Politics and Government

Pressure Groups

Another name for special interest groups

Rational-Legal Authority

Authority in office, not person

Rational Legal Authority

Authority is held by elected or appointed government officials and those in formal organization. Authority is invested in office

Charismatic Authority

Based of personal qualities, unstable

Bureaucratic Authority

Based on the organizational structure that includes a clearly defined division of labor, hierarchy or authority, formal rules, and impersonality

Traditional Authority

Closely linked to gende, race, and class relations

Execultive, Central, and Local Administrations, Legislature Courts, Armed Forces, and Police

Components of a Government

Racialized Patriarchy

Continual interplay of race and gender that reinforced traditional structures of power

Ruling Class

Corporate rich that constitute less than 1% of the US population. Influence politics by contributing to campaigs, participating in special interests, and appointments to government advisory committees

Political Sociology

Examines the nature and consequences of power within and between societies, as well as the social and political conflicts that lead to changes in the allocation of power

Afghanistan in 2001

Example of Totalitarianism

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait

Examples of Authoritarianism

Napoleon, Hitler

Examples of Charismatic Authority

US Government Branches

Examples of Rational-Legal Authority

Patrimony, Patriarchy

Examples of Traditional Authority

Poltical Participation

A combination of any of the followin: voting, attending political meetings, participating in political campaigs, and running for office.

Political Science

Focused on power and its distribution in different types of poltiical systems. May look at excecutive, legislative, judicial, and political parties, elections, and public opinion

Government

Formal organization that has legal and political authority to regulate the relationships among members of a society and between the society and those outside its borders

State

Government can also be referred to as this

Power Elite

Leaders at the top of business, the executive branch of the federal government, and the military

Traditional Authority

Legitimized by standing custom

Military-Industrial Complex

Mutual interpendence of the miltary establishment and private miltiary contactors

2 million

Number of people employed in civilian positions in bureaucracy

Political Parties

Organization whose purpose is to gain and hold legitimate control of the government

Political Action Committees

Organizations of special interest groups that solicit contributions from donors and fund campaigs to help elect candidates based on their stances on specific issues

10%

Percent of US population who does more than just vote

75%

Percent of positions in the Federal Bureaucracy held by white men

Special Interest Groups

Political coalition made up of individuals or groups that share a specific interest they wish to protect or advance with the help of the political system

State

Political entity that possesses a legitimate monopoly over the use of force within its territory to achieve goals

Authoritarianism

Political system controlled by rulers who deny popular participation in government

Democracy

Political system in which people hold the ruling power either directly or through public officials

Monarchy

Political system in which power resides in one person or family and is passed from generation to generation through lines of inheritance

Totalitarianism

Political system in which the state seeks to regulate all aspects of people's public and private lives

Elite Model (Conflict Perspective)

Power in political systems is concentrated in the hands of a small group of elites and the masses are relatively powerless. The government exists for the benefit of the wealthy and powerful.

Dictatorship

Power is gained and held by a single individual

Charismatic Authority

Power is legitimized on the basis of a leader's exceptional personal qualities

Rational Legal Authority

Power legitimized by law or written rules and regulations

Traditional Authority

Power that is legitimized on the basis of long standing custom

Authority

Power that people accept as legitimate rather than coercive

Routinization of Charisma

Process by which charismatic authority is succeeded by a bureaucracy controlled by a rationally established authority or by a combination of traditional and bureaucratic authority

Poltical Socialization

Process by which people learn political attitudes, values, and behaviors

Pluralist Model (Functionalist View)

Purpose of government is to socialize people to be good citizens, regulate the economy, and provide necessary services for citizens

Social Issues

Relate to moral judgements or civil rights, range from abortion to gun control

Constitutional Monarchy

Royalty serve as symbolic rulers or heads of state while actual authority is held by elected officials in national parliaments

Limited Monarchy

Rules depend on powerful members of nobility to retain thrones

Liberal view on Economics

Say redistribute wealth so everyone gets a little

Politics

Social institutions through which power is acquired and exercised by some people and groups

Einstein

Suggested the idea of Racialized Patriarchy

Conservative view on Economics

Take incentive away to work and be innovative

Nobless Oblige

Those who are well off should give to the poor

Iron Triangle

Three way arrangement in which private interest groups, congressional committees, and bureaucratic agencies make a decision on a political issue that is usually decided by agency

False

True or False: Charismatic authority tends to be permament and stable

True

True or False: Less than 50% of the the voting age population has voted in non-presidential elections

True

True or False: People have a greater tendency to accept authority as legitimate if they are economically or politically dependent on those who hold power or if it reflects their own beliefs and values

False

True or False: Socioeconomic status does not impact political attitudes

False

True or False: The US has the highest percent of voter turnout of Western nations

True

True or False: US citizens elect their representatives to serve as a bridge between people and government

Traditional, Charismatic, Rational-Legal

Weber's 3 Types of Authority

Family, Peers, Teachers, Media

Agents of Political Socialization

Bureacratic Authority

Also known as power legitimized by procedure

Political Sociology

(broader definition) How are actors intertwined with social institutions such as the economy, religion, education, and the media

Power

Ability of persons or groups to achieve their goals despite opposition from others. Might use persuasion, authority, or force

Economic Issues

The amount that should be spent on government programs. Extent to which these programs should encourage a redistribution of income and assets