chapter 13 politics and economics: penetrating power and privilege © pine forge press, an imprint...

Chapter 13Chapter 13Politics and Economics:Politics and Economics:Penetrating Power and Penetrating Power and

PrivilegePrivilege

© Pine Forge Press, an Imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc., 2011.


Politics and Economics

Both political and economic systems enforce the distribution of power in

societyPolitical systems involve power relationships between individuals and larger social institutions Economic systems produce goods and services and distribute them unequally, giving some citizens more privileges than others


The most common social science definition of power comes from Max Weber:

Power is the ability of people or groups to realize their own will in group action, even against resistance of others who disagree.

What is Power?


Three arenas of powerThe nation-state attempts to control individual behavior through

Physical control and coercionSymbolic control and manipulationRules of conduct

Power is the ability to influence interactions and organizationMarxist perspective: power includes control of economic resources and production, which allows the dominant class to maintain rule

What is power?


Micro-level: Power is operative in social interaction

Meso-level: Power also operates inCity, county, state, and national decisions about resources and regulationsLarge bureaucratic organizations, corporations, ethnic or minority groups

Macro-level: global systems of power include international organizations such as the United Nations

Multiple Levels of Power and Privilege


Micro- and meso-level perspectives: The legitimacy of power

Interaction theorists: focus on how symbols and constructions of reality allow some people to assume power, and how they generate loyalty

Micro-level socialization instills belief in the legitimacy of reigning authorities

Theories of Power and Privilege


Micro- and meso-level perspectives: The legitimacy of power

Max Weber’s contribution: Weber distinguished between legitimate and illegitimate power

Authority, or legitimate power, is recognized as rightful by those who are subject to it

The legitimacy of a government’s power is measured by:

Whether the state can govern without the use or threat of forceful coercion, and Whether challenges to state authority are processed through normal channels



Micro- and meso-level perspectives: The legitimacy of powerWeber’s contribution, cont.

Three ways leaders gain legitimate power:Traditional authority

Charismatic authority

Rational-legal authority – most common today

All three are legitimate forms of power because the people being governed give their consent



Macro-level perspectives: Functionalism and pluralist theory

Functionalists believe that citizens legitimize political systems because they serve important functions in society

Pluralist theory:Power is distributed among various interest groups so that no one group rulesPolitics involves negotiation and compromiseHaving multiple power centers offers the best chance to maintain democratic forms of government



Macro-level perspectives: Conflict theory and the power elite

Conflict theorists believe that the state protects the privileged position of the few

Power elite theory:Rule of society by a small group of elites is inevitableMichels’ “iron law of oligarchy”: leaders’ influence over who succeeds them allows ongoing elite power and abuse of powerC. Wright Mills described the U.S. power elite as cohesive and interlocking, enabling it to make key political, economic, and social decisions



Micro-level analysis

Political systems influence our personal lives in a variety of ways

Individuals also impact government through political participation, such as voting

Individual political participation is affected by:

Where people fall in the stratification system

Their perceptions of their power in relation to the state

Individuals, Power, and Participation


Micro-level analysis:Participation in democratic processes

Ideology and political attitudes affect how people think about power and participation

What do we believe about …The power of individuals vs. state power?Equal distribution of resources versus allowing those with high ability or inherited status to receive more wealth? Whether change is desirable?



Micro-level analysis:Participation in democratic processes

Levels of participation in politics:The majority of people in the world are uninvolved in the political process

• Lack of opportunity in non-democratic countries• In democratic countries, apathy and alienation

Participation can include voting, contact with government representatives, involvement in local and national campaigns and issuesU.S. voter turnout is second lowest of the Western democracies



Meso-level analysis

Meso-level political institutions: state or provincial governments, national political parties, large formal organizations

Meso-level political institutions influence and are influenced by other institutions such as the family, education, religion, health care, and the economy

Power and Privilege Within Nations


Meso-level analysisPurposes of political & economic

institutions

Six functions of meso-level political and economic institutions:

To maintain social control

To serve as an arbiter in disputes

To protect members of the group

To represent the group in relations with other groups

To plan for the future of the group

To provide for the needs of members



Meso- and Macro-Level Systems of Power and Privilege

Political institutions: determine and exercise power relations in society

Economic institutions: deal with production and distribution of goods and services

Political and economic institutions are interrelated

Both sets of institutions affect power relations



Meso- and macro-level analysis:Dominant types of political systems

Authoritarian systems: regimes headed by dictators or military juntas who hold absolute power, with little room for citizen involvement

Totalitarian states: run by a single group or party based on a specific political ideology; the state controls many aspects of life such as work and the media; dissent is discouraged or eliminated

• State terrorism: terror used by a state to control its own citizens or those of another nation



Meso- and macro-level analysis:Dominant types of political systems

Democratic systems: at least two political parties compete for power in elections; government is accountable to citizens, who have significant control over their own lives. Other features:

Citizens participate in selecting the government

Civil liberties are guaranteed

Constitutional limits are placed on government power

Written documents such as constitutions are the basis for the development of legal systems



Meso- and macro-level analysis:Dominant types of political systemsDemocratic systems, cont.

