SOC 200

Conflict theory vs. Functionalism

"Conflict" Theorist says.... Power, self interest, exploitation unequal distribution of power there are winners and losers Chap 6 (Power) makes this argument "Functionalist" Theorist says... Societal health society built on consensus and equilibrium social structures(hierarchies and institutions) exist because they are healthy for the society positions differ in their importance based on their replaceability

culture vs. social structure

"Liberals" seem to want to reduce inequality/poverty to social structure Institutions and hierarchies "Born on third base" presents structural advantage "Conservatives" seem to want to reduce inequality/poverty to culture Aspirations, values, etc. Can't BOTH be right?

Have Americans come to embrace policies that favor the rich?

(pg 164) Most Americans DO agree rich should pay more taxes than the poor, gov should spend more on social programs for those who cannot provide for themselves, BUT Americans are not willing to support these programs that can reduce poverty and and increase equality. We hold CONTRADICTORY beliefs. So yes, we do embrace policies favoring the rich. (EX. the poll for repealing estate tax). The conclusion is that in the third dimension of power, ordinary Americans do not believe all of the things that the powerful might desire them to, but in many cases they have come to believe in conservative principles of how bad big government is that have allowed inequality to grow unchecked in recent decades. estate tax example: Reasons for phenomenon: 1) Americans may simply be unrealistically optimistic about their chances of someday being wealthy. 2) simple ignorance of the facts of the estate tax Americans are much less supportive than other democratic countries of helping the unemployed, reducing income inequality, and to a lesser extent helping senior citizens. Americans are always less convinced that government-based programs are the way to go. Deep hostility to big government is one of the hallmarks of American public opinion in the last three decades. This is problematic because history suggests the only way a country can have more equality and less poverty is by expanding the role of the state in society.

Wilkinson Ted Talk and PowerPoint slides; Main point?

* Only looking at rich, developed, market, democracies. Not every society is healthy * Income not correlated * But WITHIN societies, money matters! * But, again, these things unrelated to Gross National Income of the country * Because all the countries are rich * There is no relationship between income and social health * Change to Gross National Income of the country to income inequality, america is the worst because we are the most income inequality country.\ * Low inequality what you born classes matter less what you become, has high social mobility * inequality inverse social mobility * Inequality highly correlated with a variety of social ills!

How were reactions of others different toward the Saints and Roughnecks?

* they perceived the saints to be the good kids but perceive the roughnecks otherwise. * the saints are way more successful than the roughnecks after high school * because of selective perception and labelling (which is finding, processing and punishing some kinds of criminality and not others)

Why do states tend to adjust their policies to support the goals of the powerful?

1) business confidence theory of the state: holds that whatever the preferences of the government officials, the state as a whole has a powerful incentive to make sure that big business interests have the confidence and security they need to want to make investments that will create jobs and produce economic growth 2) the relative political power of different groups Large corporations and rich individuals simply have more resources to influence political life than do other groups representing working-class or middle-class people.

3 kinds of authoritative power

1. Charismatic authority personal qualities an individual 2. Traditional authority Inherited power...think British monarchy, Game of Thrones 3. Rational-legal authority Power in a position Achieved power Weber

Reasons for the rising gaps

1. education and technology: -skill premium: demand for skills rising faster than supply of skilled workers (especially tech world) 2. globalization -trade and offshoring jobs 3.technology 4. U.S. policy -economies can organize themselves so that rich get a larger or smaller share -trade policy -tax policy -social welfare policy -universal healthcare -paid family leave -gov provided preschool/child care -etc **** BUT, ALL WEALTHY DEMOCRACIES IMPACTED BY THESE FACTORS.... AND OUR GAPS RISING FASTER!!

3 fundamental ideas that are important in studying immigration assimilation (p. 335)

1. socioeconomic status -by measuring, sociologists are able to gauge the extent to which immigrants and natives are on equal footing in the social hierarchy 2. spatial concentration -refers to the geographic distribution the population; sociologists are interested in the extent to which immigrants live in isolation from natives 3. intermarriage -breaking away from some traditional marriage patterns and passing on the culture of the home country to the next generation • it is critical to define the population whose assimilation is studied, as assimilation may not be a meaningful concept for some sets of foreign-born residents • most immigrants are self-selected and thus motivated to assimilate • third, given the heavy focus on family reunification within the visa allocation system, many new LPRs have spouses, parents or children who were born U.S. citizens or who have already become citizens

% Foreign Born over the past several decades

1960 9.7 million foreign born which is 5.4% of the population 1970: 9.6 million foreign born 4.6% of population 1980: 14.1 million foreign born 6.2% of population 1990: 19.8 million foreign born 7.9% of population 2000: 31.1 million foreign born 11.1% of population

Be very familiar with the 4 "Eras" of immigration.... Specifically, know the relevance of

1st era: a time when immigration was largely unrestricted

Emergency Quota Act (1921)

3rd era: worldwide qualitative restrictions + quantitative restrictions on eastern hemisphere Emergency Quota Act limited number of immigrants from any Eastern Hemisphere nationality to 3% of the number of residents of that nationality living in the U.S

romney 47% quote

47% pay no income tax, will vote for obama "who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them" "I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives." apologized

Orange and Blue; impact of slavery on perceptions of the disenfranchised/enslaved group and impact on their perceptions of themselves o Illustrates the self-fulfilling prophecy

A Class Divided Blue pick Orange to be slaves ***Let's assume nothing against Orange people... have the power to enslave them (so, racism not driving their oppression) No greater status inequality than master/slave Orange denied education, sold as livestock, completely dependent and subservient - this defines the relationship Macro level consequences? Structural consequences? Low SES ... DUH! And, remember, inequality causes prejudice as well because we only see "them" at the bottom, this "causes" prejudice Micro level consequences? On the Identity level? Inequality and mistreatment would have a devastating impact on identity and self concept Blue self concept? Head held high! Orange self concept? Head downcast! If the enslavement ends, what happens? Patterns above change?

ethnicity

A system for classifying people who are believed to share common descent, based on perceived cultural similarities.

race

A system for classifying people who are believed to share common descent, based on perceived innate physical similarities.

A few questions on income and wealth inequality in the US... No need to memorize specific numbers (in part because estimates vary), but in general you should know how income and wealth are distributed

About 20% of income goes to top 1% 0.1% of household has about 25% of all wealth economic and government policy affects the distribution

"invisible hand"

Adam Smith's term for the natural self-regulation of a market economy driven by self-interest and efficiency

fisher and smeeding

At the top, the rise of high demand services and winner-take-all markets dominated by the well-educated have led to substantial increases in earning for the "winners" (Fisher and Smeeding, 2016, p. 36) Finite number of winners? 2 choices: 1. Alter its labor market institutions... more workers, paid better (both Clinton and Trump talked big on this one) 2. Alter its redistributive institutions... not clear what form this would take???

Why does intergroup contact tend to produce intergroup conflict? Ethnocentrism's relevance to the question of why contact often equals conflict?

