Universal Basic Income Flashcards
what is social inequality long been a part of?
sociological tradition
what is social inequality?
the long term existence of significant differences in the access to goods and services among social groups and the function of many factors, including ethnicity, “race”, gender, class and stratification
what is the main term used to talk about social inequality
class
who popularized the term class?
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in 1888
what does class reflect?
the relationship of people to what Marx called the means of production
what are the means of production
Capital
-the resources needed to produce goods
what is capital
the funds and properties necessary for large-scale manufacturing and trading
what are the 2 possible relationships to the means of production that Marx identified?
- the owner (aristocrats)
- the workers (peasants)
bourgeoisie
collective of capitalists who own the means of production
proletariat
are the class of workers who succeeded the peasants class of the pre-industrial era
when was the height of Marx’s writing?
the industrial revolution
what had a prevalence in market practices (during Marx’s time)?
laissez-faire (allowing people to do what they want)
what were the struggles between capitalists and workers (during Marx’s time)?
capitalists interests and workers rights
according to Marx, what does class have?
a corporate (or organic) identity as a real social group
what is each classes shared sense of common purpose rooted in
class consciousness
what is class consciousness
an awareness of what is in the best interests of one’s class
who always possesses class consciousness?
the owner
what is false consciousness?
a belief that something is in one’s best interests when it is not
who has false consiousness?
the workers
what did Max Weber study
social inequality
what 3 elements did Weber stress that contributed to social equity?
- wealth
- prestige
- power
what is wealth
includes factories, other property used to make money and properties that are highly respected by members of society
Ex. flashy cars, expressive houses, trophy wife
what is prestige
the degree of respect for individuals, their socially valued possessions and their master statuses are view by majority of people in a society
what is power
the ability of individuals or groups to achieve their goals despite the opposition of others
who coined the term precariat
British economist Guy Standing
precariat
combines the word precarious with Marx’s term proletariat
who amended Marx’s class paradigm within the Canadian context?
Curtis, Grabb and Guppy in 1999
what are the 3 class within the Canadian context?
- dominant capitalist class
- middle class
- working class (proletariat)
dominant capitalist class
composed of those who own or control large-scale production
middle class
representing a mixed… middle category of small business people, educated professional-technical or administrative personnel, credentialed salaried employees and wage earners
working class
people who lack resources or capacities apart from their own labor power
how are class and sports connected? (with example)
at the professional and recreational levels
Ex. golf and tennis is associated with the wealthy classes
what are mobility sports?
sports that offer people from poorer socio-economic backgrounds opportunities to achieve financial rewards
social stratification
describes society as though it is divided into a series of layers
what is stratum
a group to which people belong on the basis of their income, education and assets for the purpose of statistical analysis
strata
are used as units of analysis in stratifies sampling, a research method in which equal samples are drawn from each stratum of the population
quintile
a segment, or stratum, representing each of five equal groups into which the population is divided
what percent of the population does each quintile make up?
20%
what are quintiles useful for
comparative purposes, both across time periods and across regions
what are arguments and ideas pertaining to social inequality shaped by?
ideology
ideology
a set of beliefs about society and the people in it, usually forming the basis of a particular economic or political theory
what is dominant ideology
the set of beliefs put forward by, and generally supportive of, society’s dominant culture and/or classes
what does trickle-down economic theory state?
if the wealthy are given the freedom to generate more wealth, others in society will benefit
neoliberal ideology/ neoliberalism
a dominant ideology that views the individual as a more or less independent player on the sociological scene
what does neoliberal ideology reflect
a belief in a great deal of social mobility
social mobility
the ability of individuals to move (generally upward) from one class, or stratum, to another
what does neoliberal ideology downplay
concerns over social inequality
blaming the victim
assigning responsibility for events to the individual rather than broader social causes that are beyond the individuals control
what may neoliberal ideology result in, in the case of failure
blaming the victim
what does success or failure to fulfill the American dream rest solely in?
the individuals motivation and hard work
counter ideology
offers a critique of a dominant ideology, challenges it justice and its universal applicability to society
what do counter ideologies seek to create
significant social change
what are examples of counter ideologies
-classical Marxism
-the Occupy movement
-Idle No More
who is Antonio Gramsci
a critic of the dominant ideology in society
what term did Antonio Gramsci use to explain the prevalence of the dominant ideology
hegemony
hegemony
a set of non-coercive methods of maintaining power used by the dominate class
what are examples of places hegemony can be used?
-through the media
-education system
what is an example of hegemony
the federal government placing blame for the indigenous housing crisis onto First Nations communities
what is one indicator of inequality in Canada
the existence and use of food banks
food bank
non-profit organizations that collect, store and distribute food for free
food insecurity
a relatively new sociological term, referring to the inadequate or unreliable access to food in terms of amount, variety, quality and general desirability
what stands out as a major stressor for seeking assistance from food banks?
housing costs
what can food insecurity negatively impact
both physical and mental health
minimum wage
lowest hourly rate a person can be paid for their work
living wage
generally represents a target above the existing minimum wage
what jobs are often the easiest ones to replace with automation?
minimum wage jobs
what is minimum wage considered
too low for the “working poor” to live on
what do people paid minimum wage often have to use?
food banks
what did the 2011 Occupy movement raise awareness to?
the fact that 1% of the worlds population controlled 99% of the worlds wealth
how does Canada’s top 100 CEOs wage compare to the average Canadian
in 3 days the CEOs make as much as the average Canadian in a year
is inequality in Canada increasing or decreasing?
increasing
