Sociology chap 1

accounts of increasing concern w/ inequality

1) Takeoff: spectacular increase in inequality in many late-industrial countries. 2. Persistence: persistence of noneconomic inequality despite decades of egalitarian reform. 3. Macrolevel Externalities: inequality may have negative effects on terrorism, total economic production, and ethnic unrest. 4. Microlevel Externalities: negative individual-level effects of poverty on health, political participation, etc. 5. Visibility: regional disparities in the standard of living have become more widely visible. 6. New Inequalities: rise of new types of inequalities (sexual orientation, disability, or citizenship). 7. Idiographic: recent events (e.g., Hurricane Katrina, the Great Recession) have brought inequality into especially sharp relief. 8. Social Inclusion: human entitlements that include the right to be spared extreme deprivation.

3 themes of postwar scholarship

1) inequality decreasing 2) inequality of opportunity decreasing 3) from segmented classes to social gradient

3 accounts of increasing inequality:

1. Deindustrialization: Relocating of jobs to offshore labor markets brings decline in demand for less-educated manufacturing workers. 2. Computerization: Use of digital equipment creates demand for highly-skilled workforce beyond supply of qualified workers. 3. Minimum Wage: Political policies that decrease the value of the minimum wage (in real dollars) increases inequality.

8 asset groups of multidimensionality:

1. ECONOMIC: wealth, income, ownership 2. POWER: political, workplace, household 3. CULTURAL: knowledge, digital culture, "good" manners 4. SOCIAL: social clubs, workplace associations, informal networks 5. HONORIFIC: occupational, religious, merit-based 6. CIVIL: right to work, due process, franchise 7. HUMAN: on-the-job, general schooling, vocational training 8. PHYSICAL: mortality, physical disease, mental health

5 drivers of change of inequality (Firebaugh)

1. Industrialization of poor nations decreases between nation inequality and increases within-nation inequality 2. Expansion of technology decreases between-nation inequality 3. Demographic growth of poor nations decreases between-nation inequality 4. Rise of service sector increases within-nation inequality 5. Collapse of communism increases with-in nation inequality

horticultural and herding

10,000 yrs ago started settled villages with 100s of people requires cultivating gardens: men clear the land with the axe, women cultivate soil with the hoe more arid locations. limit movement of animals, protect them from predators redistribution economy: surplus, trading occurs, commodities created horticultural: commodities = perishable, no intergeneration accumulation herding: commodities accumulate accummulate between generations, herds/harems Power is based on the ability to redistribute goods. Age respected; alternative sexual orientations tolerated

functionalism (Emile Durkheim)

20th century Europe/US stratification required for placing and motivating people in a functional society Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) Focus on social order rather than social conflict: why does society hold together at all? Stratification is important to maintaining a functioning social order. Mechanical solidarity: everyone works together on common tasks with similar labor Organic solidarity: greater division of labor leads to specialized tasks (as in bodily systems)

Industrial

250 years ago Began in Great Britain in the 1700s; by mid-1800s France, Germany, and US were catching up. Use of mechanized technology for the production of goods. Massive migration to the urban centers based on desire to find jobs.Beginning of industrialization brings obvious increase in social and economic inequality. Owners control means of production. Laborers paid wages, which can bring them above agricultural subsistence. mode of production = factory ( no longer plow/irrigation, etc.) But then inequality begins to decline as rising middle class shares some of economic growth. Gender inequality begins to decline somewhat as women get more access to education and industrial skills. Slowly social norms allow for greater flexibility in gender roles, family forms, and sexual orientation. Retirement can be precarious for the elderly in an industrial economy that separates families and relies on industrial labor for economic security.

Frontiers and Ports

5,000 yrs ago Arises roughly same time as agricultural societies. Maritime examples: Phoenicia, Venice, Netherlands. Frontier examples: colonial US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand. Displacement: indigenous peoples displaced by newcomers who used farming and herding. Shift to agriculture = slave laborers from Africa used for plantations justified by racial ideology.

