic republic of cango
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where are the top 20 ranked countries located
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western Europe
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where are the bottom 20 countries located
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africa
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is US considered among the top 20 countries
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no
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conflict perspective on globalization
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imbalance of power between the rich and the poor creates stratification
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who proposed the world systems theory
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Immanuel Wallersteins
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Wallersteins world system theory
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suggests that the world is divided by connections to economic power
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according to the world system theory, the core is made up of
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nations that are constantly trying to expand their markets, decrease costs and increase profits.
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why do core nations enter periphery countries
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because they are constantly seeking expansion, using multinational corporations and loans to tap onto the periphery nations
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who proposed neocolonialism
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Michael Harrington
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neocolonialism
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Michael Harrington- the process by which powerful nations use loans and economic power to maintain control over poorer nations
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through the use of outsourcing, multinational corporations allow
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wealthy countries to control weaker ones through corporate investments
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what did conflict theorist Thomas Friedman say
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interconnection means that the world is growing increasingly flat
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symbolic interaction perspective on globalization
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looks at how language and symbolic events affect society
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what did symbolic interationist theory TR Reid suggest
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that since the formation of the European Union, Europeans increasingly identify themselves as citizens of a continent, rather than the individual country in which they were born
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functionalist perspective on globalization
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believe stratification is mostly result of geographic conditions- globalization benefits all nations and brings needed wealth and technology
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modernization
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the process by which a nation moves from a traditional agricultural society to an industrialized state
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modernization theorists
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see industrialism as a universal process that has simply taken place more quickly in some parts of the world than in others
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