Chapter 6- Textbook Flashcards
Economy?
social arrangements that organize the production, distribution, and consumption of goods.
Hunting and gathering?
An economic system based on small nomadic groups lightly exploiting animals and plants foods for immediate consumption.
why was there little opportunity for specialization in hunting and gathering societies?
because all healthy people participated in gathering food
- social inequality was nonexistent
- mechanical solidarity
What is horticulturalism?
an economic system based on domesticating animals and plants
what are the two types of horticulturalist societies? Explain.
simple- relied on digging sticks and were relatively small
complex- metal hoes that generated more food and thus allowed a more advanced and complex social hierarchy to emerge
Even though horticulturalists were generally sedentary, what did they practice.
slash-and-burn
-staying in one area for several years until the soil became exhausted which is when they would then move to another area with more fertile soil
Why was there more specialization with horticulturalism?
Surplus of food also enabled some workers to remove the,selves from daily subsistence work and spend time making more sophisticated tools.
What is pastoralism?
An economic system based on tending herds of large animals
How did pastoralists live their life?
Usually nomadic, following their herds as they migrate from one area to another according to the season.
Why did social inequality increase in pastoralism?
Because wealthy families became to accumulate larger herds than others.
-emergence of the idea that people could “own” their animals
What is agriculture?
An economic system that employs plow technology.
What was there an increase in with agriculture? Why
population densities and growth because it produced so much caloric wealth.
What emerged with agricultural societies? What did this allow?
cities emerged and workers became specialists in every possible endeavour
-allowed social inequality to accelerate
What happened for the first time in human history with agricultural society?
For the firs time in human history people were able to make a living by trading their specialized skills for food.
What is industrialization?
An economic system based on using non animate sources of energy to produce good
What five important changes resulted from the industrial revolution?
- new sources of power- steam engine
- centralization of work- live in cities, labour in factories
- Mass production- economy based on turning raw materials into products
- specialization- workers required to perform small menial tasks and became very efficient
- wage labour- exchanged work for wages
What is post-industrialization?
An economic system based on knowledge based activities and the service sector rather than on manufacturing goods
-recognizes that social institutions and social life have been fundamentally reorganized since the late 1960s
Why was society reorganized in the 1960s?
- growth of information technology
- global communications media
- the service sector
- global consumerism
- integrated financial markets
- cultural pluralism
What 3 things is the shift to part-time work the result of?
1) rising education requirements
2) increasing number of women joining workforce and thus heightening competition for jobs
3) shift towards jobs in the service industries
Today
- Part time workers represent roughly___of all jobs
- Part time employment rates___
- Full-time employment rates remained___
- 19%
- increased
- stable
What are the 3 sectors of the economy?
1) Primary sector
2) Secondary sector
3) Tertiary sector
What is the primary sector?
jobs dedicated to exploiting raw materials (logging, mining)
What is the secondary sector?
Jobs that transform raw materials into consumer goods (cars, furniture)
What is the tertiary sector?
Jobs that provide service 9teaching, nursing)
By 1900, about ___percent of all labour was in primary sector
Today, primary sector is less than___of workforce.
Secondary-secotor peaked around__ with__percent
Today, secondary-sector only___percent
Tertiary sectors has expanded over past___years
Today, tertiary sector ___percent of all jobs
- 50%
- 2%
- midcentury
- 40%
- 11%
- 100
- 75%
What is the primary labour market?
jobs that provide stable and comfortable salaries, potential for growth and promotion, and fringe benefits, but also require postsecondary training or education
What are professions?
prestigious occupations the require specialized knowledge and are regulated by a governing body
What 6 characteristics must be print for an occupation to qualify as a profession?
1) a common body of specialized knowledge
2) a set of regulated performance standards
3) a representative professional organization
4) an external perception by the public as a profession
5) a cod elf ethics
6) formal program of training as well as ongoing professional development
What is the secondary labour market?
Jobs that are insecure and temporary, offer minimal pay, and provide few opportunities to advance.
- paid hourly wages
- disproportionately found in the secondary labour markets
What are jobs in the secondary labour market commonly referred to as?
McJobs
According to George Ritzer, what is McDonaldization?
The process by which the principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as the rest of the world.
What are the principles that Ritzer believes define the contemporary world of work?
- efficiency
- predictability
- calculability
- control
What are labour unions?