Inequality Needs Balance

Alan B. Krueger (2004): Inequality, Too Much of a Good Thing Q: Is inequality all good? A: Inequality has both positive effects (e.g., incentives to work hard, invest, and innovate) and negative effects (e.g., racial discrimination, political monopolies). Q: Why might people want to balance inequality? A: Reasons include philosophy, religion, enlightened self-interest, job performance, avoiding market failure, efficient policy changes (e.g., treaties reducing trade barriers), economic growth, avoiding inefficient markets, and public preference. Q: What's the best way to balance inequality? A: Raising the incomes of the poor by using education and training as a means of redistribution.

Inequality is Reproduced

Annette Lareau (2003): Unequal Childhoods Reproduction of Class: What are the mechanisms for transmission of class advantage across generations? Data: interviews and observations of 88 black and white children ages 8-10 Mechanism of class reproduction = cultural logic of childrearing Middle-class parents: "concerted cultivation" produces emerging sense of entitlement Parents: Actively foster and assess child's talents, opinions, and skills Activities: Multiple child leisure activities orchestrated by adults Language: Reasoning/directives, extended negotiations between child and adult Institutions: Intervening and training child to criticize institutions Working-class parents: "accomplishment of natural growth" produces emerging sense of constraint Parents: Cares for child and allows child to grow Activities: Hanging out with kin Language: Directives accepted by child with little questioning Institutions: Dependence, powerlessness, frustration, conflict between home and school Tak Wing and John H. Goldthorpe (2005): The Social Stratification of Theatre, Dance, and Cinema Attendance Topic: "The relationship between social inequality and patterns of cultural taste and consumption." Homology Argument: social and cultural stratification map onto each other. Individualization Argument: social and cultural stratification are becoming unrelated. Omnivore-univore Argument: higher social strata have wider range of cultural tastes. Findings: higher status, education, income increase chances of being cultural omnivore (e.g., music, theater, cinema) Eszter Hargittai (2011): The Digital Reproduction of Inequality Findings: "Disparities in Web-use abilities and uses have the potential to contribute to social inequalities rather than alleviate them." Digital know-how allows some to better address their own needs. Ignorance of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) make people susceptible to 1) difficulties in everyday logistics, 2) missed opportunities, 3) incorrect information from unreliable sources.

responses to Firebaugh

Closing gap due mainly to rising incomes in India (18% of world population) and China (19% of world population) Remove China from calculation = between-nation inequality is rising. Declining between-nation inequality is NOT uniform. Incomes in sub-Saharan Africa have actually fallen.

Human Development Index (from UN)

Composite of INCOME (Gross Domestic Product per capita = cost of all goods and services divided by population) + HEALTH (life expectancy at birth) + EDUCATION (years of education) Top of List = Northern Europe (Sweden, Norway, Netherlands), North America (US, Canada), and Oceania (Australia, New Zealand) Bottom of List = sub-Saharan Africa (Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia)

US Inequality: Labor Market Shifts

Deindustrialization (here) ⁃ Ex: utter devastation of local economy in Flint, MI caused by closing of General Motors plant Industrialization (somewhere else) Ex: Local employers and regional intermediaries in Southeast and South Asia compete for profits by paying very low wages to women and children working in dangerous conditions

Emile Durkheim

Division of labor: small groups, everyone does same job, transitory groups, populations remain small. As people settle, pop grows. As density increases so does division of labor, brings differential status

Inequality is Deliberate

Fischer, et al (1996): Inequality by Design Q: What causes inequality? A: Socially constructed policies. Q: What kinds of policies? A: Laws on corporations, patents, wages, working conditions, unionization, taxes, etc. Q: How do you know this? A: Compare genetically and economically similar countries that have dissimilar inequality. Q: But isn't inequality good for economic growth? A: Too much inequality can stymie economic growth

Between-Nation Inequality

Glenn Firebaugh (2003): The New Geography of Global Income Inequality History of income inequality: Before industrial revolution, most inequality was WITHIN nations. Industrialization in West changed this: most inequality was BETWEEN nations Today's income inequality: Biggest determining factor of income = nation where you live. Gap between nations is greater than the gap in any single country BUT inequality between nations is DECREASING, and inequality within nations is INCREASING.