Belief in superiority of one's own culture Manza: The inability to understand, accept, or reference patterns of behavior or belief different from one's own; To judge cultural differentness Important to recognize this a tendency in all of us -law of liking (When you like someone, or believe that they are "just like you," you are more inclined to wanting to please them) -ingroup vs. outgroup -solidarity

SES

By combining a number of different attributes of any individual, we can properly place him or her in relation to others, and assign him or her a class. education, income, current occupation; someone scoring high on all three dimensions is "high SES" someone scoring low is "low SES"

Marginal tax rates, capital gains taxes

Capital gains tax rate: taxes on stock, property, etc. Corporate tax rates: Biggest tax break under trump Estate Tax: "death tax" Marginal Tax Rates taxes on the last bit you make but at a super high rate of 90%

False consciousness vs. Class consciousness

Class struggles are relevant in history of world False Consciousness: People oblivious to their exploitation; 2nd and 3rd dimensions of power; think the powerful have their best interest in mind Class Consciousness Come to see yourself as exploited

power elite

Coined by C. Wright Mills: the idea that a small group of power holders is consistently able to get what it wants holds power in the first dimension Robert Dahl used this approach in a study of the city politics of New Haven in the 1950s. He concluded that the evidence showed different groups prevailed over different key issues and thus the ruling elite hypothesis was refuted. He concluded, instead, that the power was distributed pluralistically in New Haven, and perhaps in the entire US as well.

self-fulfilling prophecy at macro level

Contact between ethnic and racial groups often characterized by.... Ethnocentrism, Identifiability, Inequality, Competition These things cause prejudice and racism (negative feelings about group) Prejudice results in discrimination (deny privileges) Discrimination limits opportunities (by definition) Discrimination causes lower SES (discrimination exacerbates and perpetuates inequality) And Inequality - seeing "them" at the bottom -- reinforces prejudice

catholics vs. protestants

Contact in late 1800s, early 1900s... Irish, Italians Culturally different... ethnocentrism Contact characterized by inequality... which contributes to prejudice in a couple of ways 1. Competition ... and will work for less 2. when all we know of "them" is that they are poor, uneducated, and maybe can't speak our language easy to see "them" as "inherently inferior" Prejudice subsided when... Catholics gained economic parity Competed less directly for jobs Cultural differences subsided (cultural assimilation) And perhaps the dominant group became a little more tolerant? (cultural accommodation)

Gini Coefficient and intergenerational earnings

Correlation between Gini Coefficient and Intergenerational Earnings High Gini Coefficient countries? South Africa most developing countries Medium? U.S., Argentina Low? Germany, Japan, Scandinavian countries

"Undesirable" immigrants... past and present

Cultural Accommodation; Catholics vs Protestants... partly the majority accommodated Cultural Assimilation "They" won't assimilate? Threat to "our way of life"? Spatial Concentration; obviously assimilation occurs more quickly if immigrants live with native-born pop Ethnic Enclaves make it appear "they" will never assimilate Koreatown in LA is very... Korean Arthur Avenue in the Bronx is very Italian

Debates about taxes on the rich... Warren Buffet, Romney, etc.

Democrats Argue: -Rich have been the big winners the last few decades (globalization, outsourcing, etc) -benefitted from a country and Economy that helped them get rich -Should increase taxes on rich Republicans Argue: -generally Oppose -Believe lowering taxes on rich will stimulate the economy Warren Buffet pays less taxes that his secretary, rich people have more access to loop holes Romney paid less than 15% of his income Obama: "it is not that i want to punish your success; I think when you spread the wealth around, it is good for everyone"

Ethnicity vs. Race

Ethnicity: Belief in share common descent, based on perceived cultural similarities Race: Belief in shared common descent, based on perceived innate physical similarities Before 1952, only white immigrants could become U.S. Citizens Before 1967, non whites could not marry whites

Race has always "mattered more" than ethnicity

Ethnicity: Belief in share common descent, based on perceived cultural similarities Race: Belief in shared common descent, based on perceived innate physical similarities Before 1952, only white immigrants could become U.S. Citizens Before 1967, non whites could not marry whites

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

False definition produces new behavior and makes the original false definition come true W. I. Thomas Theorem - situations defined as real are real in their consequences

Gini Index... in general you should know which countries have high wealth inequality, which have low

Gini Coefficient: Measures Wealth Inequality scandinavian countries have the lowest gini index, U.S. has pretty high gini index CREATED BY AN ITALIAN SOCIOLOGIST AND STATISTICIAN IN 1912 MEASURE 0 TO 1 0 = EVERYONE HAS SAME WEALTH, NO WEALTH INEQUALITY 1 = ONE PERSON HAS ALL THE WEALTH

Connection between Globalization and Outsourcing

Globalization involves the growing permeability of national borders and the increase in flows of goods, services and even people across national borders. One of the fundamental aspects of globalization is that it increases trade among countries, which results in cheaper imported goods from these countries and also allows companies to relocate manufacturing jobs to other countries. globalization has led to outsourcing, which is the contracting of parts of the production process to another party, often abroad; it is extremely common in manufacturing, where different components can be made in different parts of the world with only final assembly taking place in the United States.

Several questions on the Stark reading, "The Jews and Italians" o Cultural explanations vs. "Social" (Social Structural) explanations

Great way to illustrate the sociological imagination cultural and social structural explanations for inequality 1880 to 1920 time of high immigration rates % foreign born high Fear about the influx of inferior blood Assimilation and Accommodation, yes (more on that in a moment) Jew and Italians eventually gained economic equality - probably the key issue in the decline in prejudice Remember, inequality is a cause of prejudice Their SES affirms their inferiority To the subordinate group as well! Both came poor Both came to the cities of the northeast Came at about the same time Both experienced prejudice and discrimination but jews achieved economic success more rapidly... why? Cultural factors - values and norms explain upward mobility Social structural - structure of opportunities available culture factors: Jewish culture values learning, educational achievement Jews see link between education and success Italian culture valued family loyalty over learning Rural farmers - no examples of link between education and success Came from more of a caste system... little stratification Famous Covello Quote: If our children don't go to school, no harm will come. But if the sheep don't eat, they will die. The school can wait but not our sheep Jews brought more than culture (values and norms) Brought social structural advantages - experience, training, technical skills Jews a concentrated population in Russia and Poland - factories, professionals, etc. European Jews... variation in power, occupational prestige, education, job skills And we know this: A group's average status in a new society will reflect their average status in the old society. Italians slow to learn English - slow to assimilate In 1911, 2/3 of Jews here < 5 years could speak English; 1/3 of Italians Why? Because most planned to return to Italy (and over 55% did return) Jews, fleeing persecution, planned to stay (only 8% returned) Contemporary examples? Zborowski and Herzog - Jewish culture Covello - Italian culture Steinberg - Stark calls it "social theory," I call it "social structural"... same thing Poor in money, rich in occupational skills

Romney quote; who are the 47%

In discussing his plan not to increase taxes for the middle class.... "Is $100,000 middle income?" Stephanopoulos asked. "No, middle income is $200,000 to $250,000 and less," Romney responded. 47% are those people who would vote for Obama they are those who depend on the government and don't pay taxes and think that the government has the responsibility to care for them because they are the victims

$2 A Day ... hard to tell you what to "study," just read it!

