Jaymie Ticknor Intro Sociology 1510 Sect 900 23 November 2013 Chapter 15 Politics and the Economy Power Politics and the State State organized system of power and authority in society Government creates laws and procedures that regulate and guide a society Military branch of government responsible for defending the nation against domestic and Court System designed to punish wrongdoers and adjudicate disputes determine the guiding principles or laws of human interaction Law fundamental type of formal social control that outlines what is permissible and what foreign conflicts is forbidden Police responsible for enforcing law in the community and for maintaining public order Prison System institution responsible for punishing those who have broken the law The State and Social Order Propaganda disseminated with intention to justify the state s power Global Interdependence and the State World Trade Organization WTO created in 1994 monitors and resolves trade disputes European Union EU alliance of separate nations established to promote a common economic market and develop political unions with Western Europe Nationalism strong identity associated with an extreme sense of allegiance to one s culture or nation often to the exclusion of interdependent relations with others Power ability of one person or group to exercise influence and control over others Authority power perceived by others as legitimate Coercive Power achieved through force often against the will of the people being forced Power and Authority Types of Authority Max Weber postulated that three types of authority exist in society Traditional Authority stems from long established patterns that give certain people or groups legitimate power in society monarchy is an example because of long standing traditions Charismatic Authority derived from the personal appeal of a leader Rational Legal Authority stems from rules and regulations typically written down as laws procedures or codes of conduct most common form in contemporary U S The Growth of Bureaucratic Government Bureaucracy formal organization characterized by an authority hierarchy a clear division of labor explicit rules and impersonality comes from the accepted legitimacy of the rules not personal ties to individuals people who work are selected trained and promoted Theories of Power The Pluralist Model Pluralism interprets the state as representing diverse and multiple groups in society interprets political power as derived from the activities of interest groups and as broadly diffused throughout the public interprets social conflict as the competition between diverse groups that mobilize to promote their interests interprets social order as the result of the equilibrium created by multiple groups balancing their interests Pluralist Model interprets power in society as derived from the representation of diverse interests of different groups in society assumes that in democratic societies the system of government works to balance the different interests of groups in society origins in functionalist theory Interest Group can be any constituency in society organized to promote its own agenda including large nationally based groups such as the American Association of Retired Persons AARP and National Rifle Association NRA some are organized around professional and business interests such as the American Medical Association AMA and the Tobacco Institute others concentrate on one political or social goal such as NORML working to reform marijuana laws Political Action Committees PACs groups of people who organize to support candidates they feel will represent their views 1974 Congress passed legislation enabling employees of companies members of unions professional groups and trade associations to support political candidates with money they raise collectively number of political action committees has now grown to almost 4 000 The Power Elite Model Power Elite interprets the state as representing the interests of a small but economically dominant class interprets political power as held by the ruling class interprets social conflict as stemming from the domination of elites over less powerful groups interprets social order as coming from the interlocking directorates created by the linkages among those few people who control institutions Power Elite Model originated in the work of Karl Marx and developed from the framework of conflict theory C Wright Mills popularized the term power elite argued that the true power structure consists of people well positioned in three areas economy government and military Interlocking Directorates organizational linkages created when the same people sit on the board of directors for numerous corporations The Autonomous State Model Autonomous State interprets the state as taking on a life of its own perpetuating its own form and interests interprets political power as residing in the organizational structure of state institutions interprets social conflict as developing between states as each vies to uphold its own interests interprets social order as the result of administrative systems that work to maintain the status quo Autonomous State Model interprets the state as its own major constituent state develops interests of its own which it seeks to promote independently of other interests and the public that it allegedly serves state does not reflect the needs of the dominant groups states tend to grow over time including the possible expansion beyond their original boundaries by military incursions example of expansion is the North American Free Trade Agreement NAFTA in which the U S is expanding its state interests by regulating business not only in the U S but also in Mexico and Canada Feminist Theories of the State Feminist Theory interprets the state as masculine in its organization and values that is based on rational principles and a patriarchal structure interprets political power as emerging from the dominance of men over women interprets social conflict as resulting from the power men have over women interprets social order as resulting from the patriarchal control that men have over social institutions Government Power and Politics in a Diverse Society Government includes those institutions that represent the population making rules that govern the society Democracy based on the principle of representing all people through the right to vote Diverse Patterns of Political Participation Among democratic nations the U S has one of