Globalization facts:

How are nations connected in a globalized system? Low-wage workers in poor countries manufacture industrial products, which are exported to wealthier markets around the world. Wealthier countries shift from manufacturing to service economies (e.g., financing, advertising, distribution, and retailing of imported commodities). What connects these nations? Container ships, jumbo jets, satellite, cable, commerce, finance, social media How does this influence inequality within nations? Inequality within nations is rising due to this "new international division of labor." What is the latest trend in globalized labor markets? Outsourcing of white collar jobs. Starting with Ireland (e.g., data processing) Now including India (e.g., radiology), which has moved from a poor nation to a middle-income nation.

Inequality Affects Health

Janny Scott (2004): Life at the Top in America Isn't Just Better, It's Longer Thesis: "Class is a potent force in health and longevity in the United States." Better health and longer life form a gradient from the upper-middle class to the very poor. Ex: life expectancy, smoking, stress, social networks and support, heart attack, diet. Bruce Link on progress in healthcare: "We're creating disparities. It's almost as if it's transforming health, which used to be like fate, into a commodity. Like the distribution of BMWs or goat cheese." Inequality Affects Health John Mullahy, Stephanie Robert, and Barbara Wolfe (2004): Health, Income, and Inequality Absolute Income Hypothesis: Income = main determiner of health. More equal communities = better average health. Growing average income improves health across the community. Absolute Deprivation Hypothesis: Variety of factors associated with poverty determine individual health. Poorer people have worse health. Growing average income improves health only among the poor. Relative Income Hypothesis: Relative position in the income hierarchy determines individual health. Growing income matters only for those who experience the increase. Relative Deprivation Hypothesis: Relative position in income, occupational rank, and education determines individual health. Growing income, occupational rank, or education matters only from those who experience the increase. Inequality Affects Health Findings: Income and health are related in a nonlinear way. Greatest effect of rising income on health occurs at the bottom of the stratification system. This is strong evidence for Absolute Deprivation and some evidence for Absolute Income. Note: Wilkinson and Pickett provide further evidence for Relative Income and Relative Deprivation.

Globalism's Discontents

Joseph Stiglitz MANAGEMENT determines how globalization impacts nations. Countries managing globalization on their own reaped large, equally shared benefits. East Asia: growth = exports and closing technology gap, avoided Washington consensus (i.e,limited role for government, rapid privatization and liberalization), saw regulations help growth. Countries having globalization managed for them (by IMF, etc.) have done poorly. Globalization has been governed in undemocratic ways, disadvantageous to developing countries and their poorest people. When markets are liberalized too fast: Private investment rises —> speculative real estate boom —> sentiment changes —> money pulled out —> economic devastation Countries attempt to tax capital —> investors pull out money —> tax burden shifts to poor and middle classes —> burden of repaying loans (to IMF) shifts to workers who are left behind Workers move NOT from low to high wage jobs but from low wage jobs to unemployment Agricultural products from these nations can't compete with highly subsidized US products Countries forced into cutbacks on education and health (ex. Thailand: rise in female prostitution, decline in AIDS programs)

inequality is necessary

Kingsley Davis and Wilbert E. Moore (1945): Some Principles of Stratification Q: What causes inequality? A: Need to motivate and place workers. Q: Why is it important to place and motivate workers? A: Some jobs require more talent because they're more important. Q: How does inequality arise? A: Inequality arises naturally and unconsciously to achieve functionality. Q: What jobs deserve the highest rank? A: Jobs that are highly important and require training. Inequality Is Necessary Q: What's an example of a highly rewarded job? A: Medicine... because it's important and taxing.

multidimensionality (new attempts to explain the rise in inequality differ from postwar narratives)

Limit the focus to one form of inequality at a time (e.g., income inequality) rather than grand narratives. Require an empirical foundation rather than theoretical speculation alone. Attempt to identify the specific social forces that undermine the more positive narratives of the past.

