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Sociology 102: Inequality & Social Change > Chapter 12: Economics & Politics > Flashcards

Chapter 12: Economics & Politics Flashcards

1
Q

What is politics?

A

The social institution that distributes power, sets a society’s goals, and makes decisions

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2
Q

What is power as defined by Max Weber (1978)?

A

the ability to achieve desired ends despite resistance from others

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3
Q

What is the definition of government?

A

a formal organization that directs the political life of a society

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4
Q

What is authority?

A

power that people perceive as legitimate rather than coercive

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5
Q

What is traditional authority?

A

power legitimized by respect for long-established cultural patterns

pre-industrial societies rely on this

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6
Q

What is rational-legal authority?

A

power legitimized by legally enacted rules and regulations

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7
Q

What is charismatic authority?

A

power legitimized by extraordinary personal abilities that inspire devotion and obedience

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8
Q

What is the routinization of charisma? Why is it necessary?

A

the transformation of charismatic authority into some combination of traditional and bureaucratic authority

necessary for the survival of a charismatic movement (e.g. christianity)

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9
Q

What are the four main categories of political systems?

A
  1. monarchy
  2. democracy
  3. authoritarianism
  4. totalitarianism
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10
Q

What is monarchy?

A

political system in which a single family rules from generation to generation

coincided with agrarianism for centuries in Asia, Europe, Africa

legitimized by tradition

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11
Q

What is democracy?

A

a political system that derives its legitimacy from the people as a whole

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12
Q

What is a representative democracy?

A

democracy where authority is placed in the hand of leaders who from time to time compete for office in elections

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13
Q

What is democracy linked with?

A

Rational-legal authority, which becomes takes hold through industrialization

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14
Q

Why is Canada not truly democratic?

A
  1. bureaucracy: Canadian civil service has almost 1 million employees; most of the officials running the government are not elected and do not answer directly to the people
  2. economic inequality: rich people have far more political power than poor people
    - many elected leaders have substantial personal wealth
    - Canadian politicians are privileged with their education, 2/3 have law background
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15
Q

How has political freedom changed around the world?

A

30 years ago: 56 nations considered free

2017: 86 of world’s nations
- -> declining for 11th straight year

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16
Q

What is political economy?

A

The interplay of politics and economics

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17
Q

Contrast capitalism and socialism in relation to the concept of freedom/democracy?

A
  • capitalist approach to political freedom = people have the right to act in their self-interest to maximize profit/personal advantage, should be able to elect leaders
  • -> however, capitalist societies have striking inequality of income and wealth, the wealthy elite dominate economic and political life of society
  • socialist systems claim they’re democratic because they can meet everyone’s basic needs for housing, schooling, work, and medical care
  • -> however, requires limiting the choices of individuals and regulating social life
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18
Q

What is authoritarianism?

A

political system that denies the people participation in government

e.g. absolute monarchies in Saudi Arabia and Oman

“soft authoritarianism” = e.g. Singapore, political freedom limited but people are secure and prosperous

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19
Q

What is totalitarianism?

A

a highly centralized political system that extensively regulates people’s lives

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20
Q

Characteristics of totalitarian governments?

A
  • close monitoring of activities of all citizens
  • allows no organized opposition to the government
  • control over education, mass media
  • span the political spectrum from fascist (Nazi Germany) to communist (North Korea)
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21
Q

What is “totalitarian democracies”?

A

representative democracies defend market values as a way of meeting our needs and preventing opposition to capitalism

handful of experts and administrators (public/private) make important choices for us (what jobs we can pick, what products we can purchase)

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22
Q

How is globalization changing politics?

A

world remains divided into nation-states despite international economic activity

multinational corporations have enormous power to shape events throughout the world, corporations growing larger than governments

Information Revolution moved national politics onto world stage

NGOs seek to advance global issues, such as human rights and environmental protection

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23
Q

What is a welfare state?

A

a system of government agencies and programs that provide benefits to the population

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24
Q

What % of GDP is social spending in Canada?

A

Around 17-18%

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25
Q

In 2013, what were the % of Canadian identifying as either liberal, conservative, or neither?

A 
Liberal = 48%
Conservative = 25%
Neither = 22%
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26
Q

Contrast views of economic liberals and economic conservatives?