Organizations that represent workers to improve wages and working conditions though collective bargaining and strikes.
Why did labour unions form?
Beginning in the 18th century when it was transforming from an agricultural economy to an industrial one. There was fall of wages, and the deterioration of the working environment
When were the earliest unions in Canada established?
Shipping ports of Halifax, Saint John, and Quebec City during the War of 1812.
In 2011, ___of Canadian workers belonged to a union.
29.7%
Which types of workers are more likely to work in unions?
higher educated workers
Why are union rates for men declining and women’s rising
- Decline result of growing concentration of jobs in areas with low union coverage
- Increase is due to greater participation in the public sector jobs
What is self-employment a result of ?
a shift in our economy from the production in our economy from the production of things to the creation, management, and distribution of ideas and services.
What do the fastest growing jobs require?
more postsecondary education
Proportion of the Canadian labour force with a postsecondary education has increased by more than__percent every year since 1990, and the number of individuals with a university degree has risen by___a year.
- 4%
- 4.4%
How do functionalists view work?
as an integral part of the social structure
What did Emile Durkheim believe was important?
- Relationship between individual agency and social structure
- believed that workers need to feel a connection with their work
What are occupational groups?
Durkheim’s mechanism to promote the integration of workers
- foster a sense of community
- common sentiment and solidarity
What is human resource management?
An area of research dedicated to helping workers integrate into an organization and identify with its goals.
What does conflict theory suggest about labour?
that human beings achieve their potential through their labour and that the human world is created through the social processes of labour
What did Marx believe about production?
That because the proletariat class does not own the means of production, members are forced to sell their labour to the bourgeoisie. Results in exploitation
What is exploitation?
alienation from the fruits of they labour
What is alienation?
feel no connection to what they product, to other workers, or to themselves: they feel powerless
What is ups killing?
Some companies are becoming focused on expanding workers skills as a way to inspire a connection between workers’ labour and the company.
How do symbolic interactionists view work?
as importnat in defining a sense of self-worth and acceptance
How is the best-known symbolic interactionist for analysis of work?
everett hughes
What did hughes investigate?
the social drama of work : he viewed work as a series of episodes that the workers navigates through each day that that define, influence, and alter his or her identity.
What is the feminist theory analysis of work?
Women today are being asked tome from one role to another
- patriarchal system discriminates against women and marginalizes them into the periphery of th working world
- women’s unpaid work (homemakers) does not fit into the traditional industrial class models
What do feminists argue?
that a broader definition of labour needs to be created that recognizes the led realities of people today.
What did V. Spike Peterson argue?
that traditional methods of gauging the success or strength of national and international economics ignore the innumerable hours of unpaid labour worked by women
What are the two distinct economic systems that are at work according to Peterson?
1) The productive economic system (the one studied by economists)
2) the reproductive economy (composed of all the types of labour that go in to reproducing the mechanisms required for the productive economy to operate)
What are some examples of reproductive economy?
- childcare
- unpaid domestic labour
What did peterson believe about the current economic system interns of privilege?
that it privileges economic power of men while ignoring the work engaged in by women
What did Peterson believed resulted by not seeing the labour women do as valuable and worthy in national balance sheets?
The work that women do is devalued and dismissed as not being important
How did post-structuralists view work with reference toFoucault?
Foucault showed how power was exerted when, through the dominant discourses, people were categorized as homosexuals, criminals, mentally ill, etc. We can extend this analysis to the world of work by looking at how someone might be classified as a problem employee.
What are the two broad economic systems at work in the world today/
Capitalism and socialism
What is capitalism?
an economic system grounded on th e private ownership of the means of production
What are the three defining features of capitalism?
- private ownership of property
- the ability to pursue personal gain and profits
- competition among businesses in an open market-place to attract consumers to their goods and services.
What is state/welfare capitalism?
a political and economic system that combines free-market principles with varying degrees of social welfare programs.
-offers a combination of a free-market and socialist programs
What are free-market principles?
private ownership of property and the ability to accumulate private wealth through individual success
What are examples of social welfare programs?
State-funded health care, old-age security systems, subsidized housing
What is a drawback of capitalism?
What happens to those who are not able to compete?
What is a limitation for state/welfare capitalism?
relatively high wages and taxation levels make it more difficult to compete with countries that re better able to exploit their human and natural resources
What is welfare capitalism viewed as a compromise between?
