A. Politics is the social institution through which power is acquired and exercised by some people and groups.
<s> B. In contemporary societies, the primary political system is the government -- the formal organization
that has the legal and political authority to regulate the relationships among members of a society and
between the society and those outside its borders.
<s> C. Sociologists often refer to the government as the state -- the political entity that possesses a
legitimate monopoly over the use of force within its territory to achieve its goals.
<s> D. While political science primarily focuses on power and the distribution of power in different
types of political systems, political sociology examines the nature and consequences of power
within or between societies and focuses on the social circumstances of politics and the
interrelationships between politics and social structures.
<s> E. Power and Authority
<s> 1. Power is the ability of persons or groups to achieve their goals despite opposition from others.
<s> 2. Authority is power that people accept as legitimate rather than coercive.
<s> 3. According to Max Weber, there are three ideal types of authority:
<s> a. Charismatic authority is power legitimized on the basis of a leader's exceptional personal
qualities or by demonstrating extraordinary insight and accomplishment that inspires loyalty
and obedience from followers.
<s> b. Traditional authority is power that is legitimized on the basis of long-standing custom.
<s> c. Rational-legal authority is power legitimized by law or written rules and regulations.
<np>STOP: Distinguish between power and authority, and describe the three major types of authority.
<np>II. POLITICAL SYSTEMS IN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
A. Emergence of Political Systems
<s> 1. Political institutions first emerge in agrarian societies as they acquire surpluses and develop
greater social inequality; when a city's power extended to adjacent areas, a city-state developed.
<s> 2. Nation-states are political organizations that have recognizable national boundaries within which
their citizens possess specific legal rights and obligations; approximately 190 nation-states
currently exist worldwide.
<s> B. Monarchy is a political system in which power resides in one person or family and is passed from
generation to generation through lines of inheritance.
<s> C. Authoritarianism is a political system controlled by rulers who deny popular participation in government.
<s> D. Totalitarianism is a political system in which the state seeks to regulate all aspects of people's
public and private lives.
<s> E. Democracy is a political system in which the people hold the ruling power either directly or through
elected representatives.
<np>III. PERSPECTIVES ON POWER AND POLITICAL SYSTEMS
A. Functionalist Perspectives: According to the pluralist model, power in political systems is widely
dispersed throughout many competing special interest groups -- political coalitions comprised of
individuals or groups that share a specific interest they wish to protect or advance with the help
of the political system.
<s> 1. Key elements of this model:
<s> a. Decisions are made on behalf of the people by leaders who engage in a process of bargaining,
accommodation, and compromise.
<s> b. Competition among leadership groups (such as leaders in business, labor, education, law,
medicine, consumer groups, and government) protects people by making the abuse of power by
any one group more difficult.
<s> c. People can influence public policy by voting in elections, participating in existing special
interest groups, or forming new ones to gain access to the political system.
<s> d. Power is widely dispersed in society; leadership groups that wield influence on some
decisions are not the same groups which may be influential in other decisions.
<s> 2. Over the last two decades, special interest groups have become more involved in "single-issue
politics," such as abortion, gun control, gay and lesbian rights, or environmental concerns.
<s> 3. Political action committees (PACs) are organizations of special interest groups that fund campaigns
to help elect (or defeat) candidates based on their stances on specific issues.
<w> The Center for Responsible Politics maintains a site which offers comprehensive information on campaign fund raising, candidates profiles and more.
<url>http://www.crp.org/
<np>STOP: State the major elements of the pluralist (functionalist) model of power and political systems.
<np>III. PERSPECTIVES ON POWER AND POLITICAL SYSTEMS
B. Conflict Perspectives: According to the elite model, power in political systems is concentrated in
the hands of a small group of elites and the masses are relatively powerless.
<s> 1. Key elements of this model:
<s> a. Decisions are made by the elite, possessing greater wealth, education, status, and other resources
than do the "masses" it governs.
<s> b. Consensus exists among the elite on the basic values and goals of society; however, consensus
does not exist among most people in society on these important social concerns.
<s> c. Power is highly concentrated at the top of a pyramid-shaped social hierarchy; those at the top
of the power structure come together to set policy for everyone.
