PATTERNS AND TRENDS - NEW RIGHT

Question 1

when did new right emerge

Answer 1

1980s onwards

Question 2

what does New Right promote?

Answer 2

importance of individuals and free choice

Question 3

who are new right sociologists who argue about social class inequalities

Answer 3

Saunders = social stratification
Murray = the underclass

Question 4

what does saunders argue

Answer 4

people of different social classes have different life chances in many areas of life. He says that middle-class children are more likely to benefit from private education than working-class children

Question 5

who is Saunders critical of?

Answer 5

left-wing government because he sees them as misguided (Labour Party)
for example, he’s against taxing the rich for benefits for the lower class when they can invest that into business.
- educationally middle-class children are more intelligent and deserve to do better than working-class children

Question 6

which key thinkers do Saunders agree with?

Answer 6

functionalists

Question 7

what are critics of saunders?

Answer 7

• mistaken to assume that capitalist societies are based on a free market and offer individuals more freedom than socialist or communist societies.
• Tumin makes many critics

Question 8

What does Murray argue

Answer 8

Underclass

Question 9

explain Murray’s theory of underclass

Answer 9

the welfare state is creating a dependency for the lone parent families/unworking families and they are motivated to better themselves. which created an underclass of people trapped at the bottom of society. drained taxpayers and poor socialisation of children

Question 10

what does Murray suggest to reduce the underclass population?

Answer 10

reduction in the welfare state and less government intervention to reduce poverty arguing that this did more harm than good

Question 11

which politcal group supported Murarry findings

Answer 11

conservative party

Question 12

criticism of Murray

Answer 12

• criminlaise the poor
• ignore white-collar or other classes
• people without jobs and on benefits want to work and earn decent
• unclear who is responsible for problems created by the underclass
• makes no connection between the wider pattern of social class and the gap between rich and poor
• Marxists + Weberian = capitalist society leads to poverty and inequality
• victim blaming