A

liberals = extensive government regulation of the economy and larger welfare state to reduce income inequality (tax the rich more heavily, provide more benefits to the poor)

conservatives = limit government intervention in the economy and allow market forces more freedom, claiming more jobs and more productive economy

27
Q

Contrast social liberals and social conservatives

A

liberals = equal rights/opportunities for all categories of people, abortion should be a matter of individual choice, oppose death penalty

conservatives = traditional gender roles, opposes gay marriage, affirmative action, “special programs” for minorities

28
Q

What happened in the 2015 election?

A

Liberals formed a majority government (184 seats)

Conservatives became official opposition (99 seats); after 9 years in government

NDP became third party (44 seats); previously became official opposition for the first time in 2011 (103 seats)

29
Q

How does class position affect how people vote?

A

Rich = conservative on economic issues, but socially liberal (extensive schooling and secure social standing)

Low-income = economically liberal but socially conservative

30
Q

How does race/ethnicity affect the way people vote?

A

2015: immigrants more likely to vote Liberal; 30 ridings comprised 50% or more immigrants –> 26 went to Liberals, 2 to NDP, 2 to Conservative

Visible minorities more likely to support Liberals and NDP

31
Q

How does gender affect how people vote?

A

Women tend to be more liberal than men somewhat

More women lean to NDP, more men lean to Conservative
2019 voter intention poll: women = 40% Liberal, men = 38% Conservative

32
Q

How does religion affect how people vote?

A

In a poll for the 2011 election:

majority of Protestants (55%) and Jews (52%) voted Conservative
most Catholics (39%) voted NDP
majority of Muslims (46%) voted Liberals
no religious identity (42%) voted NDP

33
Q

How has the voting pattern of college students changed?

A

1970s: moved to the right
mid-1990s: shifted to the left

college and university women remained consistently more liberal than their male counterparts

34
Q

How significant is party identification in Canada? What are the implications?

A

Not very strong; people hold mixed political attitudes (liberal on some issues, conservative on others)

People shifted support from NDP to Liberals quickly (shown by the change between the 2011 and 2015 elections)

Conservatives and Liberals have gained/lost power election to election

35
Q

What is the regional divide in Canadian politics?

A

2019:
Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba –> Conservative
Quebec, Ontario, BC –> Liberal

Western/Prairie = Conservative, Atlantic = Liberal

Quebec: BQ –> NDP (2011) –> Liberals (2015)
Toronto = Liberal stronghold

36
Q

What are special-interest groups?

A

people organized to address some economic or social issue

e.g. firearms, senior citizens, farmers, fireworks producers, environmentalists

flourish in nations where loyalty to political parties is low

37
Q

What is the current state of voter abstention in Canada?

A

After WWII: voter turnout around 75% for decades

1990s: dipped below 70%
2000: 64.1%
2004: 60.9%
2006: 64.7%
2011: 61.1%
2015: 68.5%

38
Q

Who is and is not likely to vote in Canada?

A 
Women less likely 
Seniors more likely - 65-74 (86%); 18-24 (67%)
White people more likely
Indigenous people least likely
parents with children
people with good jobs and lots of schooling
people who are employed (66^)
homeowners (71%)
39
Q

Why don’t people vote?

A

Textbook:

  • apathetic disinterest in the electoral process
  • forgetfulness
  • lack of access due to illness or disability
  • religious beliefs
  • literacy skills
  • prior to 2000, homeless people could not vote (requirement for fixed address)
  • opposition to state representation
  • conservatives think it’s indifference, liberals think its alienation (thinking that they are powerless)

Class:

  • Geographic cleavages: some areas matter much more than others in securing a win (e.g. Ontario)
  • Systemic limitations/flaws: hard to register to vote, thinking the incumbent will always win
  • Involvement with social movements as a more effective alternative
  • Lack of representation by politicians (also a systemic flaw), restricted by rule of voting for party line
  • Law of the inclusive middle (centre clustering): people think the parties are very similar
  • Political socialization: how you were socialized, e.g. by your parents
40
Q

Can convicted criminals in Canada vote?

A

Yes. in 2002, the SCC ruled prisoners should not be denied the right to vote

2004 = first time people in federal prison were allowed to cast a vote

41
Q

What are the three models of power in Canada?

A

pluralist model
power-elite model
marxist model

42
Q

What is the pluralist model?

