readings review Flashcards
Globalization and the Race to the bottom- the downward spiral
- As corporations transcend national boundaries, they can force workers and countries to compete for lower labor, social and environmental costs- race to the bottom
- Capitalism used to be based on nations. This is no longer true. Corporations have become global to evade taxes. There is no longer such a thing as the American economy, only the world economy. Companies that once identified with America are now global economies.
- Production takes place in a global factory.
- National governments have become less able to control their own economies.
- A downward leveling effect of wages, environmental costs, and social conditions as countries compete to attract corporations. They can just go elsewhere. If the countries don’t accept, their economies will be devastated. Downward leveling affects high wage jobs as well as low wage jobs in salaries etc.. loss of job security
- Race to the bottom- the reduction in labor, social and environmental conditions. country tries to remain competitive by lowering these. By lowering wages and public spending, it leads to economic stagnation and recession.
- Leads to increasing wage gap between high and low income workers. Polarization of have and have nots. Top 1% is accumulating wages, while poor become poorer.
- Democratic countries have a harder time pursuing their goals. They have to do what corporations want.
- There are no true international controls on corporations. No anti trust etc.
- Economic globalization is leading to destructive rivalries among countries, can often become militarized
· Jennifer Hochschild’s What’s Wrong with the American Dream
a-the meaning of success- often defined as attainment of high income, a prestigious job, economic security. We naturally assume certain conditions about the American dreams: everyone is capable of it despite background and personal history. There is a reasonable chance of success.
b- first tenet- everyone can pursue success (start over)
c- second tenet- reasonable chance of success
d- 3rd tenet- one can achieve through hard work and talent
people’s belief in the American dream is decreasing over time. People believe success is virtuous. Person who attains success is perceived as virtuous.
—the American dream as a fantasy
a-first tenet- people cant actually start over. Women and minorities for centuries couldn’t pursue it. Still harder.
b-second tenet-chances of success has slimmed over time and the American dream doesn’t hold as true as it once did. Gets worse with economics as well.
c- third tenet- talent nor work is a guarantee of success
d- people who fail are presumed to be stupid or lazy. Its their fault not the system. Remember, success is virtues. Peoples self esteem is damaged.
e-the ideology as a deception- the American dream is used to by the rich to justify their own success, even if they didn’t deserve it. It id highly individual- the tenets give the illusion that anyone can achieve success. People are doomed to fail. It doesn’t define them as people.
How Canada Stole the American Dream (Comparative US Readings on BB)
APRIL 2 BB reading- comparative perspective of social problems
1-US SOCIAL PROBLEMS IN COMPARITIVE PERSPECTIVE
- Social problems in the us are getting worse. Unemployment- gap between rich and poor, levels of child abuse. The us does not compare favorably with other countries in this respect.
- We are number one in the magnitude of social problems compared with other industrial nations. Murders, rapes, highest rates of child poverty and percent of people without health insurance. We are the only industrialized nation without some form of health insurance. We have a high infant mortality rate. Highest in proportion of wealth held by top 10%. Economic inequality wasn’t always this bad compared to other countries, but it has gotten much worse in recent years. Highest incarceration rate. Least generous child benefits like education. School not as centralized. Rigged so poor people get worse educations.
- Workers benefits not as good. Wages haven’t risen in the us since the 70s. in Europe they have risen 40%. Some countries guarantee job security. Highest poverty rates. Low voter turnout.
Barriers to adoption of more generous welfare policies - Belief in individualism.
- Political- most state and federal legislators since reagon have been been conservative or centrist. Trickle down idea.
- Our defense budget is extremely high
EUROPEAN SOCIAL MODEL
- The essence of this model is a shared commitment to a welfare state with cradle to grave benefits for all. Europeans have lower poverty rates than us.
- Extremely high unemployment benefits.
- Welfare state- great benefits and high taxes
2-How Canada Stole the American Dream
1. Canadians have more wealth than americans, they are healthier, they have fewer teenage pregnancies, and they spend more time with their families. Higher median family income. They have less debt. This is the reason for their advances. The country and the people themselves don’t bury themselves in debt. We like spending more than they do
2. They work shorter hours and get paid more. More time off
3-Poverty
1. The us has the highest poverty rate in the industrialized world. Its gotten higher among youth. It is higher among different races and different geographical areas.
4-How other countries fight the war on poverty
2. The reason why parts of Europe outperform the us and Canada is because everything the premarket, less government propnents say is bad, is really good for working families and the poor
3. Used example of Ireland. Said it used to be like us and Canada, but when it was experiencing economic growth, it moved towards being more of a welfare state and nothing bad happened to its economy. Says economy continued to grow and economy got better for everybody.
Three Views of the Future
• The Global Scenario group met and came up with 3 world views of the future:
1) a market world-current patterns continue (continued economic expansion and globalization as well) a future built on capitalism. More countries join global market. Results in a worldwide economic boom. Talk of global currency. Economic expansion leads to unprecedented prosperity.