Between individual aspirations an the collective responsibility to help and support each other.
What is socialism?
an economic system in which raw materials and the means of production are collectively owned
What are three defining features of socialism?
- collective ownership of property and the means of production
- A centralized, state-administered planning agency that defines, manages, and directs the economy
- the production and distribution of good with a view to the collective welfare without the profit motive that fuels capitalism
What is communism?
Marx’s hypothetical economic system in which ownership of the means of production is collective and workers’ labour is not exploited.
What are politics?
the endeavours to gain and maintain control of the state apparatus
What is the state?
an institution that maintains a monopoly over the legitimate use of force in a given territory
What is the economy?
the system that organized the production, distribution,and consumption of goods and services
What did Wallace Clements believe?
that a defining element of Canadian sociology is its interested in the political economy
What is political economy generally viewed as?
the interactions of politics, government and governing, and the social and cultural constitution of markets, institutions, and actors.
Who was the first Canadians sociologist to investigate Canada’s political economy? What did he develop and believe?
- Harold A. Innis
- the Staple Thesis
- contends that Canadian development is based on the exploition of raw materials and that Canadians took on the mental role of “hewers of wood, drawers of water”
What is power?
the ability to achieve one’s denies in the face of resistance or objection from others.
What is domination?
the exercise of power over a group of people to direct them to comply with specific commands
What three ways can power be exerted?
physical, psychological, economic
What is an example of domination?
students see parents and teachers as dominant
When does authority exist?
exists were subordinates consider domination by leaders to be legitimate.
When does legitimacy exist?
when subordinates accept, obey, and support their donation and view it preferable to any alternatives
For example, why do possess have the ability to direct what their employees do?
because the employees grant them authority
What are weber’s three types of authority?
traditional authority- the exercise of power as legitimated by long-established cultural patterns and traditions
-granted through ascribed status
rational-legal authority- the exercise of as legitimated through laws, rules, and regulations
-associated with achieved status
charismatic authority- exercise of power as legitimated through personal magnetism of individuals who compel people to believe in them and grant them their support
What is a bureaucracy?
a rational organization designed to complete many routine tasks as efficiently as possible
What are the 5 characteristics of a bureaucracy?
1) an extensive division of labour; every employee has specialized tasks to perform
2) written policies and procedures for workers and customers/clients: everyone benefits from understanding what they are supposed to do
3) ongoing written records: established that rules to exists
4) a hierarchy of authority: every knows who reports to whom
5) performance-based hiring and promotion: meritocratic principles
What was Weber concerned about with bureaucracies?
That as they grow they become so rule-bound that they are essentially irrational in their operation
What are corporations?
A legal entity that can own property and enter into contracts for the benefit of its shareholders
-legal entity that has rights and liabilities that go beyond those of its individual members*****
what is the primary organizational structure in capitalist economy?
corporations
What do corporations legal separate?
legally separate from its owners and effectively shields them from any personal liability on behalf of the company
Are corporations required to pay taxes?
yes, but at lower rates
In corporation, what do shareholders have the flexibility to do?
Sell their interests in it when it best suits their individual tax situation
Who controls the country’s largest corporations? What do they also possess?
-Richest Canadians not only control the country’s largest corporations but also possess a disproportionate share of the country’s wealth
What is the main concern with corporatins/
that they are not beholden tony particular country; neither are they beholden to any moral or ethical standards
- they are not mechanisms by which society manages it affairs and provides support for its citizens
- primary motivation is making profits
What are the four bored political systems?
1) monarchies
2) authoritarian regimes
30 totalitarian systems
4) democracies
What is a monarchy?
A political system grounded on the rule of an individual or family that is passed from generation to generation
What is an absolute monarchy?
Monarchs are defined through family membership or a divine connection the confirms the righteousness of their rule
What is a constitutional monarchy?
Monarchs are largely symbolic in that the leadership is eld by an elected body.
What is an authoritarian regime?
political systems controlled by rulers who reject the rights of citizens to participate directly in the actions of government
What is a dictatorship?
a system inwhch a leader relies on personal loyalties and threats of force to maintain rule
Where are dictatorships mainly found?
poor areas where literacy rats are low, communication technologies are limited and freedom of the press is restricted
What are military juntas?
Military leaders who seize politics power
-form of authoritarian regime
what is a totalitarian state?
One in which there are no limits on leaders use of force, and the state apparatus attempts to regulate virtually every area of people’s lives.
