Chapter 11: Economies, Politics & Government Flashcards
What are the two key observations about social institutions in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic?
- Each social institution encapsulates a particular need in society.
- Each social institution affects and is impacted by other social institutions.
What are social institutions?
Organized patterns of behavior by which society meets its basic needs, ranging from informal to systematic methods depending on the society’s complexity.
What distinguishes social institutions from groups and societies?
Social institutions are smaller than societies but larger than groups, and they have defined statuses and roles with tasks and rules.
What are the five key social institutions and their basic needs?
Economy - Produces and distributes goods/services
Education - Transfers academic knowledge
Family - Bears, raises, and socializes children
Politics - Allocates power and maintains order
Religion - Meets spiritual needs and provides comfort
What is the primary role of the economy as a social institution?
To produce and distribute goods and services.
What is the primary role of education as a social institution?
To transfer basic academic knowledge.
What is the role of the family as a social institution?
To bear, raise, and socialize children.
What is the role of politics as a social institution?
To allocate power and maintain social order.
What is the role of religion as a social institution?
To meet spiritual needs and provide comfort.
What are the three economic sectors?
Primary Sector - Raw materials from the natural environment (e.g., agriculture, fishing, mining).
Secondary Sector - Manufacturing of finished goods.
Tertiary Sector - Services (e.g., healthcare, teaching, clerical work).
What economic sector dominates in pre-industrial societies?
The primary sector.
What is the economic sector that dominates in industrial societies?
The secondary sector.
What economic sector dominates in post-industrial societies?
The tertiary (service) sector.
What was a major consequence of industrialization?
The division of labor, where workers became separated from the fruits of their labor and often experienced alienation.
What characterizes post-industrial societies?
Predominantly service sector work, increased reliance on knowledge and skills, and a rise in globalization.
What is globalization?
The process of integrating governments, cultures, and financial markets through international trade into a single world market.
What are the two major economic systems?
Capitalism and socialism.
What are the key features of capitalism?
Private ownership of production, pursuit of profit, competition, and lack of government intervention.
What are the key features of socialism?
Public ownership of production, government-controlled pricing, and a focus on collective good and equality.
What is the difference between socialism and communism?
Socialism is an economic system, while communism refers to a system of governance based on socialist principles.
What is a major advantage of capitalism?
It produces more economic growth and innovation due to profit incentives.
What is a major disadvantage of capitalism?
It can lead to monopolies, environmental harm, and selfish, greedy behavior.
What is a major advantage of socialism?
It emphasizes equality and collective good, reducing poverty and inequality.
What is a major disadvantage of socialism?
It is often inefficient, with centralized planning that can result in waste or underproduction.
What are social democracies?
Economies that combine elements of both capitalism and socialism, with government ownership of some industries and extensive social welfare programs.
What are some examples of social democracies?
Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.
What is the labor movement?
A movement that began in the late 1800s advocating for workers’ rights, including unionization, fair wages, and regulation of labor conditions.
What is Occupy Wall Street?
A social movement that began in 2011 to protest economic inequality, corporate influence, and government bailouts of large corporations.
What are the key features of capitalism today?
Private ownership, competition, pursuit of profit, and a decrease in government intervention, despite examples of government involvement like antitrust laws and bailouts.
What is a major concern with corporations in capitalism today?
The growth of monopolies and multinational corporations, which reduce competition and can lead to exploitation of workers and resources.
What is politics?
Politics refers to the distribution and exercise of power within a society, and the political institutions through which power is distributed, such as school boards, city governments, and state governments.
What is power?
Power is the ability to have one’s will carried out despite the resistance of others.
What are the two types of power?
Coercion: Power exercised over an individual, but not considered legitimate (e.g., bullying).
Authority: Power that is considered legitimate, such as that held by police officers.
What are the three types of authority?
Traditional authority: Based on long-standing societal customs (e.g., monarchies).
Rational-legal authority: Based on laws and rules (e.g., presidents in democracies).
Charismatic authority: Based on personal qualities and the leader’s influence over followers (e.g., Gandhi, Hitler).
What is traditional authority?
Traditional authority is power rooted in long-standing societal beliefs and customs, common in pre-industrial societies (e.g., monarchies, patriarchy).
What is rational-legal authority?
Rational-legal authority is power derived from law and based on belief in the legitimacy of societal rules, often seen in modern democracies.
What is charismatic authority?
Charismatic authority stems from an individual’s extraordinary personal qualities and the influence they have over followers.
What happens to charismatic authority after a leader’s death?
Charismatic authority is less stable than traditional or rational-legal authority because it dies with the leader unless it evolves into traditional or rational-legal authority.
What is a state?
A state is a political unit where power and authority reside, which can be a nation or a subdivision within a nation.
What are the three broad types of political systems?
Democracies: Systems ruled by the people.
Oligarchies: Systems ruled by a few.
Autocracies: Systems where power is held by one individual with no oversight.
What is a monarchy?
A political system where power resides in a single family that rules from one generation to the next, often based on traditional authority.
What is the difference between absolute and constitutional monarchies?
Absolute monarchies: Royal family has significant power, often claiming divine right to rule.
Constitutional monarchies: Royal family serves a symbolic role, with real power held by elected officials like prime ministers.
What is a direct democracy?
A system where people make their own decisions on policies and resource distribution, like in small foraging societies or town meetings.
What is a representative democracy?
A system in which people elect officials to represent them in decision-making processes, though the process may be slow or inefficient and subject to inequalities.
What is the difference between authoritarianism and totalitarianism?
Authoritarianism: A system where power is concentrated in one or a few individuals who limit popular participation and repress dissent.
Totalitarianism: A more repressive form of authoritarianism where the government seeks to control all aspects of citizens’ lives.
What is the pluralist theory of power?
The pluralist theory suggests that political power is dispersed among multiple “veto groups” that compete for influence, with the government acting as a neutral referee.
What is the elite theory of power?
Elite theories argue that power is concentrated in the hands of a few wealthy individuals and organizations who shape government decisions to benefit their own interests.
What are the two types of political ideologies in the U.S.?
Liberal: Supports social progress, government intervention in the economy.
Conservative: Emphasizes personal responsibility, limited government, and free-market capitalism.
What is political participation?
Political participation includes voting, campaigning, making monetary donations, lobbying, and other forms of involvement in the political process.
What factors influence voter turnout?
Voter turnout is influenced by factors like age, education, income, and race, as well as psychological engagement, resources, and social networks.
What is the main goal of terrorism?
Terrorism aims to use violence to intimidate or coerce people in pursuit of political, social, or cultural change.
What are the types of terrorism?
Vigilante terrorism: Perpetrated by private citizens against other citizens (e.g., KKK).
Insurgent terrorism: Committed by citizens against their own government (e.g., Oklahoma City bombing).
Transnational terrorism: Carried out by individuals from one nation against targets in another (e.g., 9/11).
State terrorism: Violence by governments to suppress dissent (e.g., genocide).
What is the difference between war and terrorism?
War is large-scale conflict between nations or factions, while terrorism involves smaller-scale, often asymmetric violence aimed at creating fear and achieving political change.
Why do people wage war?
War may be driven by evolutionary biology, cultural factors, or political and military decisions, including antagonism, cultural mindsets, and provocative actions.
What is the cost of war?
War has significant human and financial costs, such as the $8 trillion the U.S. spent on military efforts post-9/11, which diverted resources from other societal needs.