Paradox markets

Markets work best in conditions of equality in wealth and power—but they produce extreme inequality in both. Money flows out of resource-rich nations (Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo) to core-country cities (Tokyo, Zurich, London, Frankfurt, New York) Unregulated markets produce monopolies (e.g., British East India Company, Standard Oil, Enron, Microsoft).

Within-Nation Inequality

Most unequal nations are resource-rich African states (Sierra Leone = diamonds, Equatorial Guinea = oil) Closely followed by Latin American states (Brazil, Panama) Also with widening gaps are former communist states (Russia, Moldova) US is most unequal of wealthy advanced industrial nations (richest 1% control 40% of wealth)

5 Myths of Trade Protest Model

Myth 1: global income inequality is exploding. - Firebaugh: decreasing between-nation inequality offsets increasing within-nation inequality Myth 2: rich nations are surging ahead of poor nations. - Firebaugh: poor nations have fewer people in them. Myth 3: globalization caused inequality in the past. - Firebaugh: between-nation inequality surge in 19th and 20th centuries started before period of true globalization Myth 4: inequality is growing due to growth in postindustrial West. - Firebaugh: inequality is still growing due to industrialization of poor nations Myth 5: international exchange is inherently exploitative. - Firebaugh: international exchange can decrease income inequality in some cases

Neoliberalism

Neoclassical economics = return to importance of free trade and free markets Based mainly on the theories of Adam Smith Now considered the "Washington Consensus" Neoliberalism What keeps nations poor according to neoliberalism? Paternalistic politics = cronyism, corruption, overlarge bureaucracies Controlled economies = stifle efficient markets based in supply and demand Fatalistic attitudes = stifle risk needed for entrepreneurialism Neoliberalism What is needed for economic prosperity? Individual rights and equal opportunity BUT NO affirmative action, minimum wage increase, government programs for health and education, and other interference with "free market" Is this conservative or liberal? Conservatives supported royal monopolies and land-based economies. Liberals supported free enterprise. So today's Conservatives in the US support Neoliberal economics. Ex: Reagan (US) and Thatcher (Britain) in the 1980s; India and Latin America today World Bank and IMF = enforce neoclassical economic policy "Structural Adjustment" requires nations to reduce government spending and bureaucracy encourage markets, export and entrepreneurship entice foreign investments and technology

Political Economy vs Neoliberalism

Political economy = perspective that emphasizes interdependence of power politics and economic exchange Entities with geopolitical power can use world economy to their own advantage. Periphery will remain dominated and exploited unless global capitalism is overturned. Neoliberals: growth among semiperiphery = proof that free trade works. Political economy: growth among semiperiphery = allowed by core to expand markets. Jeffery Sachs: neoliberal who advocates for foreign investment in health and education

Modernization Theory

Poor nations only stay poor when they retain traditional (and inefficient) values, institutions, and technologies. Poor nations that adopt modern values, technologies, and institutions will "take off" Modern values: achievement and success Modern technologies: machinery and electronics Modern institutions: financial institutions, insurers, stock markets Given enough time, all nations will modernize. Modernization theory used to be "mainstream school of scholarship" Facing criticism since 1970s = ethnocentric, Western bias What does that theory look like in practice?