<s> d. Public policy reflects the values and preferences of the elite, not the preferences of the people.
<s> 2. According to C. Wright Mills, the power elite is comprised of leaders at the top of business, the
executive branch of the federal government, and the military (especially the "top brass" at the Pentagon).
The elites have similar class backgrounds and interests.
<s> a. The corporate rich are the most powerful because of their unique ability to parlay the vast
economic resources at their disposal into political power.
<s> b. At the middle level of the pyramid, Mills placed the legislative branch of government,
interest groups, and local opinion leaders.
<s> c. The bottom (and widest layer) of the pyramid is occupied by the unorganized masses who are
relatively powerless and vulnerable to economic and political exploitation.
<np> 3. G. William Domhoff referred to elites as the ruling class -- a relatively fixed group of
privileged people who wield sufficient power to constrain political processes and serve
underlying capitalist interests.
<s> a. The ruling class constitutes less than one percent of the U.S. population.
<s> b. The corporate rich and their families influence the political process in three ways:
<s> (1) they influence the candidate selection process by helping to finance campaigns and providing
favors to political candidates
<s> (2) through participation in the special interest process, they are able to gain favors, tax-breaks,
regulatory rulings, and other governmental supports
<s> (3) they gain access to the policy-making process by holding prestigious positions on governmental
advisory committees, presidential commissions, and other governmental appointments.
<np>STOP: State the major elements of elite (conflict) models of power and political systems, and note how they differ from pluralist (functionalist) models.
<np>IV. THE U.S. POLITICAL SYSTEM
A. A political party is an organization whose purpose is to gain and hold legitimate control of government.
<s> 1. Parties develop and articulate policy positions; educate voters about the issues and simplify the
choices for them; recruit candidates who agree with those policies, and help those candidates win office;
and, when elected, hold the candidates responsible for implementing the party's policy positions.
<s> 2. Since the Civil War, two political parties -- the Democratic and the Republican -- have dominated the
political system in the United States and confronted two broad types of concerns.
<s> a. Social issues are those relating to moral judgments or civil rights.
<s> b. Economic issues involve the amount that should be spent on government programs and the
extent to which these programs should encourage a redistribution of income and assets.
<s> B. Political Participation and Voter Apathy
<s> 1. Political socialization is the process by which people learn political attitudes, values, and behavior.
For young children, the family is the primary agent of political socialization.
<s> 2. Socioeconomic status affects people's political attitudes, values, beliefs, and participation.
<s> 3. The United States has one of the lowest percentages of voter turnout of all Western nations; only
48.9 percent of the voting-age population voted in the 1996 presidential election.
<np> C. Governmental Bureaucracy
<fig>So000839<s> 1. About 90 percent of the top-echelon positions are held by white men.
<s> 2. The governmental bureaucracy has been able to perpetuate itself and expand because it has
many employees with highly specialized knowledge and skills who cannot easily be replaced by
those from the "outside."
<s> 3. The Iron Triangle and the Military-Industrial Complex
<s> a. The iron triangle is a three-way arrangement in which a private-interest group (usually a
business corporation), a congressional committee or subcommittee, and a bureaucratic agency
make the final decision on a political issue that is to be decided by that agency.
<s> b. A classic example of the iron triangle is an arrangement referred to as the military-industrial
complex the mutual interdependence of the military establishment and private military contractors
which started during World War II and continues to the present.
<fig>34269<np>V. ECONOMIC SYSTEMS IN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
<fig>39230<s> A. The economy is the social institution that ensures the maintenance of society through the production,
distribution, and consumption of goods and services.
<s> B. Preindustrial, industrial, and postindustrial economies
<s> 1. In preindustrial societies, most workers engage in primary sector production -- the extraction of
raw materials and natural resources from the environment.
<s> 2. Industrialization brings sweeping changes to the economy as new forms of energy and machine
technology proliferate as the primary means of producing goods and most workers engage in secondary
sector production -- processing raw materials into finished goods.
<fig>1394<s> 3. A postindustrial economy is based on teritary sector production - the provision of services
(such as food service, transportation, communication, education, and entertainment) rather than goods.
<s> C. Capitalism is an economic system characterized by private ownership of the means of production, from
which personal profits can be derived through market competition and without government intervention.