What is a democracy?
a political system in which individual adult citizens select theyr representative leaders through an electoral process
What are the two forms of democracy?
Participatory and representative
What is participatory democracy?
a system that requires citizens to be involved personally in decision-making through open nd engaged debate and discussions
Why are participatory democracies nonexistent today?
because they require a great deal of time and effort and it is difficult to gather everyone at the same time
What is a representative democracy?
a system in which citizens elect representatives to act on their behalf and to convey their concerns and issues to the broader collective
Why is Canada referred to as a parliamentary democracy?
parliament is Canada’s supreme authority and has sole responsibility for lawmaking, immigration,and other federal initiatives?
How is Canada a federation?
In that the governance of the country is shared between federal and provincial or territorial government
What are some examples of federal power, provincial power, territorial power, and municipal power that was granted by the constitution act of 1867?
federal: military, criminal law, citizenship, banking
Provincial: education, health, social services
Territorial: similar to those of provinces, but they do not have control over land and natural resources
Municipalities: power established through provincial legislature–garbage disposal, road maintenance, parks, libraries
What is the prime minister/
th head of the federal government in Canada
What is the cabinet?
a committee made up of ministers in charge of government departments
-each province has at least one member in cabinet
What are senators?
non-elected officials appointed by the federal government to represent their constituencies as well as the interest of all Canadians
-105 seats in the sentate
What are backbenchers?
elected members of parliament who do not hold a cabinet position
- not ministers
- elected and responsible for representing their constituents as well as supporting the leader of their respective party
- 308 members in the HOC
What is the governor general?
the Crown’s representative at the fewer level in Canada
-appointed by the Queen on the recommendation of the PM
What is the governor general responsible for?
Calling parliament into session and for dissolving it prior to elections, appointing the PM< reads the speech from the throne that opens parliament and establishes the governments priorities and objectives for the session
What is the lieutenant-governor?
the Crown’s representative in each of Canada’s 10 provinces
-similar provincial duties to the governor general
What is the territorial-commissioner?
the federal government’s representative in each of Canada’s three territories
-represent the federal government instead of the crown
Who appoints the territorial-commissioner? Who does the territorial-commissioner act under instructions from?
-appointed by the federal government and act under instructions from the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development
Election of representatives to the House of Commons is based on geographical divisions down as___, commonly referred to as___.
- electoral districts
- ridings
Since___, indecent commissions have adjusted riding boundaries because of population growth once every___years.
- 1964
- 10
What is the past the post system?
the candidate with the most votes wins a seat int he House of Commons and represents that electoral district as its MP
What is the popular vote?
the percentage of all voters who voted for a particular candidate
What are two issues that have defined the Canadian social and political landscape?
Quebec sovereignty and Aboriginal self-government
What did the RPC of 1763 confirm?
that the federal government has fiduciary responsibility over FN
What did section 91 of the 1867 Constitution Act assigned the federal government the jurisdiction over?
indigenous people and land reserved for the indigenous people
what did the Indian act of 1876 consolidate?
all existing legislation regarding indigenous peoples
In 1939, A Supreme Court decision brought the e___under federal responsibility; the___were incorporated after constitutional changes made in 1982.
- Inuit
- Metis
What is the White paper? Why was it withdrawn?
- Advocated terminating Aboriginals’ special status in Canada and delegating all responsibility for services for programs to the provinces
- Resulted in widespread opposition among Aboriginals peoples
What section of the charter recognizes and confirms aboriginal rights?
35 (1)
What happened with Aboriginals during the 1987 Meech Lake Accord?
Aboriginal leaders were largely dismissed when they sough recognition of their right to self-government
-Elijah Harper voted against the accord and scuttled it
What happened with the Charlottetown accord which proposed formal recognition of the inherent right f self-government for Aboriginals?
there was referendum to defeat the Accord in 1992
What did the 1996 Royal Commission on Aboriginal People find?
- Aboriginal peoples in Canada have the inherent right to govern themselves
- Since Aboriginals were independent and sovereign nations before European contact, their right to self-government should be preserved in Canada’s Constitution
Since the 1996 Commission on Aboriginal Peoples what has there been progress towards? Example?
Dozens of agreements that provide various forms of self government have been negotiated between Aboriginals and federal and provincial governments
- Nisga’a agreement
- Establishment of Nunavut in 1999
