DSOC 2090 1st Edition Exam 1 Study Guide Lectures 1 6 Lecture 1 1 27 Introduction to Inequality What is the long term trend in inequality What necessary purpose does inequality serve Trends in Inequality Hunter Gather Societies Inequality in tools food shelter honor Low levels of inequality because not much surplus beyond subsistence Caused by foraging ability divine degree Agrarian Societies Asiatic based on political power Europe based on land property rights Hindu caste society honor Little opportunity to move up more inequality because of more surplus Early Industrial Societies Lands wages prestige More inequality with rising rents and declining labor Caused by honor and moral worth tradition Industrial Societies wages wealth prestige autonomy declining inequality with slower population growth cultural shifts and rising technology caused by skills merit Is Inequality Necessary all societies have some level of inequality neoclassical economics says that inequality creates incentives that increase efficiency functionalism positions that require some sort of special training o functional jobs create incentives o but inequalities far exceed those necessary to incentivize training o high wage jobs tend to be good jobs o large cross national differences in levels of inequality Lecture 2 1 29 What are the basic forms that inequality systems take What is a social class What is a Marxian social class There are two ideal types of inequality Ideal type pure a simple idea Gradational people of positions differ in where they fall on a gradient Income matters Class system has distinct groups that can be defined by many basis like occupation skill or ownership of capital This is different from gradational inequality because of 8 reasons 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 clustering is a key feature of position in system of production you can locate yourself I the class structure class is part of your identity class affects your life chances class cultures are present there is class exploitation class based exploitation happens class is an engine of history centerpiece of Marxian class analysis A society can be a class system according to some but not others It can be a class society without being a Marxian class society No social classes means no inequality Marxian classes under capitalism ideal type bourgeoisie capitalists rely on the proletariat workers o production based o relational between the two classes o exploitative bourgeoisie exploit the proletariat Reality quasi class groupings including working class sectors and peasants Lecture 3 2 3 Where did Marx go wrong How did later scholars try to update and improve his class scheme Marx s Predictions Bifurcation into classes bourgeoisie and proletariat Capitalism becomes class conflict becomes revolution becomes communism But reality showed the fragmentation of the working class and capitalist class Managerial classes and professional classes emerged Wright s Neo Marxian Class Model key concept of exploitation inverse interdependent welfare principle material welfare of the advantaged group of people causally depend on the deprivations of the disadvantaged exclusion principle causal relation where disadvantaged group is excluded from access to resources controlled by advantaged group labor appropriation principle those who control the resources use the fruits of labor by the disadvantaged group Weber s Economic Classes economic classes vs social classes depends on position in labor market and commodity market social closure group maximizes its advantages by restricting access to privileges Inequality is based on market position and prestige Lecture 4 2 5 What is status Are there distinct status classes What is the relationship between economic class and status Economic class status group and power class are all intertwined Prestige scales most countries have the same prestige for each job most jobs are stable over time inter racial consensus of prestige of jobs measured by deference in day to day interactions these do not really reflect lifestyle and consumption practices Lloyd Warner s Alternative Upper upper lower uppers upper middles lower middles etc class structure You must gain acceptance as an equal Structure can depend on where you are geographically Therefore class is not determined by occupation income or capital Lecture 5 2 10 What are the dominant elite theories C Wright Mills Power Elites Theory the power elite are the military political business bankers and the lawyers they exert control over national decisions they are very class conscious membership is not inherited they feel very entitled to their position Dornhoff s Power Elite Theory corporate social elite intertwined membership is hereditary class awareness private schools and exclusive clubs has elite networks that share ideas and create social cohesion can affect political decisions Gouldner s Education Elites Theory New class of intellectual elite that are the cultural bourgeoisie Based on culture of critical discourse where claims cant be justified by reference to speaker s social status or authority Eliminated privileges of capitalists instead focuses on privileges for intellectual elite Seeks to monopolize truth and argumentation Based on what you know and what skills degrees you have Lecture 6 2 12 What are the poverty measures of today What does poverty look like today Harrington s The Other America Poverty has taken a white face in America Females are more poor than males Current poverty measures only capture food security Relative Poverty Measures more relative and depends on perception of unfair disparities depends on distance from middle class lifestyle depends on demographics age gender race family structure depends on social context economic cycle divorce minimum wage etc