Increasing isolation of African Americans in inner cities during 70s and 80s decline of jobs as the jobs left, drugs arrived The government's emphasis on personal responsibility must be matched by bold actions to expand access to and improve the quality of jobs the number of the virtually cashless poor has grown in the years since welfare reform the country's main welfare program, Aid to Families with Dependent Children(AFDC), was replaced by a system of temporary, time-limited aid we see a rise in the number of $2-a-day poor low wage employment is projected to grow, not shrink the sad thing is that low-wage job pays too little and offers too few hours these jobs too often set workers up for failure the abrupt ups and downs in the number of hours a worker gets, unpredictable schedule allocation of hours can be a way for managers to reward "good" workers and punish "bad ones" in this case, Jennifer's hours were decreasing because she got sick and she can't really control that instead of laying the blame on a lack of personal responsibility, there are powerful and ever-changing structural forces at play here

Why does intergroup contact tend to produce intergroup conflict? Inequality's relevance to the question of why contact often equals conflict?

Inequality can cause prejudice!!! Inequality reinforces dominant group's views of superiority ...and subordinate group's views of inferiority (protestants and catholics illustrate this)

Bourgeoisie and Proletariat

Karl Marx, concept of class was that any society has a single, critical division between two classes (one dominate, one subordinate) as a result of the economic system. In capitalist societies, this meant that the important class distinction was between business owners (the bourgeoisie) and workers who do job for pay (proletariat).

Berger; power and the 3rd dimension

Knowledge, ideologies, beliefs - can actually serve interests of those in power! The shark infested waters... (p. 111) Who goes to get the food? Who stays home? Who "cooked up the theory in the first place"? an ideology is formed that serves self-interest of those in power which are the priests they stay home to free themselves from being harmed by the sharks while sending others into the shark-infested water Olson Sociology is just common sense? Why do the men jump willing go? Want to... their duty... for the good of their tribe God? Or those in power? Berger: "The sociologist is the guy who keeps asking "says who" unaware of the possible conflict because the people take this tradition to be a fact. "Sin" in the era of slavery and Jim Crow? (mid 113-top 114) Sex, drugs, and rock n' roll? Whose interests are served? The concept of "sin" was focused onto certain offenses, such as drinking, gambling, or "sexual offense". Due to having a larger focus on to these offenses, it diverts- attention away from things that may be a bigger problem. The reason for this is that the "bigger problems" may cause problems for their(churches or the preachers) operations. There were basically worse things happening, but the focus was on sex.

main point of ch. 6 readings?

LAST 40-50 YEARS RICH HAVE WON THE POWER STRUGGLE... CONGRESS AND PRESIDENTS HAVE BEEN SWAYED! BOTH DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS SHOCKING STAT.... P. 158 OF TEXT... 1970 FORTUNE 500 CEOS MADE 35 TIMES FULL-TIME WORKERS, TODAY 243 TIMES!

self-fulfilling prophecy at micro level

Labeling theory... Looking Glass Self What would be the identity effects of being treated as if you are inferior? Brown vs. Board of Ed, 1954 (identity effects of segregation) Research of Kenneth and Mammie Clark during the 1950s Eye of the Storm Point? INQUALITY CAUSES PREJUDICE AND PREJUDICE CAUSES INEQUALITY

National Origins Act (1924)

Legislation was primarily designed to restrict the numbers of immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe, following the influx of a large number of Jews, Italians and Slavs in the early 1900s There were dramatic consequences: under the national origins quota system, the US routinely denied entry to refugees and asylum seekers, primarily jewish, fleeing Nazi persecution before and after WWII. This famously included those aboard the S.S. St. Louis, the transatlantic liner that reached both cuba and the US in 1939 only to be forced to return to occupied territories in europe.

grapes of wrath

Locals are afraid of Okies (think they will steal jobs) Okies feel hostility which allows them to band together, this scares the locals The locals rebel and form an army to scare the okies and keep them in their place

What is class? (p. 236-237)

Made up of people sharing a similar economic situation who have 1) conflicting economic interests with other classes 2)share similar life chances 3) have similar attitudes and behaviors 4)have the potential, at least, to engage in collective action Classes are most visible when there are sharp differences between them on some key political controversy, and people get together to protest on the basis of economic grievances. There have been three broad solutions to adopting a theory of class: 1) Distinguish classes based on income -problem: there are no clear-cut boundaries between income levels and thus classes; also the source of income is significant, doesn't factor in future potential 2) base class on components such as education, income and current occupation; based on this, researchers can construct a score for an individual's socioeconomic status (SES). -however, a key aspect of class theory is that members of the same class should have some context for acting together to improve their lives in some way. People in the same SES location are not likely to act together on that basis. 3) focus solely on each person's occupation in adulthood; views the place of each individual in the economic system as critical and there are plenty of examples of occupational groups having similar political groups and acting together to push for higher wages or to change government policies.

The discussion on "justifying inequality" is good... and is very consistent with our discussion of functionalism and conflict theory (and the mars example). (p. 238-239)

Many thinkers have concluded that income or wealth inequality is both inevitable and even necessary for societies as a whole to function. Justifications: -God's will -Privilege based on inheritance is a natural process most important: -inequality ensures that those with "talent" are given proper encouragement to develop their talents and pursue excellence for the benefit of all; holds that talent is unevenly distributed because all individuals are born with different biological traits, and some are simply born with abilities that the rest do not have HOWEVER, recent research indicates that talent is something that can be acquired, and having the ability to develop talent is often a privilege that comes with having enough resources to afford teachers, mentors, trainers, etc. -inequality leads to greater economic efficiency by encouraging people to take risks and invest in businesses in the hopes of receiving higher returns than if they just worked for someone else; the fear is that in a world where the doctor, janitor and fast-food worker all receive the same income, it would be difficult to attract the most qualified people to become doctors

Different ways class is conceptualized

Marx: 2 "Classes".... And a Revolution? Contemporary conceptions of class among sociologists... No agreement on HOW to define class No agreement how many there are But IS agreement there are not only 2 Manza, p. 236... What is class? 1. Conflicting economic interests with other classes (wages vs. profits) 2. Similar life chances 3. Similar attitudes and behaviors 4. Have potential to engage in collective action (joining together to form a labor union, for example)

power

Max Weber: the ability to achieve goals when others are trying to prevent you from achieving these goals Power can be used in self interest, or in the interests of others

Healthcare reform... Obamacare; freedom vs. coercive issues

Medicare and Medicaid... both Fed programs Primary goal of healthcare reform?: Health care for everyone 2 Freedom vs. Coercion issues here: 1. Subsidies for lower income means upper income people lose 2. taxes - taxes are "coercive" ; law requires that you have insurance (and that it meet certain coverage standards)... this is "coercive"

Why are Americans described as "Conservative Egalitarians"?

