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SOCIOLOGYRichard T. Schaefer

Government and Politics

17

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17. Government and Politics

• Power and Authority• Types of Government• Political Behavior in the United States• Models of Power Structure in the United

States• War and Peace• Political Activism on the Internet• Social Policy and the Government

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Power and Authority

• Politics– Who gets what, when and how

(Lasswell)

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Power and Authority

– Ability to exercise one’s will over others– Sources of power in political systems

include:• Force: actual or threatened use of coercion

to impose one’s political dissidents• Influence: exercise of power through a

process of persuasion• Authority

• Power

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Power and Authority

– Authority: institutionalized power recognized by people over whom it is exercised

– Traditional Authority: legitimate power conferred by custom and accepted practice

• Types of Authority

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Power and Authority

– Charismatic Authority: power is made legitimate by leader’s exceptional personal or emotional appeal to his or her followers

• Types of Authority– Legal-Rational Authority: power is

made legitimate by law

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Types of Government

– Form of government headed by a single member of a royal family

• Oligarchy– Form of government in which a few

individuals rule

• Monarchy

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Types of Government

– Dictatorship: Government in which one person has nearly total power to make and enforce laws

– Totalitarianism: involves virtually complete government control and surveillance over all aspects of a society’s social and political live

• Dictatorship and Totalitarianism

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Types of Government

– Government by the people– Representative democracy:

Elected members of legislatures make laws

• Democracy

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Political Behavior in the United States

• Participation and Apathy– Most citizens do not participate in

political organizations on local or national levels• 8% in U.S. belong to political club or

organization• No more than 20% ever contacted

elected official regarding an issue or problem

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Political Behavior in the United States

• Women in Politics– In U.S., women dramatically

underrepresented in government• Sexism most serious barrier to women

interested in holding office• Gender gap still evident in 2004

presidential election

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Political Behavior in the United States

Table 17-1. Political Preferences in the United States

Source: J. Davis et al. 2003

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Political Behavior in the United States

Figure 17-1. Women in National Legislatures, Selected Countries, 2005

Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union 2005

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Models of Power Structure in the United States

• Power Elite Models– Mills’s Model

•Power Elite: small ruling elite of military, industrial, and governmental leaders

– Power rested in the hands of a few, inside and outside of government

– Mostly male, white, and upper class.

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Models of Power Structure in the United States

• Power Elite Models– Domhoff’s Model

• Stresses roles played by elites of corporate community and leaders of policy-formation organizations such as:

– Chambers of Commerce– Labor unions

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Models of Power Structure in the United States

Figure 17-2. Power Elite Models

Source: Domhoff 2001:96

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Models of Power Structure in the United States

• Pluralist Model– Competing groups within the

community have access to government, so no single group can dominate• Variety of groups play significant roles in

decision making

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Models of Power Structure in the United States

Figure 17-3. U.S. Public Opinion on the Necessity of War, 1971—2004

Source: Arora 2004

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War and Peace

• War– Global view studies how and why

nations become engaged in military conflict

– Nation-state view stresses the interaction of internal political, socioeconomic, and cultural forces

– Micro view focuses on the social impact of war on individuals and the groups to which they belong

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War and Peace

• War– Public opinion plays significant role in

a war’s execution

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War and Peace

• Peace

Since September 11, 2001, governments around the world renewed their efforts to fight terrorism

– Absence of war and proactive effort to develop cooperative relations among nations

• Terrorism– Use or threat of violence

against random or symbolic targets in pursuit of political aims

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War and Peace

Figure 17-4 The Global Reach of Terrorism

Source: National Geographic 2005:17

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Political Activism on the Internet

• Internet is changing the way people get their news and think about politics– Political activity not limited to

traditional party politics• Organizers use Web to circumvent

restrictive controls of authoritarian regimes

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Social Policy and the Government

• Campaign Financing– The Issue

• Many politicians leave office bemoaning time they spent raising money for campaigns

• Attempts to regulate campaign financing are not new

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Social Policy and the Government

• Campaign Financing– The Setting

• The Federal Campaign Act of 1974 placed restrictions on donations made to specific candidates for national office

– Loopholes allowed soft money contributions to political parties, leadership committees, and political action committees by corporations and special interest groups

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Social Policy and the Government

• Campaign Financing– The Setting

• In 2002, the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Accts limited soft money

– In 2004, the Democratic and Republican parties each raised 10 times shat they raised in 1992

– New innovations in spending will emerge along with new cries for reform

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Social Policy and the Government

• Campaign Financing– Sociological Perspective

• Functionalists say that political contributions keep the public involved in the democratic process

• Conflict theorists counter that money brings influence, and material wealth allows donors to influence government policymakers

• Interactionists note symbolic significance of the public perception that big money drives elections in the U.S.

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Social Policy and the Government

• Campaign Financing– Policy Initiatives

• Majority of U.S. voters want campaign finance reform

• On the national level, traditional reform groups continue to call for tighter limits on contributions

• Other interest groups claim limiting anyone’s involvement in the political process is unfair