Occupy Wall Street

Radical 21st century US, social movement to critique inequality of wealth held by the top 1%

Facts of Income Inequality

Richest 20% consumes 86% of all goods. Poorest 20% consumes 1.3% of all goods. Richest 5% receive more than 100 times the income of the poorest 5%. US citizens spend $8 billion annually on cosmetics, $2 billion more than cost of providing basic education for all. Europeans spend $11 billion annually on ice cream, $2 billion more than cost of providing safe drinking water and sewers for rest of world.

agrarian

Started 5,000 years ago Shift from horticulture to agriculture = shift from garden to field. Larger areas cultivated; cultivation happens continuously. Change = technological advance = plow and irrigation. Started in Middle East: domestication = horse and ox; seeds = wild grass, wheat, and oats; irrigation = several major river systems. Growing population density: rise of urban centers and beginning of what we call "civilization." Massive increase in stratification: men could now own and accumulate land.Inheritance: land could be passed from father to sons. Class division: lords (few land owners) and peasants (many agricultural workers) but also merchants (who bought and sold commodities using coins). Feudalism: hierarchy of power relationships (emperor to lords to serfs) based on ownership of private property. Military: surpluses from agriculture could be used to support standing armies to protect private property. Markets: rise of monetary system using metal coins allowed the growth of markets run by merchants who use money to trade goods based on supply and demand. Civilization: use of writing (mainly tracking commerce at first) and wheel (for agriculture and travel) = burst of wisdom and philosophy traditions around 3000 BC. Difficulties: high taxation, rampant disease, massive famine, extreme stratification, restrictive patriarchy. Colonialism: by Europeans in Americas, Africa, and Asia leads to the growing importance of "race" as a social dimension for justifying the privilege of "whiteness."

US Income Inequality: US Business Tactics

States have an interest in attracting businesses that bring 1) jobs, 2) commerce, and 3) taxes. Business friendly environment = low taxes, low wages, few unions, few labor and environmental regulations To attract jobs and commerce, states often forgo tax income from businesses who agree to locate there. States are tempted to give away the very things that will improve the quality of life for residents : States get more jobs... but low wage jobs., States get more commerce... but no tax revenue (to fund education, infrastructure, etc.) Federal government can intervene by setting minimum wages, environmental protections, etc.: Business often respond by shipping jobs to overseas labor markets which are much cheaper., And we have no global entity capable of regulating these labor markets.

IMF and WB

Two financial institutions created by the UN and based in DC with 188 member nations which contribute money on a quota system International Monetary Fund (IMF): led by a European, promotes growth and stability in trade, employment, exchange-rates World Bank (WB): led by a US citizen, provides loans to developing nations with goal to eliminate poverty

national differences

Wealthiest nations = late industrial nations of Western Europe, US, and Asian rim Poorest nations = "industrializing horticultural societies" of Subsaharan Africa and portions of South Asia Highest equality = Scandinavian (Sweden, Norway), Japan Highest inequality = post-Soviet nations and "industrializing agrarian societies" of Latin America and South Asia Most unequal wealthy nation = former frontier societies: US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand (especially along racial lines)

World Systems Theory

What does Dependency Theory look like in practice today? World Systems Theory Immanuel Wallerstein (1930—) New world of global capitalism started 500 years ago with rise of European nations World Systems Theory Three types of nations: Core = economic dominators: United Provinces (Dutch), United Kingdom, United States (now Japan and other Europeans) Semiperipheral = mediating and trading states: Taiwan, Singapore Peripheral = poorest states that are oppressed and exploited: sub-Saharan Africa, Indonesia, Bangladesh Who are the key actors in expanding global trade and technology? Multinational corporations Transnational lending institutions International media outlets

Immigration

What happens when people get stuck in places with low-wages and low-demand for workers? Often move to places where wages and demand for workers are higher. Immigration: relocation to another country Labor immigration: temporary relocation for work with intent to return home Guest workers: recognized labor immigrants (e.g., oil workers in Kuwait) However they must first overcome reluctance to leave families, homes, and culture. AND people in these places are reluctant to welcome newcomers. Sometimes it's easier to move products, and sometimes it's easier to move people. What about immigration to the US with no legal status? 11.5 million, 60% from Mexico Decreasing due to economic downturn in 2008 and investment in border security. Obama has used executive order to stop deportation of young people who came to US as children and move toward high school and college graduation (or military).

