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Chapter 14
Politics and the Economy
Chapter Outline
Political and Economic Institutions Power and Political Institutions Power and the State Individual Participation in U.S. Government Modern Economic Systems The U.S. Economic System Work in the United States
Two Kinds of Power
1. Coercion is power based on fear by using force and intimidation.
2. Authority is power based on socially accepted norms that maintain the right of some authority to wield power.
Three Types of Authority
1. Traditional authority is rooted in established roles, like father, elder, or king.
2. Charismatic authority arises from the exceptional personality that may sway and inspire others.
3. Rational-legal authority is based on formal regulations and laws.
Power
Concept Example “mowing the lawn”
Power “I know you don’t want to mow the lawn, but do it anyway.”
Coercion “Do it or else.”
Authority “It is your duty to mow the lawn.”
Power
Concept Example “mowing the lawn”
Traditional Authority
“I’m your father, and I told you to mow the lawn.”
Charismatic
authority
“I know you’ve been wondering how you might serve me, . . .
Rational-legal
authority
“It is your turn to mow the lawn; I did it last week.”
Perceptions of Government Responsibilities: % Who Agree with the Statement:
Comparison of Three Models of American Political Power
Basic units of analysis
Pluralist Interest Groups
Power-Elite Power elites
State Autonomy Government bureaucracy
Comparison of Three Models of American Political Power
Source of power
Pluralist Situational; depends on issue
Power-Elite Inherited and positional; top positions in key economic and social institutions
State Autonomy Control of personnel and budget of government
Comparison of Three Models of American Political Power
Distribution of power
Pluralist Dispersed among competing diverse groups
Power-Elite Concentrated in relatively homogeneous elite
State Autonomy Held by bureaucrats
Comparison of Three Models of American Political Power
Limits of power
Pluralist Limited by shifting and crosscutting loyalties
Power-Elite Potentially limited when other groups can unite in opposition
State Autonomy Limited if elite is unified
Comparison of Three Models of American Political Power
Role of the State
Pluralist Arena where interest groups compete
Power-Elite One of several sources of power
State Autonomy A major source of power
Characteristics of The State
Jurisdiction - includes policing, armed forces, taxation, conflict resolution, relationships with other states, and resources for collective goals.
Coercion - monopolizing the use of physical force through police powers, taxation, and the maintenance of armed forces.
Participation in the 2000 Election
Education%
Registered% Who Voted
8 years or less 36 27
Some high school 46 34
High school graduate
60 49
Some college 70 60
College graduate or more
77 72
Participation in the 2000 Election
Race/Ethnicity%
Registered% Who Voted
White 66 56
African American 64 54
Hispanic 35 28
Participation in the 2000 Election
Age%
Registered% Who Voted
18–20 41 28
21–24 49 35
25–34 55 44
35–44 64 55
45–64 71 64
65 769 68
% Voting Democrat or Republican in 1996 Presidential Election
Race/Ethnicity Democrat Republican
White 54 46
African American 99 1
% Voting Democrat or Republican in 1996 Presidential Election
Education Democrat Republican
Grade school 82 18
High school 60 40
College 49 51
% Voting Democrat or Republican in 1996 Presidential Election
Age Democrat Republican
18–37 58 42
38–53 58 42
54–69 56 44
70-85 64 36
86 and over 57 43
Social Factors and Political Participation
1. Social class - those who benefit most are most inclined to get involved in politics.
2. Age - 50% of U.S. voters are over 45 y.o.
3. Race and ethnicity - African-Americans are more inclined to political participation than in the past.
Social Factors and Political Participation
4. Differentials in office holding - about 1% of federal legislators are African-Americans and only 8 are women.
5. Party affiliation - Republicans have traditionally represented business while Democrats have been more supportive of the interests of workers and the disadvantaged.
Why Doesn’t the United States Have a Worker’s Party?
U.S. standard of living is sufficiently luxurious to lull many people into complacency.
American dream continues to influence people to think of individualistic over common goals.
Capitalism
Private ownership of the means of production - land, capital, and the labor of workers.
Encourages hard work and innovation toward maximizing competitive advantage.
Does not attend to distribution and does not provide for the public good.
Socialism
The means of production is owned by the workers and distribution is for the public good.
Creed of pure socialism: from each according to ability, to each according to need.
The key drawback of socialism is the absence of personal economic incentive.
Changing Labor Force in theUnited States
Professions
Production of an unstandardized product.
High degree of personal involvement. Wide knowledge of a specialized skill. Sense of obligation to one's art. Sense of group identity. Significant service to society.
The Shifting Job Market: Projected Changes Between 2000 and 2010
The Downside of Technology
Deskilling of some jobs. Displacements of the work force as
some jobs vanish and new ones appear.
Big brother jitters and stress as computerized jobs also provide the means of constant worker monitoring by supervisors.
Using Public Policy to Protect U.S. Jobs
The conservative free market approach - proposes that the way to keep jobs in the U.S. is to reduce wages and benefits.
New industrial policies - government should restrict plant closings and support investments in local economies to provide more secure jobs.
Using Public Policy to Protect U.S. Jobs
Social welfare policies - helping people who are being thrown out of work through more generous unemployment benefits, paid leave for employees who are about to be laid off, and extensive job re-training programs.
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