"Ideal" capitalism has four distinctive features:
<s> 1. Private ownership of the means of production;
<s> 2. Pursuit of personal profit;
<s> 3. Competition; and
<s> 4. Lack of government intervention
<np> D However, ideal capitalism does not exist in the U.S. for a number of reasons, including the presence of:
<s> 1. Oligopolies -- where several companies control an entire industry.
<s> 2. Shared monopolies -- where four or fewer companies supply 50 percent or more of a particular market.
<s> 3. Mergers and acquisitions across industries create conglomerates -- combinations of businesses
in different commercial areas, all owned by one holding company.
<s> 4. Competition also is reduced by interlocking corporate directorates -- members of the board of
directors of one corporation who also sit on the board(s) of other corporations.
<s> 5. Government intervention often occurs in the form of regulations after some individuals and
companies in pursuit of profits have run roughshod over weaker competitors; however, much
"government intervention" has been in the form of aid to business.
<s> E. Socialism is an economic system characterized by public ownership of the means of production, the pursuit
of collective goals, and centralized decision making. "Ideal" socialism has three distinctive features:
<s> 1. Public ownership of the means of production;
<s> 2. Pursuit of collective goals; and
<s> 3. Centralized decision making.
<np> F. A mixed economy combines elements of a market economy (capitalism) with elements of a
command economy (socialism).
<s> 1. The term democratic socialism -- an economic and political system that combines private ownership of
some of the means of production, governmental distribution of some essential goods and services, and free
elections -- is sometimes used to refer to mixed economies.
<s> 2. The government in a mixed economy plays a larger role in setting rules, policies, and objectives.
<np>STOP: Describe the four distinctive features of "ideal" capitalism and explain why pure capitalism does not exist.
<np>VI. WORK IN THE CONTEMPORARY UNITED STATES
A. The economy in the United States and other contemporary societies is partially based on the work
(purposeful activity, labor, or toil) that people perform. Professions -- high-status,
knowledge-based occupations -- have five major characteristics.
<w> The U.S. Department of Labor is responsible for overseeing issues related to labor and employment. The Department of Labor maintains a site with statistical data on employment, as well as such services as a job bank in the public employment sector. http://www.dol.gov
<url>http://www.dol.gov
<s> 1. Abstract, specialized knowledge
<s> 2. Autonomy
<s> 3. Self-regulation
<s> 4. Authority
<s> 5. Altruism
<s> B. Occupations are categories of jobs that involve similar activities at different work sites.
<fig>Bu004487<s> 1. The primary labor market is comprised of high-paying jobs with good benefits that have some
degree of security and the possibility for future advancement.
<s> 2. The secondary labor market is comprised of low-paying jobs with few benefits and very little
job security or possibility for future advancement.
<s> C. Upper Tier Jobs: Managers and Supervisors
<fig>40299<s> 1. Managers are essential in contemporary bureaucracies, where work is highly specialized
and authority structures are hierarchical.
<s> 2. Workers at each level of the hierarchy take orders from their immediate supervisors and may
give orders to a few subordinates.
<np> D. Lower Tier or the Service Sector and Marginal Jobs
<s> 1. Positions in the lower tier of the service sector are part of the secondary labor market, characterized
by low wages, little job security, few chances for advancement, higher unemployment, and very limited
<np> E. Contingent work is part-time work, temporary work, and subcontracted work that offers advantages
to employers but often is detrimental to the welfare of workers.
<fig>48108<s> 1. Employers benefit by hiring workers on a part-time or temporary basis; they are able to cut costs,
maximize profits, and have workers available only when they need them.
<s> 2. Subcontracting -- a form of economic organization in which a larger corporation contracts with
other (usually smaller) firms to provide specialized components, product, or services -- is another
form of contingent work that cuts employers' costs, but often at the expense of workers.
<s> F. Unemployment
<s> 1. There are three major types of unemployment:
<s> a. Cyclical unemployment occurs as a result of lower rates of production during recessions in the
business cycle.
<s> b. Seasonal unemployment results from shifts in the demand for workers based on conditions such
as weather or seasonal demands such as holidays and summer vacations.