2) a fortress world- reflects fundamental but undesirable social change (for the worse). (unconstrained markets will exacerbate current social and environmental problems.. worse inequality etc) growing inequality. Advances in science, less poverty and inequality. Expansion bypassed whole regions. Growing resentment among poor. More violent conflicts
3) a transformed world- reflects fundamental and desirable social change (for the better) (perhaps better changed values, improvement of social problems) everyone treats the environment better. A movement called urban renaissance for welfare reform reduced crime, created jobs etc. religious revival. Better education
Facing up to Race
- Racial discrimination leads to economic inequality among races
- Since the civil rights era, blacks are doing much better and racism is not as apparent; however, there is also high crime and joblessness among blacks
- Whites and blacks in America have a very different image of the state of blacks. Whites don’t think there is any inequality, but blacks know there is
- Even though the legal barriers to blacks were dismantled in the 60s, institutional barriers still exist
- Whites attribute blacks poverty to character flaws and laziness
- Race is not a set of characteristics, but rather, a relationshi
Attacking Durable Racial Inequality
• Disaccumulation in minority communities is a product of both private actions and public policies- not enough investment in their communities. To much investment in legal response (drug enforcement)
• Remedies for racial inequality require redistribution of resources and rules
Reversing Dissacumulation, Increasing Accumulation
• Stepped up public investment in schools, jobs and critical services
• Strategies that will create wealth in minority communities
• Policies to increase what economists call social wage- the social and economic benefits that supplement earned income
Attacking Persistent Discrimination
• They recommend:
• Strengthening and augmenting antidiscimation laws
• Promoting diversity
• Challenging neutral institutional practices that generate inequality
Selling Women Short
-The Gender Parenthood Wage Gap
• Mothers earn less and fathers more than their childless counterparts. This was also true in wallstreet. Common wisdom is because women become less committed to their jobs as they have children.
-Around the Clock Devotion
• Wallstreet as well as other high paying jobs is an around the clock job. 60 hours
• Employers often assume a breadwinner/homemaker family structure, even though this norm is no longer universal. Assumptions about gender and family roles hurt women.
-The Allocation of Childcare
chapter 8- human agency and social movements
Chapter 8: Does the Individual Really Make a Difference: An Introduction to Social Change
I-The Individual’s Influence on His or Her own Life
• Freedom of thought→ ability to direct one’s own life
• Because of social factors that control us, the ability to make our own choices is limited
II-The Individual’s Influence on other Individuals
A-Measuring Influence of One Individual on Another
• Yes we do make a big difference on others and they make a big difference on us
• People almost always forget what they are taught because it is not useful to them
• Many are actively influencing others at the same time I am trying
• My influence on another may be far more unintentional than intentional
• The influence of one individual on another is difficult to achieve in exactly the way that is intended
• Our actions will often have a harmful influence on those with whom we interact- harassment etc
• We can also have positive influences on others
• In social interaction, it is difficult to tell who is being influenced.
• Influence often relies on larger social trends. If I introduce someone to jazz they might not like it
III-The Individual versus Social Organization
• It is much more difficult to have an influence on a social organization than an individual
A-The Individual Confronts Social Patterns
• There are established patterns in society and for one of us to decide to abandon these patterns or to change them radically upsets the relationships we have with others. Anyone who tries to radically change those patterns threatens the organization, and its success.
B-Some Individuals do impact social patterns
• People can affect an organization within the bounds of social patterns, helping it achieve its goals or obstructing it. This kind of success/change does not normally affect the social patterns.
• Some individuals do have a large impact and the potential to change social patterns, however. This is much harder and rarer than influencing an org. that difference is usually small and unintentional
IV-social Change: a sociological view
• Sociologists have 6 principles for social change
Principle 1- Change Exists in all social organization
• The 1st principle is that every organization always and continuously changes
• Every action of every individual alters society a little bit
• Societies have rates of social change- traditional societies change slower than modern ones
Principle 2: Change Depends on social power
• The individual can change an organization only if he or she has some basis for power.
• Social power means the ability to achieve one’s will in relation to others. Depends on resources.
• Most people in power usually don’t want change.
• Even if a person desires change, others will power will resist the change.
• Change usually occurs because people join together to form a power base.
• Our efforts to bring change has 4 possibilities: 1) the social patterns may not change 2) the social patterns may change but in a direction unintended 3)the social patterns may actually change in the direction that is desired 4) the social patterns may change in exactly in the way desired
• 1 is the most likely and 4 is the least likely
Principle 3: Change Arises from Social Conflict
• The third sociological principle is that change results more from social conflict than from the acts of any individual group.
• Most sociologists see conflict as inevitable
• Social movements- loose organizations of large numbers of actors who can be effectively mobilized around leaders to march, protest, boycott, strike. Many people working together in defending or opposing social patterns. very important in social change
Principle 4: Change is Most Likely When the Social Situation Favors it
• A 4th principle is that individuals, groups, and social conflict are most likely to change an organization when the social situation favors it.
• Certain factors like the humiliation of Germany in WW1 made hitler successful. Without the social context he wouldn’t have gotten into power
Principle 5: Most Lasting Change Results from social Trends
• A 5th principle to which most sociologists subscribe is that much of what we call social change results from impersonal social trends over which individual actors have little control
• Social trend- change that arises from the actions of many individuals who act in a similar direction and produce a cumulative effect on society; partly as a result of individuals attempting to deal with everyday situations without intending to change society. Trends are long lasting, far reaching, general developments that have important impacts on social patterns in society. Once begun, it is hard to stop
• Ex. Urbanization, industrialization
Principle 6: Societies Change, but social patterns persist
• Our final principle is that dramatic change is difficult because there is a strong tendency for social patterns to hold on
V-Some Implications for Living
• Individuals have little impact on society, and then only when there is a power base and when social conditions favor change. In my mind, social conflict and social trends are much more likely to bring about lasting and important change.
democracy
political system in which power is exercised by people as a whole
Authoritarian
political system that denies popular participation in government
bush and patriot act. kellogs radiation
social movements
is a collective attempt to promote or resist change.
General characteristics of social movements- Individuals with Similar Interests converge (come together). They are able to Envision a Common Movement with Mutual Interaction. These interests can Transcend National Boundaries. Social movements can overcome large forces of wealth and power through mass action. Promote social change through conflict. Conflict is an important source of social change
human agency
as humans, the power and ability to shape society. the power to protest, the power to move beyond the status qup.