Most Americans believe the political system favors the preferences of the powerful, that the rich should pay more taxes than the poor, that the government should spend more on specific social programs in the abstract and do more to help those who cannot provide for themselves through their job. Americans are, in principle, egalitarian (they would prefer more equality than we have today. but...... Most Americans have come to accept the view that government overall is too big, that in abstract the market is better at solving social problems than the government, and that taxes are too high. Americans favor individual initiative and free markets and oppose "big government." They are, in other words, not willing (in spite of their desire to have more equality) to support expanding government programs that have been shown to reduce poverty and inequality in other countries. IN OTHER WORDS:!!!!! AMERICANS DO NOT CONSISTENTLY CONNECT THEIR BELIEFS ABOUT EQUALITY INTO SUPPORT FOR GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS THAT MIGHT ACTIVELY ALTER THE BALANCE OF POWER IN FAVOR OF THE POWERLESS.

Recount the story of the S.S. St. Louis, referencing the legislation that dictated the fate of the ship's passengers.

National Origins Act of 1924 There were dramatic consequences: under the national origins quota system, the US routinely denied entry to refugees and asylum seekers, primarily jewish, fleeing Nazi persecution before and after WWII. This famously included those aboard the S.S. St. Louis, the transatlantic liner that reached both cuba and the US in 1939 only to be forced to return to occupied territories in europe.

Do we need a state? Government? Mancur Olsen's answer

Olson believes the state is responsible for providing 3 "Vital Public Goods": 1. Secure from harm from other members. Police? Abortion? 2. Secure from harm from external dangers. U.S. Military? Drug laws? 3. Resources and services that cannot be supplied by voluntary individual actions Social Security for Senior Citizens? Healthcare for the poor?

Wilkinson Ted Talk and PowerPoint slides; Main point

Only looking at rich, developed, market, democracies- Income not correlated But WITHIN societies, money matters! But, again, these things unrelated to Gross National Income of the country MOST IMPORTANT SLIDE: Inequality highly correlated with a variety of social ills! Inequality is "Dysfunctional" (unhealthy) IN SUMMARY: bigger income gaps lead to deterioration in: social relations: child conflict, homicide, imprisonment, social capital, trust health: drug abuse, infant mortality, life expectancy, mental illness, obesity human capital: child wellbeing, high school dropouts, math and literacy scores, social mobility, teenage births need greater equality; How to get there? E.g., Sweden does it with high taxes, high progressive taxes, social welfare programs E.g., Japan does it with lower gaps in salaries

is there a culture of poverty?

Or... subculture of poverty? Poor are poor primarily because they fall victim to a poverty-perpetuating VALUE SYSTEM? Anthropologist Oscar Lewis: "The subculture [of the poor] develops mechanisms that tend to perpetuate it, especially because of what happens to the worldview, aspirations, and character of the children who grow up in it" Fix the culture, fix the problem? Growing up in poverty more than just adopting certain values!!! Schools, books at home, hunger, stress of violent neighborhood, etc. Both culture (Jewish educational culture) AND social structure (Jewish brought skills), right?

Why does intergroup contact tend to produce intergroup conflict? Identifiability's relevance to the question of why contact often equals conflict?

Physical differences makes it easy to think stereotypically and overgeneralize Catch yourself... he is a bad driver or (if different race) they are bad drivers

who are the power elite?

Political, Military, Corporate Same schools, clubs, social circles Don't even realize

History of immigration. History of immigration laws.

Prerestriction; pre 1870s First census in 1790; 4 million total 700,000 slaves 3+ million whites; mostly western Europeans (English, Dutch, German) Naturalization act of 1790; must be free white to become citizen 2. Qualitative restrictions; mid 1870s-early 1920s Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) Long list of inadmissibles.... Literacy test in 1917 Large numbers of "less desirable" immigrants (eastern Europeans) % foreign born peeks during this era (14-15%) 3. Early 1920s-mid 1960s First comprehensive immigration laws Emergency Quota Act (1921) National Origins Act (1924); even more restrictive 2% the total number of people of each nationality in the United States as of the 1890 national census (before eastern Europeans came) Text mentions S.S. St. Louis sent back to Europe with Jewish passengers Barred immigration if ineligible to naturalize (i.e., Asians) Shortage of workers... Bracero Program (1942) 4. mid-1960-present Abandon race and ethnicity based quotas; Two-tiered system 1. "unlimited" tier for immediate relatives of U.S. Citizens 2. limited visas for everyone else

political leaders and the dimensions

President of the United States: Plenty of one-dimensional power Two-dimensional? Agenda setting? Excluded minority view? Limited in a democracy like ours Three-dimensional... power to get us to think like he does, even if it not in our interest? : Limited... Liberals argue tax proposal will help higher income people the most; Putin.... Or Kim Jong-un

Power and the social construction of race

Racial categories are not fixed. Influenced by.. Power, interest groups, public opinion. Example: Census Categories In US, 'One Drop' - so mixed = black Increase number of slaves In Australia, mixed is white to eliminate Aborigines In Brazil, many labels for black Create distinctions, limits solidarity Protect white minority Term "Hispanic" used 1970 Census

Relative poverty... and also what is Hypothetical poverty?

Relative: Less than half of the median income of that country Hypothetical: The poverty rate that is possible if the government programs don't help Relative poverty with families is defined as having less than half the income of the median family of the same size. (same sized family at the 50th percentile of all families)- bc life is different everywhere Hypothetical poverty is what the poverty rate would be if there were no government policy to try to correct it. Using comparable data about family income across countries, the researchers are able to estimate what the (hypothetical) poverty rate in each country would be if there was no government policy to try and correct it.

Michael Norton research; How much wealth each quintile should own vs. how much Americans think they do own vs. the actual differences o Republican vs Democrat differences?

Richest 20% control 85% of wealth Bottom 40% have no wealth (assets = debt) Michael Norton, Harvard Business school Even Republicans and Democrats aren't very different (what each should own). There is no statistically significant difference in opinion based on income or gender.

just mercy ch. 2 stand

Ruffin was denied his asthma medication. Drove a 1975 Honda Civic with peanut m&ms in glove box... "black men were eight times more likely to be killed by police than whites" "By the end of the twentieth century the rate of police shootings would improve so that men of color were "only" four times more likely to be killed by law enforcement" and seven time more likely to be wrongfully convicted of violent crimes

Why does intergroup contact tend to produce intergroup conflict? Competition/Economic Threat's relevance to the question of why contact often equals conflict?

Scarcity = competition = conflict/dislike Will work for less Often here temporarily

Factors that impact assimilation

Short term vs. long term Young vs. Old Immigrant vs. children of immigrants Family unification... speeds up assimilation

Social Construction of Race

Sociologists say that race and ethnicity are socially constructed. Racial categories are "real"... they do matter but we humans are the ones that create these categories

Do Americans believe in policies benefiting the powerful?

Some would argue that the failure to tax the rich and large corporations more extensively means doing less to to lift children and families above the poverty line, having schools and universities that are not as good as they might be, having fewer police officers and firefighters, and not repairing or maintaining streets and bridges and public parks as much as we might. The richest Americans need not worry about these things because they can send their children to top private schools and afford to live in gated communities that provide a high level of security far from the sources of pollution and crime. but have regular americans come to embrace policies that allow public policy to favor the richest americans? these are tensions raised by the third dimension of power. 99.9%? no. Even the wealthiest of the wealthy have banded together saying that it's unfair to the masses at how little they pay in taxes. Yet, i am sure that there are some people in america that would like to keep the gap the way it is. but we feed into the third dimension.

