Politics & Sociology

Chapters 13 & 9

The Political Institution

The nature of the social contract- Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau

Start in the state of nature Give up some rights to guarantee security and

protection of core rights Political institution- the system of roles and norms

that governs the distribution and exercise of power (the ability to control the behavior of others, with or without their consent) in society

Power is exercised by the STATE-the primary political authority

Perspectives Functionalists- analyze the political institution

in terms of the functions of the state, ex. The creation and enforcement of laws, provision of services

Conflict theorists- focus on how the political institution brings about social change, ex. How people compete for power, favor wealthier segments of society

Is power legitimate? Legitimacy- whether those in power are

viewed as having the right to control, govern others

Is power being exercised with the consent of the governed

Illegitimate when it is exercised without the approval of the people or against their will

Authority Max Weber called legitimate power

AUTHORITY Traditional authority is power based on a long

standing customs, often hereditary Rational-legal authority where formal rules

and regulations provide the basis for government, written constitution and set of laws

Charismatic authority- based on personal characteristics of the individual exercising the power, Ghandi, Adolf Hitler, Mao, Castro

Coercion The opposite of authority Power that is considered illegitimate by the

people being governed Use of force and/or fear, restrictions on

press/speech, use of military to maintain power

Types of government Democracy- power is exercised through the

people, popular sovereignty Direct democracy- ancient Greece Representative democracy- US Constitutional monarchy- GB Democratic socialism-leaders elected, government

owns some factors of production- Norway, Sweden

Democracy conditions Industrialization- not automatically linked but

most democratic societies are democracies Access to information-democracy requires

well informed voters Limits on power-clear limits placed on scope

of powers, often limited by different branches Shared values- some agreement on basic

values or difficult to compromise

Authoritarian systems Power rests firmly with the state Absolute monarchy- hereditary, Saudia

Arabia Dictatorship- a single individual Junta- small group has seized government by

force Totalitarian most extreme- Germany/Hitler,

Stalin/Soviets

Why do people accept? Erich Fromm, Escape From Freedom

People want to escape feelings of isolation and powerlessness, by submitting, people achieve a sense of security

‘authoritarian character’

American political system

Dominated by 2 major political parties Consists of 3 branches of government Includes interest groups and PACs which

influence government decisions Has proportional representation, debate over

who holds power Includes public participation, although

relatively low turnout

Who rules America? Power-elite model, C. Wright Mills Political power is exercised by and for the

privileged few in society, government, military, businesses draw from small elite percentage of the American population

Pluralist model- the political process is controlled by interest groups that compete with one another for power. Stops concentration of power in hands of too few, but admit to problems of poverty, etc.

Are there social classes?

Dimensions of social stratification: Wealth-income & property, unequal

distribution Power-ability to control behavior of others Prestige-respect, honor

Socioeconomic status combines factors like educational level, occupational prestige, residence with economic factor of income

Determining social class

How many classes are there? How determine?

Reputational method- individuals in community asked to rank other community members

Subjective method- individuals are asked to determine their own social rank

Objective method- sociologists define social class by income, education, and occupation

Upper class About 1% of population Old money v. new money Prestigious schools, raised atmosphere of

wealth

Middle Classes Upper middle class 14%- college or

university, business executives, and professionals

Lower middle class 30%- high school or college, lower level managers, skilled craftsman

Working class 30%- high school, factory and clerical workers, lower level sales

Working Poor & Underclass

Working poor 22%- some high school, laborers, service workers

Underclass 3% some high school, low paying jobs, unemployed, generational welfare recipients

Mobility? Movement between social strata or classes Horizontal mobility- movement within a stratum Vertical mobility- between classes Intergenerational mobility- American Dream

Political institution & popular culture

Two types of political movies: 1. corruption exposed, 2. wouldn’t it be nice if things were more like…

Examine institutions and the political process Overtly political or are all movies political? Birth of a Nation

Idealism on trial Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

All the King’s Men

Campaigns Evolution in tactics: media, transportation,

internet

Campaigns

How view President? Fictional

Historic

Conspiracies & Satires