Sociology Chapter 12 Sections 3 and 4

Interest Group

An organization that attempts to leverage political power in order to influence the political decision-making process. They represent a variety of interests including patients, business, labor, medical practitioners, environmentalists, and senior citizens. Most groups employ lobbyists.

Political Party

An organization that seeks to gain power through legitimate means. They adopt specific points of view on issues of interest to voters, and they formulate programs for legislative action based on these points of view.

Constitutional Monarchy

True political power rests primarily with the elected officials. Considered democratic because ultimate power rests with the elected officials. Officials are often nothing more than a symbolic head of state. (U.K.)

Power

Ability to control the behavior of others with or without their consent.

Funtionalists

Analyze the political institution in terms of the functions of the state. These include creation and enforcement of laws, settling of conflicts, establishment of economic and social policies, and maintenance of relations with other countries.

Junta

Authoritarian system in which a small group has seized power from the previous government by force. Common in Africa and Latin America where there are unstable governments.

Dictatorship

Authoritarian system in which power is held in the hands of a single individual. Many Latin American countries have once been ruled by dictators.

Absolute Monarchy

Authoritarian system in which the hereditary ruler holds absolute power. Absolute monarchs rule several states in the Persian Gulf.

Charismatic Authority

Based on personal characteristics of the individual exercising the power. People believe he or she possesses special qualities that merit devotion and obedience. Often emerge during periods of unrest (Adolf Hitler, Martin Luther King Jr., dictators, supreme leaders). Authority depends on people's belief in leader. Leader may lose followers.

Right to Govern (Max Weber)

Based on three types of authority: 1. Traditional 2. Rational-Legal 3. Charismatic

Proportional Representation

Ensures that minority parties receive a voice in the vote.

Power-Elite Model

First presented by sociologist C. Wright Mills. States that political power is exercised by and for the privileged few in society.

Conflict Theorists

Focus on how the political institution brings about social change.

Rational-Legal Authority

Formal rules and regulations that describe the rights and obligations of those in power. Normally part of a written constitution or set of laws. Authority belongs in the office, not the person (presidents, prime ministers).

Totalitatianism

Most extreme form of an authoritarian system. Those in power exercise complete authority over the lives of individual citizens. Public opposition to government policies is rarely allowed, and most personal freedoms are greatly restricted. (Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Khmer Rouge)

Lobbyists

People paid to meet directly with government officials in order to with their support. Have greater access to elected officials than an average citizen. (Almost 33,000 lobbyists are registered to work in Washington, D.C.)

Coercion

Power exercised through the force of threat and based on fear. Leaders who have seized power through military takeover or revolution often use troops to maintain their hold on power. Not limited to use of threat or physical violence. Can also be placing restrictions on the press or denying citizens the right to hold public meetings. Main method of containing order in an Illegitimate system. Example: The use of armed troops to maintain order. (Stalin)

Democracy

Power is exercised through the people. The central feature of a democracy is the right of the government o participate in the political decision-making process (voting for presidents and representatives). Rare in early history.

Authoritarianism

Power rests firmly with the state. Members of society have little to no say in the political decision-making process. Government leaders cannot be removed through legal means.

Traditional Authority

Power that is based on long-standing customs. People accept the exercise of power because people in the past did. Hereditary (passed from kings, queens, chieftains).

Federal Government

President, members of Congress, and the Supreme Court justices.

Pluralist Model

States that political process in controlled by interest groups that compete with one another for power. Power is distributed unequally in society and has led to problems with poverty, unemployment, and racial inequality.

Political Institution

System of roles and norms that governs the distribution and exercise of power in society.

Democratic Socialism

The combination of a democratic government and a socialist economy. (Sweden, Denmark, U.S, and Norway)

Illegitamacy

When power is exercises against the will or without the approval of the people.

Legitimacy

Whether those in power are viewed as having the right to control or govern others. Referred to as "authority" by Max Weber.