Perrin gripe with Chap 6?

States DO TEND to promote interests of powerful but..... In democracies people do have a say CHECKS on power (3 branches in US) And simply not true that those in power will always act in self interest GRIPE: Yes, policy will tend to favor the powerful So, how do we explain Welfare state? Roosevelt New Deal (1930s, Soc Sec, unemployment, etc.) Medicare and Medicaid in 1960s Manza quote: These examples suggest that it is hardly the case that the powerful always win (p. 153) But powerful can, and sometimes do, act in interests of common good And the rich who oppose are not necessarily acting in financial self interest

What drives U.S. immigration policy?

Steinbeck, Grapes of Wrath They are criminals, they are dirty, they will take our jobs,.... Our immigration laws our written to protect our interests Policies increasingly favor highly skilled Brain Drain? Refugee status Fleeing communism Fleeing war Fleeing relig persecution Fleeing poverty? Christian response Not this time, Jose!

How do the authors of this chapter suggest than inequality can, and should, be reduced?

THE ONLY WAY INEQUALITY CAN BE REDUCED IS through increased taxes and more social spending by the federal government. But when politicians and political activists propose to do something that would reduce inequality or provide more social benefits for the poor, defenders of privilege have been able to mobilize a powerful, principled opposition among a majority of Americans.

Why is it better to be rich in the US than most other countries?

THE SHORT ANSWER IS BECAUSE OF IMPORTANT POLICY CHANGES THAT HAVE ALTERED THE WAY INCOME AND WEALTH ARE DISTRIBUTED AND CONSUMED. THE POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS OF THE UPPER CLASS HAVE SUCCESSFULLY CONVINCED CONGRESS AND VARIOUS PRESIDENTS TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR THEM TO RETAIN MOST OF THEIR INCOME AND WEALTH AND TOPASS ON NEARLY ALL OF IT TO THEIR CHILDREN OR FAVORITE CHARITY. THE MOST OBVIOUS WAY IS THROUGH THE TAX SYSTEM- THAT IS, HOW MUCH TAXES CITIZENS IN DIFFERENT INCOME BRACKETS ARE REQUIRED TO PAY Compared with some of the countries that are most like the united states, the share of total income received by the top one percent is far lower, and in some of these countries it has not grown significantly in recent years. The United States has an extraordinarily high concentration of income and wealth at the very top, with the top 1 percent of households receiving nearly 24 percent of all income in 2007, the top 10 percent receiving nearly half of all income, while the remaining 90 percent of all families received only about 50 percent of all income. policies of the American government do the least of any of the rich countries most similar to us, to reduce poverty and help families live in a minimally acceptable way.

Social Stratification

THE SYSTEMATIC STUDY OF INEQUALITY studies inequalities among individuals and groups

State is coercive and corrupt, so should we just go without it?

The Problem: Many things vital to humans as self-interested individuals conflict with things vital to humans as social beings (i.e. members of society). Individual Gain vs. Collective Good

What is an estate tax? Why do American oppose it?

The estate tax is a tax that is paid when someone dies and leaves money to someone other than their spouse. By the 1990s, the estate tax had been eliminated on all but the very largest estates. By 2003, only the top 2 percent of households in terms of wealth were paying any inheritance tax at all. Even though only the very richest families were paying the estate tax, a campaign to repeal it culminated in 20003 with the elimination of last remaining inheritance taxes. A study of this campaign asked the question: "why would the public broadly support the repealing of a tax paid by only 2 percent of America's wealthiest tax payers?" Yet, polling data consistently showed that a significant majority of Americans favored the elimination of all estate taxes, no matter how the question was phrased. Even more remarkably, a 1935 poll conducted by Fortune magazine found that even in the middle of the Great Depression, majorities of Americans favored setting no limits on how much someone could inherit. Reasons for phenomenon: 1) Americans may simply be unrealistically optimistic about their chances of someday being wealthy. 2) simple ignorance of the facts of the estate tax America is now the only rich, democratic country in the world that imposes no inheritance taxes at all.

Why did inequality increase?

The industrial revolution allowed for rapid and sustained economic growth; societies as a whole got richer and within them vastly greater inequalities also would emerge. because of technological advancements and deindustrialization which encompasses globalization and outsourcing

How does slavery perpetuate inequality?

The system of slavery allows for the creation of wealth for slave owners that the slaves do not share in.

Do we need a state? Government? Tragedy of the Commons

The tragedy of the commons is a term used in environmental science to describe a situation in a shared-resource system where individual users acting independently according to their own self-interest behave contrary to the common good of all users by depleting or spoiling that resource through their collective action. Medieval England people free access to "the commons" Acting in self interest, should add as many cows as you can I add a cow I reap the benefits, but we share the cost Population growth + individual self interest = destruction of the commons = economic ruin Solution: Well.... Is there any other way????. We need a.... Government????? Lord of commons withdraws free access it is in his interest (and interest of the people) to protect the resource To protect common or collective good, people often must surrender control over their lives to leaders and governments? humans must be protected from themselves? The point: To protect common good, people often must surrender control over their lives to leaders of governments - people must be protected from themselves. so then what is the problem? Well???? Government often is! Look around the world... not many benevolent dictators More times than not, leaders use their power to repress, exploit, and enslave people. Powerful people tend to act in self interest, not in the common interest

Wealth vs. Income

There are two ways to measure income inequality: 1) income: money you earn 2) wealth: net value of assets minus debt; real estate; financial assets

Steinbeck, Grapes of Wrath

They are criminals, they are dirty, they will take our jobs,....

Relationship between inequality and Social Mobility

Three factors: families, labor markets and government policies, are highly correlated with the level of inequality in conditions children face when they are growing up. varies across countries; in italy, france and US, there is relatively high intergenerational correlation; in norway, denmark and finland, there are much weaker correlations.

census data (table 9.1).

Top 5% - Above $181,314 Fifth Quintile - Above $99,891 Fourth Quintile - $62,151-99,891 Third Quintile - $39,212-62,150 Second Quintile - $20,700-39,211 Lowest Quintile - $0-20,699

progressive income tax system

US operates with this the rich are expected to pay a greater share of their income than are the middle class but the tax rate on high earners in the US is only 35% currently which is much lower than in other wealthy countries; at the end of WWII, high earners paid 90% of the taxes

saints and the roughnecks

WHO ARE THE SAINTS? WHO ARE THE ROUGHNECKS? HOW WAS THEIR BEHAVIOR DIFFERENT? HOW WERE REACTIONS TO THEIR BEHAVIOR DIFFERENT? WHY WERE THE REACTIONS DIFFERENT? WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF THESE REACTIONS?