<s> c. Structural unemployment arises because the skills demanded by employers do not match the skills
of the unemployed or because the unemployed do not live where the jobs are located.
<vp>VIDEO: Unemployment is a world-wide problem and occurs in other highly developed economies such as Germany.
<v>V9
<s> 2. The unemployment rate is the percentage of unemployed persons in the labor force actively seeking
jobs. In 1996, the U.S. unemployment rate was 5.4 percent; however, African-Americans and Latinos/as
have higher rates.
<np> G. Labor Unions and Worker Activism
<s> 1. U.S. labor unions have been credited with gaining an eight-hour work day, a five-day work
week, health and retirement benefits, sick leave and unemployment insurance, and workplace
health and safety standards for many employees through collective bargaining -- negotiations
between labor union leaders and employers on behalf of workers.
<s> 2. Although the overall number of union members in the United States has increased since the
1960s, the proportion of all employees who are union members has declined.
<np>Stop: Distinguish between the various types of unemployment and explain why the unemployment rate may not be a true reflection of unemployment in the United States.
<np>VI. WORK IN THE CONTEMPORARY UNITED STATES
3. Absenteeism and Sabotage
<s> a. Absenteeism is one means by which workers resist working conditions they
consider to be oppressive.
<s> b. Other workers use sabotage to bring about informal work stoppages, such as "throwing
a monkey wrench in the gears" to halt the movement of the assembly line.
<s> c. While most workers do not sabotage machinery, a significant number do resist what they
perceive to be oppression from supervisors and employers.
<np>VII. POLITICS AND THE ECONOMY IN THE FUTURE
A. Most futurists predict that transnational corporations will become even more significant in the
global economy of tomorrow; while corporations will become even less aligned with the values of
any one nation.
<s> B. Globally, millions of people remain committed to the ideals of democracy; in the United States,
in spite of prejudice and discrimination, many ethnic and non-ethnic Americans continue to believe
in a re-envisioning of democratic ideals.
<fig>23148<s> C. Politics and the economy are so intertwined in the United States and on a global basis that
many social scientists speak of the two as a single entity: the political economy.
<s> D. The chasm between rich and poor nations will probably widen in the future as industrialized
nations purchase fewer raw materials from industrializing countries and more products and services
from one another.
<s> E. A final vision of the future is based on digital democracy -- the use of information technologies such
as the Internet and the World Wide Web -- which will change economic relationships and the way that
politics and government are conducted.
<end>
<nq>20
<ques>The social institution through which power is acquired and exercised by some people and groups is known as:
<c1>government.
<c2>politics.
<c3>the state.
<c4>the military.
<ans>b<expl>The social institution through which power is acquired and exercised by some people and groups is known as politics. (p.368)
<ques>According to the text, the state is:
<c1>the social institution through which power is acquired and exercised by some people and groups.
<c2>the formal organization that has the legal and political authority to regulate the relationships among members of a society and between the society and those outside its borders.
<c3>the political entity that possesses a legitimate monopoly over the use of force within its territory to achieve its goals.
<c4>the political entity that seeks to regulate all aspects of people's public and private lives.
<ans>c<expl>According to the text, the state is the political entity that possesses a legitimate monopoly over the use of force within its territory to achieve its goals. (p. 368)
<ques>________ is the power that people accept as legitimate rather than coercive.
<c1>Influence
<c2>Clout
<c3>Authority
<c4>Legitimation
<ans>c<expl>Authority is the power that people accept as legitimate rather than coercive. (p. 369)
<ques>All of the following statements regarding racialized patriarchy are correct, except:
<c1>Zillah R. Eisenstein coined the term "racialized patriarchy."
<c2>Racialized patriarchy is closely intertwined with rational-legal authority.
<c3>Racialized patriarchy is the continual interplay of race and gender.
<c4>Racialized patriarchy reinforces traditional structures of power in contemporary societies.
<ans>b<expl>All of the following statements regarding racialized patriarchy are correct, except: racialized patriarchy is closely intertwined with rational-legal authority. Instead, racialized patriarchy is closely intertwined with traditional authority. (p. 369)
<ques>The National Socialist (Nazi) party in Germany during World War II is an example of a(n):
<c1>monarchy.
<c2>authoritarian regime.
<c3>totalitarian regime.