Forms of democratic government:Parliamentary (e.g., Great Britain)Presidential (e.g., the U.S.)

Types of representationProportional (e.g., many European countries)Winner-take-all (e.g., the U.S.)



Meso- and macro-level analysis:Dominant types of political systemsDemocratic systems, cont.

New technology delivers political information at high speed, but also has downsides:

Lack of careful deliberationReduces complex issues to binary oppositesIsolation of individual citizensSensationalism rather than reasoned deliberationImpulsive rhetoricConsumer mentality rather than citizen mentalityConfounds information with wisdom



Meso- and macro-level analysis:Dominant types of economic systems

Market systems (capitalism) Stress individual planning, private property, profit-making through free competitionSupply and demand let some profit, others failIdeally, little governmental oversight is needed:

• Markets ensure sufficient production, distribution, quality• Markets reward innovation, resulting in growth &

prosperity

Marxist critics claim capitalism creates class inequality, exploitation, conflict, and revolution

• Historically, in most Western capitalist countries, labor unions and laws have emerged instead of revolutions

Other critics: profit trumps human dignity and values




Planned systems (communism, socialism) State-based planning and control of propertyProduction is planned with communal good in mindIdeally, each individual contributes to and receives benefits from the system

• Tedious jobs are shared, so individuals have time to focus on humanistic and culturally important aspects of life

Critiques:• No system has eliminated all private property and

privilege• Placing both economic and political power in government

hands gives too much control to the few




Mixed economies (democratic socialism or welfare states)

Collective or group planning of societal development Individuals can pursue self-interest within limitsIndustry is privately owned but regulated; public services are government controlledDemocratic political system, public accountabilityTaxation used to redistribute income and pay for education, health, pensions, etc.Problems: a relatively new form, can be both productive and cumbersome



Macro-level analysis:Power and the nation-state

Nation-state: a political, geographical, and cultural unit with recognizable boundaries and a system of government

The nation-state and nationalism are relatively recent; they emerged in the 16th century

Today the entire world is divided among over 200 nation-states

National & Global Systems of Governance


Macro-level analysis:Revolutions and rebellions

Revolution: social and political transformation of a nation

Occurs when nation fails to fulfill expected responsibilities and new leadership emerges to challenge existing regime

Often violent

Usually results in altered distributions of power



The meso-macro political connection

State/provincial governments and national political parties: less encompassing than the federal government but still influence national political processes

State-level controversies that influence national politics:

Same-sex marriageFunding for the economic stimulus planProcedures for nominating and electing the president



Macro-level analysis:Global interdependencies and politics

Dependency and world systems theorists point out inequality between rich core countries and developing peripheral countriesGrowth of democracy in peripheral countries:

Occurring in some areasCan be aided, but not imposed, by foreign powersSome preconditions may be: economic well-being, lack of extreme inequality, pluralism, strong middle class, market economy, tolerant culture, literacy, influence of world system of democratic states



Macro-level analysis:Violence on the global level

War: armed conflict occurring within, between, or among societies or groups

Sometimes called “organized mass violence”

A frequent but not inevitable condition of human existence




Why do nations go to war?Leaders use moral, religious, or political ideology to legitimize war, though causes may lie elsewhereFunctional theorists believe underlying social problems cause system disruptions, including war

• Some also see war as functional for social integration

Conflict theorists see war as the outcome of oppression by the ruling elite and/or attempts to overthrow that oppression

• E.g., businesses profit from war




How can nations avoid war?Deterrence: some argue that if a nation is militarily strong, no one will dare attack it

• Statistical evidence shows that deterrence does not reduce the chance of war

• Extremely expensive• Has created a “military-industrial complex”

Negotiation: use of discussion to reach agreement

• The problem is that negotiation means a partial win – and a partial loss – for each side




Conclusions from research on 20th century war:

No nation that began a major war in the 20th century emerged as a clear winner

War between nuclear powers could be suicidal

A victor’s peace plan is seldom lasting; equitably negotiated peace settlements are more durable




TerrorismTerrorism: the use of indiscriminate violence to cause mass fear and panic, intimidate citizens, and advance a group’s political goalsUsually refers to acts of violence by private, non-state groups with revolutionary political goals

• State terrorism: government use of terror to control people

Terrorists come from all political orientations: anarchists, nationalists, religious fundamentalists, members of ethnic groupsEffective because terrorist strikes seem random, so governments have no clear way to respond




Terrorism: without understanding the underlying causes, we can do little to prevent it

Cultural explanations cite religious and political beliefs that encourage “we vs. they” thinking

Structural explanations help us understand when conditions are right for terrorism, e.g. when conflict between societal systems is already high

Conflict theory explanations emphasize the unequal distribution of world resources and the oppression of particular groups


chapter 13 politics and economics: penetrating power and privilege © pine forge press, an imprint...

Documents

power relationships

penetrating power

distribution of power

arenas of power

governments power

illegitimate power authority

global systems of power

legitimate forms of