Bracero Program

WWII largely ended unemployment in the US and created millions of new jobs. there were labor shortages. to meet demands, US and Mexico entered into a series of agreements, starting in 1942 Mexican workers came to the United States caused debate between people who wanted open-door policy and closed

US attitudes on helping the poor

We tend to be less supportive than other democratic countries like us

zucman, wealth inequality

Wealth inequality peaks out in about 1930 Franklin D. Rosevelt "New Deal" mid 1930s Social Security, Unemployment benefits Redistribution ... higher marginal rates Scandinavian countries good wealth data U.S. most wealth inequality among rich democracies (Table 2, not shown here) Zucman arguing that in 1920s a time of great inequality... even more than now Fisher, Pres of AEA, argues for increase in marginal rates Zucman arguing inequality today is similar... and we should raise marginal rates Many U.S. observers now view Europe as excessively egalitarian, and many European observers view the U.S. as excessively unequal. There has in this sense been a great reversal not just in objective levels of wealth inequality but also in attitudes about the appropriate "target levels" of wealth inequality (Zucman, 2016, p. 34).

difference between race and ethnicity

Weber ethnicity is based on people's cultural practices, and race on their biological traits most sociologists nowadays reject his view on race

How does agenda setting meet the needs of the power elite?

When power is exercised through agenda control, the grievances of excluded or marginalized groups can be denied a hearing. There a variety of different ways agenda control can be achieved, the most common being the literal manipulation of agendas through the control of procedures, thereby affecting what gets discussed and decided. Subordinate individuals or groups may desire some ind of change but believe achieving that change is not possible, so they choose to not even try. Among the most important examples of this is the relative lack of attention to issues surrounding the persistence of poverty, racism and rising inequality versus the enormous attention given to businesses.

What do we mean, the "feminization of poverty"

a change in the levels of poverty biased against women or female headed households. More specifically, it is an increase in the difference in the levels of poverty among women and men or among female versus male and couple 1 headed households. women are more susceptible to poverty and lack essential life needs as comparison to men

one drop rule

a custom that became enshrined in many state laws around the turn of the nineteenth century. According to this longstanding method of identifying a person's race, someone with one black grandparent and three white grandparents is a black person because of their "drop of black blood."

"Big government" vs. "small government."

a government or public sector that is excessively large and unconstitutionally involved in certain areas of public policy or the private sector. Sometimes Republicans might favor big gov, sometimes small E.g., oppose social welfare programs, support drug laws Sometimes Democrats might favor big gov, sometimes small E.g,. Oppose drug laws, support social welfare programs Libertarians always favor small government Anarchist would favor no government

assimilation

a process by which immigrants come to be incorporated into their new society by taking on the cultural tastes and practices of the new society

feudalism

a social order in which those who own land are entitled to receive the products of the laborers (or serfs) who are legally obligated to work for the landowner.

social construct

a social phenomenon that was invented by human beings and is shared by social forces present in the time and place of creation.

Caste system

a society in which advantages or disadvantages of birth determine fully your social position

Meritocracy

a system where rewards and positions are distributed by ability, not social background or personal connections.

social problems

a term used to describe a wide range of issues that are thought to have harmful consequences (such as poverty, crime, drug abuse, homelessness, inequality, racism, sexism and discrimination).

Pluralism

advanced by Robert Dahl; study of new haven city politics Supporters of pluralism argue that as long as competing groups have sufficient power to participate, the final outcome of any policy or political controversy will reflect the preferences of the majority of the citizens. Critics maintain that it provides too narrow a view of the nature of power because it is applicable only where there is obvious, observable conflict. Dahl's study also does not take into account the more subtle ways that power operates.

the state

all the formal political institutions of any society. In the US these include the three branches of government as well as the bureaucracies that support the work of each branch

individual discrimination

an intentional action carried out by an individual or small group that is meant to harm members of a certain group

legal temporary residents

are in the US under a variety of legal, temporary statues

legal permanent residents

authorized to live and work in the country permanently but are not citizens

asylum status

available for persons who meet the definition of refugee but are already in the united states or at a port of entry.

2 Inequality Readings (Zucman; Fisher and Smeeding) Main points of each article?

basically, the rich gets richer while the poor gets poorer U.S. is excessively unequal while Europe is excessively egalitarian wealth inequality the top 0.1 percent has increasing wealth(U.S.) the middle class experiences a decline in their wealth share(U.S.) there is significantly less wealth inequality in Europe than in the U.S. no other country analyzed has top wealth shares as high as the U.S. wealth is much more equally distributed in Scandinavian countries 1920s: a time of great inequality inequality peaks at 1930 fisher calls for steep tax progressivity rise of tax progressivity during 1st half of 20th century highest marginal tax rate when WWII ends Income inequality; fisher and speeding nowhere is the U.S. more exceptional than in its level of economic inequality. disposable income v.s. market income income after taxes v.s. before taxes U.S. has the highest level of disposable-income inequality which means relatively little redistribution U.S. has the largest gap between households at 90th percentile and the 10th percentile the rich are better off rising income inequality is not inevitable, policy and markets can both make a difference "the well-educated have increasing earnings because of technology and stuff while the wages of workers with low skills have not kept up, contributing to income inequality" "the rich provides a private safety net" for their children" reduces social mobility we see a change in reduced marginal tax rates for high earners we have a pay gap problem

two-dimensional view of power

becomes visible once we consider the ways in which those with power prevent or deflect challenges to their authority from arising in the first place (A) prevents subordinate group or individual (B) from raising issues that would challenge A's power. Power in this second dimension consists of the ability of some actors to prevent others from ever getting alternative ideas proposed or considered in the first place. It is the power to decide what gets decided and consists of agenda setting Subordinate individuals or groups may desire some ind of change but believe achieving that change is not possible, so they choose to not even try. Because they do not even attempt to bring about change, the powerful group is not threatened the power to control the agenda of issues that are to be discussed and decided; when power-holder (A) prevents a subordinate group or individual (B) from raising issues that would challenge A's power A constructs or benefits from barriers that prevent B from challenging A's position, B is not taken seriously or is so frustrated by lack of power that they give up small children might prefer that more of the family budget be spent on candy than vegetables, but parents do not let kids have much say over things like that when media gives a large amount of attention to a particular issue, it becomes much more likely that it will receive attention by politicians and policymakers... and the rich control the media

Critique offered in Chap 6 of tax codes, and how changes in the last several years have benefitted wealth Americans

changes the tax code in the united states in recent decades have benefitted the super-rich and typically enable them to pay much less than the official tax rate would suggest high-earners do not pay as high of a rate as they did in the past. after WWII, they paid 90% of the taxes; in the 1960's the rate was reduced to 70%; during Reagan's presidency in the 1980's there were two dramatic tax cuts and it fell below 30%, and was bumped up slightly by Clinton. Now it is at 35% the rich typically not only have high earnings but also receive considerable income from their investments. Much of this investment income is treated differently than other kinds of income and may be taxed at a rate as low as fifteen percent. The wealthy can also shelter other earnings from taxation through loopholes, which are useless for the vast majority of Americans but beneficial for the very rich; for example, the very wealthiest of Americans can make use off off-shore tax shelters, by creating investment schemes in little countries like the Cayman Islands that have no income tax as a way of avoiding or radically reducing taxes they would otherwise pay to the American government. Wealthy individuals can also afford to employ lawyers and tax accountants skilled in the manipulation of these rules to seek every possible vehicle to reduce their tax rate. Private companies are also paying less taxes

receiving countries

countries to which migrants go United States top receiving

sending countries

countries to which migrates originate Mexico top sending

bureaucracies

define policies and procedures and issue and administer regulations

What is replaceability? Relevance to the discussion?

depending on what role you play, and what you contribute to the society, you are stratified in terms of how needed you are.