Free Trade

What have been the effects of "free trade" policies? Ex. Mexico Adopted free trade policies, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Economic growth rate of 4-5% since NAFTA (strong, but not phenomenal) From 26th largest economy to the 8th. Most industry = assembling commodities from foreign parts and shipping back Employment increased BUT real wages in industry dropped by 20% A few successful firms account for this growth. 40% of workforce are poorly paid legitimate or blackmarket workers Few effective unions, manufacturing workers = often poorly paid young women, rural farmers cannot compete with subsidized US agricultural products

Dependency Theory

What is the alternative to Modernization Theory? Dependency Theory: blame rich nations Poor nations are not UNdeveloped, but UNDERdeveloped. Poverty is not caused by poor people themselves; it was created by colonial imperialism. Exploitation: unequal exchange, removal of surplus profit Distortion: "disarticulated" economies serve export needs rather than local populations Domination: subtle but powerful neocolonialism debt dependency (World Bank and IMF) manipulations of foreign aid coercion of governments by multinational corporations

medical theology

conservative 12th century Europe, inequality explained by people being different parts of Christ's body

Luther and Calvin

conservative 16th century Europe, inequality results when some work hard and reinvest profits and others do not capitalism basis

Hammurabi

conservative 1750 BCE Babylon, law code applies differently to different classes of citizens eye 4 an eye

Hindu castes

conservative 18th century BCE India, stratified society of fixed positions from different body parts of the god vishnu impossible to move between castes

Adam Smith

conservative 18th century England, corporations in free market replaced crown as preserver of common good

social darwinists (Herbert Spencer)

conservative 20th century England, the fittest survive in industrial economies some people just more motivated/smarter

Ayn Rand

conservative 20th century US, individuals free from government and religion thrive so inequality is just and good

Tea Party

conservative 21st century US, government should not intervene in inequality (even though US policy helped create it)

Aristotle

conservative 350 BCE Greece, men are by nature either slave or free, but society should balance inequality

confucius

conservative 500 BCE China, society based on justice, duty and hierarchical order

Apostle Paul

conservative 60 CE Mediterranean, in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, but also slaves obey masters and women remain silent in the churches did have some radical theories

muhammed

conservative 7th century Saudi Arabia, slaves allowed but cannot be Muslims, women have domestic roles but are honored, poor one present but receive alms

radical antithesis

equality is the natural or divine order of the world (so we should reduce inequality)

conservative thesis

inequality is part of the natural or divine order of the world (so we should ignore or increase it)

Kuznet's Curve

inequality rises all the way thru industrial and then falls down in industrial end expanding middle class

sociological imagination

lens as which u see the world, ability to connect personal troubles and public issues

stratification

persons with similar demographics who are sorted into layers of the social hierarchy

francis of assisi

radical 13th century Italy, gave away wealth to live and preach among the poor

waldensians

radical 13th-14th century Italy, persecuted for denouncing wealth of the Roman Catholic church

anabaptists

radical 16th-17th century Europe, pacifists who rejected church hierarchy

levelers

radical 17th century England, called for the leveling of society and end of control by landed elites

Locke and Rousseau

radical 18th century Europe, authority comes from the consent of the governed, not divine right

Karl Marx

radical 19th century Europe, revolution needed to destroy the capitalist economic system Entrance of a social science perspective into the debate over inequality Used historical-comparative and quantitative data to support opinions Dialectical Materialism: Hegelian dialectic (subjects of the world in relation to one another) (thesis / antithesis / synthesis) + Feuerbach's materialism (vs. German Idealism) Critique of Ideology = ideas created by bourgeoisie to justify social position All history is the history of class struggle Social relations of production = positions of people groups in the economic system Two classes in capitalism = bourgeoisie (capitalists who own the means of production) and proletariat (workers who sell their labor) Capitalist mode of production: 1) wealth accumulation, 2) narrowing of class structure, 3) homogenization of (unskilled) labor, 4) constant crisis of profit, 5) alienation (from labor, products, other workers, and species being) Class consciousness arises when proletariat realizes its common plight. Socialism = system of collective production and just distribution that overturns the class structure Worked for reform (e.g., unions, minimum wage laws, abolition of child labor, end of 16-hour work day and 7-day work week) but thought that only revolution could overturn capitalist system. Actually existing communist states failed