<c4>democracy.
<ans>c<expl>The National Socialist (Nazi) party in Germany during World War II is an example of a totalitarian regime. (p. 373)
<ques>All of the following statements regarding democracy are true, except:
<c1>Democracy is a political system in which the people hold the ruling power either directly or through elected representatives.
<c2>Several nations have attempted direct democracy at the national level.
<c3>Representative democracy is not always equally accessible to all people in a nation.
<c4>The framers of the Constitution established a system of representative democracy in the United States.
<ans>b<expl>All of the following statements regarding democracy are true, except: several nations have attempted direct democracy at the national level. (p. 374)
<ques>Political action committees:
<c1>generally have been abolished by reforms in campaign finance laws.
<c2>are comprised of people who volunteer their time but not money to political candidates and parties.
<c3>are organizations of special interest groups that fund campaigns to help elect candidates based on their stances on specific issues.
<c4>encourage widespread political participation by citizens at the grassroots level.
<ans>c<expl>Political action committees are organizations of special interest groups that fund campaigns to help elect candidates based on their stances on specific issues. (p. 376)
<ques>The power elite model was developed by:
<c1>Emile Durkheim.
<c2>Thomas R. Dye and Harmon Zeigler.
<c3>Joseph Steffan.
<c4>C. Wright Mills.
<ans>d<expl>The power elite model was developed by C. Wright Mills. (p. 376)
<ques>The organizations responsible for developing and articulating policy positions, educating voters about issues, and recruiting candidates to run for office are known as:
<c1>political parties.
<c2>political action committees.
<c3>interest groups.
<c4>federal election committees.
<ans>a<expl>The organizations responsible for developing and articulating policy positions, educating voters about issues, and recruiting candidates to run for office are known as political parties. (p. 378)
<ques>The three-way arrangement in which a private interest group, a congressional committee, and a bureaucratic agency make the final decision on a political issue that is to be decided by that agency is known as:
<c1>political subversion.
<c2>the iron law of oligarchy.
<c3>the iron triangle of power.
<c4>the power elite.
<ans>c<expl>The three-way arrangement in which a private interest group, a congressional committee, and a bureaucratic agency make the final decision on a political issue that is to be decided by that agency is known as the iron triangle of power. (p. 381)
<ques>All of the following are examples of primary sector production, except:
<c1>oil wells
<c2>coal mining
<c3>metal ore production
<c4>logging
<ans>c<expl>Metal ore production is an example of secondary, not primary sector production. (p. 383)
<ques>Industrial economies are characterized by _______ sector production.
<c1>primary
<c2>secondary
<c3>tertiary
<c4>quartiary
<ans>b<expl>Industrial economies are characterized by secondary sector production. (p. 383)
<ques>According to the text, all of the following are features of capitalism, except:
<c1>private ownership of the means of production.
<c2>pursuit of personal profit.
<c3>competition.
<c4>governmental intervention in the marketplace.
<ans>d<expl>According to the text, all of the following are features of capitalism except: governmental intervention in the marketplace. (p. 383)
<ques>If Sony, EMI, Time Warner, and only a few other companies control the entire music industry, this arrangement would be a(n):
<c1>oligopoly.
<c2>monopoly.
<c3>conglomerate.
<c4>amalgamation.
<ans>a<expl>If Sony, EMI, Time Warner and only a few other companies control the entire music industry, this arrangement would be an oligopoly. (p. 385)
<ques>______ is an economic system characterized by public ownership of the means of production, the pursuit of collective goals, and centralized decision making.
<c1>Capitalism
<c2>Communism
<c3>Socialism
<c4>Communitarianism
<ans>c<expl>Socialism is an economic system characterized by public ownership of the means of production, the pursuit of collective goals, and centralized decision making. (p. 388)
<ques>Democratic socialism is characterized by:
<c1>extensive government action to provide support and services to its citizens.
<c2>private ownership of the means of production, from which personal profits can be derived through market competition and without government intervention.
<c3>public ownership of the means of production, the pursuit of collective goals, and centralized decision making
<c4>private ownership of some of the means of production, governmental distribution of some essential goods and services, and free elections.