What do we mean: "Functionalism can explain why doctors make more than janitors, Conflict theory explains why the gap is as large as it is."

doctors are harder to replace (functionalism) E.g., Medical Doctors Functionalists replaceability, functional importance Conflict theorists American Medical Association as an interest group Power and autonomy of doctors... can protect profits Naïve of us to assume doctors never act in self interest? Naïve to assume they are always altruistic?

Essentialist view of race vs. race as a social construction

essentialist: presumes that an individual's racial identity depends on fundamental and innate characteristics that are deep-seated, inherited and unchangeable race as social construction: racial categories are social creations, not biological facts

Protestants and Catholics illustrate this

ethnocentrism, competition and inequality prejudice eventually subsided, when * catholics gained economic parity * competed less directly for jobs * assimilation * dominant group became more tolerant cultural accommodation

Naturalization act of 1790... and inherent racism in our naturalization restrictions more generally

first immigration era: a time when immigration was largely unrestricted The Naturalization Act then limited naturalization to "free white persons," a class excluding non-whites, indentured servants and married women. back during this time, a majority of states allowed immigrants to vote in federal, state and local elections without requiring them to become citizens

ethnic enclaves

geographic areas that attract large numbers of persons of any single kind

refugee status

granted to people who have been persecuted or fear that they will be persecuted on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinions or membership in a particular social group

Research of Kenneth and Mammie Clark in the Brown vs. Board of Ed Supreme Court ruling

identify effects of segregation research on dolls: perceiving the white dolls to be more attractive and superior

Research of Kenneth and Mammie Clark in the Brown vs. Board of Ed Supreme Court ruling

identify effects of segregation research on dolls: perceiving the white dolls to be more attractive and superior Black and white doll were displayed on a table, and 15 of 21 children preferred to choose the white doll than the black doll. "Which doll is nice" = white "Which doll is pretty" = white "Which doll is bad" = black Segregation has destroyed the minds of the black youth into believing blacks are inferior and whites are superior

unauthorized migrants

in the country without a visa

push factors

in the home country factors that induce people to leave

pull factors

in the receiving country are factors that attract people to go there

racism

includes prejudice and discrimination

General patterns for race and ethnicity in terms of o income and wealth o employment o education o residential segregation o criminal justice system

income and wealth top to bottom: asians - white - hispanics - blacks employment asians have the lowest unemployment rate, then whites, then hispanics, lastly blacks Minorities are mostly concentrated in the government sectors because that is where most anti discrimination laws were easily passed. education asians - whites - blacks - hispanics residential segregation blacks are most residentially segregated criminal justice system African American men account for 40 percent of the prison population while making up only 12% of the general population. This population is highly concentrated among young African American men without a college degree, also called the "mass imprisonment generation"

One-dimensional view of power

involves situations where we can see power at work when one party prevails in a conflict "A and B take opposing sides, if A wins the vote, we can say A exercised power over B" between lovers or within families; between organizations; between countries; a bully in a schoolyard, a mugger in the street, landlord versus tenant, etc. the power elite holds the power in this dimension the power of an individual or group to get another individual or group to do something it wants, which may sometimes involve force A (power-holder) has superior resources and wins open conflicts over B (subordinate group or individual) who has fewer resources to win open conflicts bully in the schoolyard, mugger in the street, landlord vs. tenant, employers vs. unions, etc. sometimes force is involved

What is the 3rd dimension... and why don't we notice it more?

its sneaky because it gets everyone on board with something before a conflict can even arise crucial point: conflict is not necessary to power reveals the ways in which those with power convince those without power that the current arrangement is good enough. 1) Can result from the anticipation by others of what they believe the powerful will do if they were not to comply with their interests. 2) Sometimes people defer to, or are even attracted towards those with power (i.e. when interacting with your boss or a celebrity) 3) When we question the view that "whenever conflict is absent, people are content" Goes unnoticed because just because the presence of conflict enables one to prove the existence of power, it does not follow that conflict is necessary to power. USE OF POWER IS to prevent such conflict from arising in the first place by persuading B that whatever A wants is in B's best interest; power holders attempt to do this by shaping the perceptions and beliefs of the powerless. The powerful encourage subordinates to accept their role in the existing order of things, because they cannot imagine any other alternative THE THIRD DIMENSION OF POWER REVEALS ITSELF WHEN THE POWERLESS EMBRACE THE INTERESTS OF THE POWERFUL AS THEIR OWN.

social structures

laws, policies and customs across the social life

intermarriage

marriage between immigrants and natives and marriages across ethnic or racial lines

What is required to be eligible for naturalization?

naturalization is the process by which a person who is 18 years of age or older acquires citizenship. Eligibility for naturalization requires a period of time as an LPR, physical presence in the United States, knowledge of English, knowledge of the history and government of the US, "good moral character," and attachment to the US constitution.

migrant remittance

obtaining financial resources to support the family in the origin country

Institutional discrimination

occurs when the actions or policies of organizations or social institutions exclude, disadvantage or harm members of particular groups ex) Jim Crow

regulate

one of the most important things that states do is regulate the economy in ways that try to provide level playing field for all participants; through regulation the state tries to prevent economic actors from harming innocent third parties. -laws and policies that prevent large corporations from taking advantage of their size to cut special deals with suppliers or using their size to drive competitors out of the market -laws preventing stock market traders from using insider knowledge to unfairly profit -laws and regulations that prevent firms from making false advertising claims about their products -laws and regulations that require companies to meet minimal standards in terms of safety for workers and consumers -laws and regulations that make companies or individuals compensate innocent third parties when their actions cause harm (pollution from factory affecting nearby residents)

political action committees (PACs)

organized by a wide range of individual businesses and business associations, unions, professional associations and ideological groups such as the NRA.

Crack vs. Powder cocaine

ower class uses crack cocaine, upper class uses powder cocaine whites are associated with powder while blacks are associated with crack tougher penalties for crack translate to higher incarceration rates for blacks African American men account for 40 percent of the prison population while making up only 12% of the general population. This population is highly concentrated among young African American men without a college degree, also called the "mass imprisonment generation"

green card

paper evidence of LPR status

public policy

policies adopted or implemented by the government

What is the "culture of poverty?" Why controversial?

poor are poor because they fall victim to a poverty-perpetuating value system sharky's research: kids in violent neighborhood are negatively impacted and therefore have lower grades changing worldview, aspirations and the character of children who grow up in it both culture theory (cultural and structural)

Poverty line and Relative poverty

poverty line: the minimum income necessary to afford basic necessities; it varies by family size; for example in 2010, the poverty line for a family of four was $22,314, so families of four with incomes lower than that were considered poor relative poverty: families with incomes below 50 percent of the median income in a country; half above half below

What is the focus of the one-dimensional view of power?

power which is fought over and distributed through visible, open conflict focused only on outcomes. it ignores the question of why some important issues never come up for discussion or debate in decision-making arenas.

prejudice vs. discrimination

prejudices are negative beliefs or attitudes held about entire groups; they are broadly applied and based off subjective and often inaccurate information discrimination: differs from prejudice in that it involves actions rather than beliefs. It includes any behavior that harms individuals or puts them at a disadvantage on the basis of their group membership

essentialism

presumes that an individual's racial identity depends on fundamental and innate characteristics that are deep-seated, inherited and unchangeable.