A

analysis of politics that sees power as spread among many competing interest groups

no single organization can achieve all its goals; need to make compromises, form alliances

43
Q

What is the power-elite model?

A

analysis of politics that sees power as concentrated among the rich

the elite are in charge of the economy, the government, and the military
the elite = rich (execs and shareholders), top officials in Ottawa and provincial capitals; highest-ranking officers in the military (Mills)

believe Canada is not a true democracy; the voice of average people cannot be heard, they are dominated by the top

44
Q

Who coined the term “power elite”?

A

C. Wright Mills (1956)

45
Q

What is the Marxist political-economy model?

A

an analysis that explains politics in terms of the operation of a society’s economic system

belief that a society’s economic system shapes its political system; the power elites are creations of the capitalist economy

problem is not with the people who have power or people who don’t vote, it is the system itself –> “political economy of capitalism”

–> as long as Canada has a predominantly capitalist economy, majority of people will be shut out of politics just as they are exploited in the workplace

46
Q

What is a political revolution?

A

the overthrow of one political system in order to establish another

different from reform or a coup d’etat

47
Q

What are the traits of a revolution?

A
  1. rising expectations
  2. unresponsive government
  3. radical leadership by intellectuals
  4. establishing a new legitimacy
48
Q

What is terrorism?

A

acts of violence or the threat of violence used as a political strategy by an individual or group

49
Q

What are the four characteristics of terrorism?

A
  1. terrorists try to pain violence as a legitimate political tactic, will bypass/or are excluded from established channels of political negotiation
  2. can be used by governments against their own people (i.e. state terrorism), which is lawful in some authoritarian and totalitarian states
  3. democratic societies are against terrorism but are especially vulnerable since its people have broad civil liberties and less extensive police networks; in contrast to totalitarian regimes
  4. terrorism is defined differently by different people
50
Q

What is war?

A

organized, armed conflict among the people of two or more nations, directed by their governments

51
Q

What 5 factors promote war?

A
  1. perceived threats
  2. social problems - divert attention to internal problems by scapegoating an external enemy
  3. political objectives - end foreign domination, show of force
  4. moral objectives
  5. the absence of alternatives
52
Q

Who are the majority of people in the military?

A

working-class people –> to get a job, get money for higher education, move away from their hometown

53
Q

What proportion of the armed forces are women?

A

15%

54
Q

What is the military-industrial complex?

A

the close association of the federal government, the military, and defence industries

55
Q

What are causes of militarism?

A

the military-industrial complex

external threats

regional conflict

56
Q

What is nuclear proliferation?

A

the acquisition of nuclear weapons technology by more and more nations

57
Q

4 approaches to peace?

A
  1. deterrence - mutual assured destruction –> nation launching first strike will face greater retaliation
  2. high-technology defence - strategic defence initiative –> using satellites and ground installations to combat missiles
  3. diplomacy and disarmament –> nations agreeing to reduce weapons stockpiles, requires everyone involved to share responsibility
  4. resolving underlying conflict –> resolve poverty, hunger, illiteracy
58
Q

Issues looking ahead into the future?

A
  1. inconsistency between democratic ideals and low voter turnout
  2. global rethinking of political models –> not just socialism vs. capitalism, e.g. welfare or state capitalism
  3. danger of war remains –> stockpiles of nuclear weapons, nuclear tech spreads globally
59
Q

What are the preconditions for the emergence of a democracy?

A

Economic growth
Industrialization –> gives stable economy
Urbanization –> people settle and concentrate in cities
Literacy
Increase in social and economic equality

60
Q

What are the different types of democracy?

A
  • direct participatory democracy
  • representative democracy
  • proportional democracy
61
Q

What is hegemony?

A

the domination and overall acceptance by people of key ideologies that benefit one particular group in society: the power elite (economically, socially, politically)

62
Q

To emerge, continue, and succeed, all social movements need 3 things:

A
  1. A population or group who feels “left out” of their society
  2. People to join and do “work” for the cause
  3. A society structured such that social movements and protests are allowed
63
Q

What are the characteristics of new social movements?

A

They are issue- and identity- driven (citizenship) in a global context
They are a product of recent times with limited historical roots
Membership is educated, professional, established
Tactically, they are extra-parliamentary in their approach → reach people first, then go to the government

Sociology 102: Inequality & Social Change (12 decks)

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