<ans>d<expl>Democratic socialism is characterized by private ownership of some of the means of production, governmental distribution of some essential goods and services, and free elections. (p. 388)
<ques>_____ unemployment results from shifts in the demand for workers based on conditions such as the weather or the season.
<c1>Inclement
<c2>Occasional
<c3>Seasonal
<c4>Cyclical
<ans>c<expl>Seasonal unemployment results from shifts in the demand for workers based on conditions such as the weather or the season. (p. 393)
<ques>_____ refers to negotiations between employers and labor union leaders on behalf of workers.
<c1>Collective bargaining
<c2>Mediation
<c3>Binding arbitration
<c4>Agency shop tactics
<ans>a<expl>Collective bargaining refers to negotiations between employers and labor unions on behalf of workers. (p. 394)
<ques> The phrase "throwing a monkey wrench in the gears" originated with the practice of:
<c1>managers deliberately slowing down the assembly line.
<c2>workers who poke fun at their job by dressing up like monkeys.
<c3>lower tier employees trying to impress their managers.
<c4>"losing" a tool in assembly line machinery.
<ans>d<expl>The phrase "throwing a monkey wrench in the gears" originated with the practice of intentionally "losing" a tool in assembly line machinery. (p. 394)
<ques>In discussing the global economy in the future, the text points out that:
<c1>most futurists predict that multinational corporations will fade.
<c2>the chasm between rich and poor nations probably will widen.
<c3>the most likely "big winners" in the global marketplace will be the Arab states of the Middle East.
<c4>workers in less developed and developing nations will benefit more than workers in developed countries from global economic growth.
<ans>b<expl>In discussing the global economy in the future, the text points out that the chasm between rich and poor nations probably will widen. (p. 395)
<tf>15
<ques>Political sociology is the same as political science.
<ans>F<expl>Political sociology focuses on the social circumstances of politics and explores the interrelationships between politics and social structures. Political science primarily focuses on power and its distribution in different types of political systems. (p. 368)
<ques>Power is a social relationship that involves both leaders and followers.
<ans>T<expl>None(p. 369)
<ques>Charismatic authority tends to be temporary and relatively unstable.
<ans>T<expl>None(p. 370)
<ques>A nation-state is a unit of political organization that has recognizable national boundaries and whose citizens possess specific legal rights and obligations.
<ans>T<expl>None(p. 372)
<ques>In a representative democracy, elected representatives are expected to keep the "big picture" in mind, and they do not necessarily need to convey the concerns of those they represent in all situations.
<ans>F<expl>In a representative democracy, elected representatives are expected convey the concerns and interests of those they represent. (p. 374)
<ques>Functionalists suggest that divergent viewpoints lead to a system of political pluralism in which the government functions as an arbiter between competing interests and viewpoints.
<ans>T<expl>None(p. 375)
<ques>Over the past two decades, special interest groups have become more involved in multiple-issue politics because so many political issues are intertwined with other concerns.
<ans>F<expl>Over the past two decades, special interest groups have become more involved in single-issue politics. (p. 375)
<ques>Sociologist G. William Domhoff believes that the ruling class wields sufficient power to constrain political processes in the United States.
<ans>T<expl>None(p. 377)
<ques>The United States has one of the highest percentages of voter turnout of all Western nations.
<ans>F<expl>The United States has one of the lowest percentages of voter turnout of all Western nations. (p. 379)
<ques>The economy is the social institution responsible for the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.
<ans>T<expl>None(p. 382)
<ques>Preindustrial economies typically are based on the extraction of raw materials and natural resources from the environment.
<ans>T<expl>None(p. 383)
<ques>A conglomerate exists when four or fewer companies supply 50 percent or more of a particular market.
<ans>F<expl>A shared monopoly exists when four or fewer companies supply 50 percent or more of a particular market. (p. 385)
<ques>According to Karl Marx, socialism and communism are virtually identical.
<ans>F<expl>According to Karl Marx, communism is an economic system characterized by common ownership of all economic resources. He believed that socialism was merely a temporary stage en route to an ideal communist society. (p. 388)
<ques>Children whose parents are professionals are more likely to become professionals themselves.
<ans>T<expl>None(p. 390)
<ques>Temporary workers are the fastest growing segment of the contingent work force.