conflict theory

radical 20th century Europe/US, expanded Marxian ideas beyond critique of private property (to issues such as power) Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924): capitalist exploitation of workers has become globalized (so a global revolution is needed) Ralph Dahrendorf (1929-2009): private property is only one form of authority, which is more central to class conflict Immanuel Wallerstein (1930—): world systems theory of privileged core and impoverished periphery, which remains dependent

postmodernism

radical 20th century Europe/US, uncover hidden discourses of power that fuel oppression

Max weber

radical 20th century Germany, expanded Marx's ideas on stratification to include class, status, and power Rejected Marx's materialism, refined Marx's views on stratification Stratification is multidimensional: class (economic realm), status (social realm), power (legal realm) Class is defined by life chances in the marketplace Mobility (movement up and down the stratification scale) and social closure (denying access to other groups)

Jesus and James

radical 30 CE Israel, taught and practiced communal living and echoes Hebrew prophets

Plato

radical 400 BCE Greece, differences in child raising leads to 2 classes: nobles and commoners, solution is meritocracy lead by philosopher-kings

Buddha

radical 500 BCE India, enlightenment requires the extinguishing of desire (leads to excess) found sick, poor, dead outside of castle for the first time 8 noble truths

Lao-tzu

radical 600 BCE China, critiqued the excesses of gentry and courts

desert fathers

radical 100 CE Mediterranean, abandoned luxury to live in remote areas to protest the worship of wealth

hebrew prophets

radical antithesis 800-600 BCE Israel, announced Yahweh's displeasure at the treatment of the poor and powerless

Gerhard Lenski

sociocultural evolution: technological advancement drives change in societies thru a series of stages. Notice the technological advance in each stage and what happens in stratification. Dimensions of inequality are not biological facts produced by nature, but social constructions used to justify patterns of power and wealth

structures

sociology focuses not just on individuals but on larger, durable patterns of opportunity and constraint

hunting and gathering

started 3 million years ago semi-nomadic bands of about 50 people in lush environments based on biology, men hunted, women gathered very little stratification because everyone = generalist, gendered roles are needed for calorie intake, little ability to accumulate possessions 120 hrs/week, rest for fun power based on consensus, economics based on reciprocity change happens when pops slow down and grow

Postindustrial

started 50 yrs ago Knowledge-based workers relying heavily on computer tech. First theorists (e.g., Daniel Bell) optimistic that shift would create new opportunities and allow greater mobility. Issue: deindustrialization = process whereby industrial jobs are moved to markets with lower wages for employees, creating job loss. Issue: access to education needed for postindustrial work is not distributed evenly. Some evidence that inequality begins to rise again with shift to postindustrial economy.

George Lenski

synthesis Ecological-Evolutionary Theory: new approach to stratification combining conflict theories with functionalism From conflict theories: changes in the mode of production, multidimensionality (privilege, prestige, power), agreed that level of inequality is always higher than necessary From functionalists: evolution of society over time, agreed that some inequality helps society function What are the roots of inequality? Functionalists see the roots of inequality in talent, ability, and motivation. Conflict theories see the roots of inequality in the social relations of production. Anthropology suggests that conflict theorists are more accurate. Example: hunter-gatherer societies remain essentially equal even though some people are more skilled in their labor. Synthesis Why did Marxist states fail? They revised social relations of production, but failed to alter the privileged positions of distribution and redistribution.

inequality

uneven pattern of resources and rewards within and between human populations