Immigration Act of 1992 (family based and employment based visas)

provides separate ceilings and preference categories for family-based and employment-based visas.

Which countries receive and send the most migrants?

receive: united states, Saudi arabia, canada, spain, australia, united arab emirates send: mexico china, bangladesh, phillipines, turkey, egypt

income

refers to the receipt of money or goods over a particular accounting period (such as hourly, weekly, monthly or yearly). sources: earned income from a regular job, income received from investments or ownership of income-generating properties or businesses, income transfers from the government, income from family or friends, income from illegal activity

Absolute vs. Relative poverty

relative poverty: earning 50% less than the median income absolute: one that attempts to define the minimum amount of income necessary to meet basic needs, but one that does not adjust for changes in living standards.

Do we need a state? Government? Messick and Wilke research

researched 6 college students at computer terminals 6 college students at computer terminals "Harvesting" game - players remove points, researcher replenishes pool at varying rate Players told they have two goals 1. Get as many points as possible 2. Protect the resources as long as possible Do you take points out of the pool hoping to win, but depleting the resource? Conclusions not surprising.... But what do they tell us about ourselves?: Over time, all players maximized individual gains - tried to win Players who were told.... 1. They were behind increased their harvest voted for a leader 2. Resources dwindling voted for a leader

Who are the Saints and Roughnecks? Was their behavior all that different?

saints are these kids who have good grades and have money roughnecks are those kids who are in lower class they are both engaged in illegal activities but the public only noticed roughnecks instead of the saints the roughnecks are poor, nonmobile, outspoken, undiplomatic "tough" kids who attract public attentions, whether their actions are seriously delinquent or not the saints, on the other hand, have established reputation for being bright, disciplined and involved in respectable activities, who are mobile and monied, will be invisible when they deviate from sanctioned activities

Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)

second immigration era: no numerical limitations on immigration, only a growing set of exclusion criteria based on personal characteristics or behavior. Chinese Exclusion Act suspended the immigration of Chinese laborers. financial tests began to declare people inadmissible: persons with contagious diseases, further classes of convicts, polygamists, etc. New focus on personal characteristics; data on "race or people" began to get collected. literacy test on adult immigrants, 1917 anti-immigrants tension grew immigrants competed with citizens for economic opportunities

representative sample

small group of people selected at random

Explain what is meant by deindustrialization and discuss how it contributes to social inequality

steady decline in industrial or manufacturing jobs this process of industrialization meant substituting bad jobs for good ones- jobs that pay less and offer fewer benefits such as healthcare and pensions. There is not less manufacturing that is going on in the world, it is just happening elsewhere- in places where workers will accept lower wages and companies can make larger profits. at the center of this important change is globalization from the 1970s onwards, the united states has experienced major technological advancements, and has ultimately replaced some jobs and these jobs also typically require higher levels of education, while replacing jobs with middle and lower levels of education

proportional representation (PR)

the US two-party system makes it virtually impossible for third-party candidates to gain traction. allow minority parties to gain representation based on the share of the votes they win. In PR systems, voters select a party, not a candidate, and the proportion of votes received by each party translates to seats in the national legislature. In the US, by contrast, only the candidate winning the most votes in the a congressional district or state wins a seat in the House or Senate.

democracy

the ability of ordinary people to exert direct control over their leaders; a political system in which all citizens have equal rights to participate in political life

immigration

the act of arriving and settling in a new place after emigrating from another place

agenda setting

the act of consciously or unconsciously averting the challenge of potential issues- issues that threaten the interests of the dominant or powerful.

emigration

the act of leaving a place

visa

the authorizing entry document

How do the authors of this chapter suggest than inequality can, and should, be reduced?

the authors outright state that the government is the one institution fully capable of having an impact on poverty, they suggest we follow the model of other countries: tax the rich more, close loopholes for paying taxes By expanding the role of the state in society and being hostile toward a big government. Increased taxes and more social spending by the federal government

power

the capacity to bring about some outcome; either to effect changes or to prevent them from occurring

What is the significance of brain drain and why is it important to stem it?

the departure of well-educated and skilled citizens to other countries where they can use their skills more productively and make more money. many initiatives to stop people from leaving; improving economic growth in the hope that more job opportunity will improve retention rates focus on diaspora (people settled far from their homeland) hoping to entice them to return to original country

migrant energy

the desire to move

spatial concentration

the geographic distribution of a population

Median income

the midpoint of all families/household incomes, where half are above and half are below.

Wealth

the net value of the assets owned by individuals or family most commonly owned wealth asset is real estate

Social Mobility

the pattern of intergenerational inheritance in a society measure of the extent to which parents and their children have similar or different social and economic positions in adulthood

principal

the person who qualifies for a particular visa two types: numerically unlimited -granted to spouses, minor children and parents of US adults numerically limited -family immigrants (comprised of adult children and siblings of US citizens and the spouses and unmarried children of LPRs and arranged into four family preference categories): employment immigrants, and diversity immigrants.

status

the prestige accorded to individuals and to important social or economic roles

migration

the process by which individuals move from one place to another

emigration and immigration policies

the set of rules and regulations established by each country with regards to the movement of people across borders

public opinion

the term used to characterize the results of opinion surveys

The 1%

the top 1 percent of all earners received 23.5 percent of the income, the bottom 90% a little over twice as much; based on 2007 incomes. virtually all the economic gains of the past three decades have gone to the top 1 percent of the population.

Pretend society on Mars

there are three people living in Mars. A can produce food B can produce food and water C can produce food, water, and air. Since producing air requires finest skills, we should pay C more than the other two people because of her/his replaceability.

Contradictory beliefs of Americans; Conservative Egalitarians

think rich should be taxed more and want money to be more evenly distributed but won't support policy that facilitates this

Immigration Act of 1965

ushered in the fourth immigration era with its numerical restrictions on both eastern and western hemispheres, which continues into the present eliminated the national origins quota and established a two-tiered immigration system- a numerically unlimited tier for the immediate residents of US citizens and a numerically limited tier of visas for everyone else.

welfare state

various kinds of spending programs, including social security, health insurance, unemployment insurance, welfare for poor families, etc.

Egalitarian (and countries that are more, or less, egalitarian)

where disparities between the rich and poor are small the most egalitarian counties in the world are Scandinavian- sweden, norway, finland and denmark government in these countries plays a big role in ensuring a minimum standard of living for citizens

What does the U.S. Census Bureau predict that the demographic changes in the twenty-first century will be?

white population will continuously to go down to about 46% by 2050, making U.S. a "majority-minority"nation for the first time in history hispanics at 30% blacks at 12% asians at 8% despite changing demographic trends, patterns of socioeconomic inequality remain a persistent feature of race relations in the U.S. (wealth gap between whites and blacks & hispanics are huge)