Politics 6.

Increased power and responsibility of

• Refers to activities through which people leaders.
make, preserve, and amend the general 7. Increased burden on the population to
rules under which they live. support political leaders.
• It involves the dynamics of conflict
resolution and cooperation, as well as the Legitimacy
exercise of power. • Originated from the Latin word
“Legitimare”, meaning “to declare lawful”.
Power • It is broadly defined as rightfulness.
• It refers to the ability to do something in • It confers on an order or command an
order to achieve a desired outcome. authoritative or binding character, thus
• A person with power has the capability to transforming power into authority.
control people or make them do something
that they would not do otherwise. Three Types of Authority

Authority Traditional Authority

• It is a legitimate power. • In many societies, authority is based on a
• This means that the person who has system that is believed to have “always
authority has the right to exercise power. existed.”
• The exercise of authority means that the • Some people have this type of authority
person who exercises power is obeyed by because they inherited it or they occupy a
the people because he or she is recognized position that has been passed on them.
as the rightful or legitimate ruler or leader. • The legitimacy is based on long-
established customs and traditions that do
Bands not need to be justified.
• Only family members and leadership was
less complicated and simple. Charismatic authority
• Leadership is not permanent because • Based on the presumed special and
leadership was based on skills. extraordinary characteristics or qualities
possessed by a certain individual.
Tribes & Chiefdom • People with charisma are often very
• Paved the way for more complex forms popular, highly persuasive, and inspire
of organizations where leadership was no loyalty and obedience from other people.
longer based on skills. • They are often seen as “born leaders” and
“heroes”.
The development of political structures and
institutions throughout the centuries: Legal-rational authority
• The most typical type of authority in
1. Increased population density. modern societies.
2. Large surplus of resources and wealth. • Power and authority in a legal-rational
3. Greater social inequality. context are legitimized by a
4. Less reliance on kinship relations as the clearly defined set of written rules and laws.
basis of political structures. • Leaders can rightfully wield authority if
5. Increased internal and external conflict. they obtain their positions according to
established procedures such as elections or State
through appointment. • It is a political unit that has sovereignty
(the legitimate and ultimate authority of the
Types of Political Organizations and state) over an area of territory and the
Leadership Structures people within it.
• It is not equivalent to a single nation and
Political Organizations may in fact be composed of several nations.
• The groups within a culture that are • It is a political unit that encompasses
responsible for public decision- making and several communities, has a bureaucracy,
leadership, maintaining social cohesion and and has leaders that possess legitimate
order, protecting group rights, and ensuring power
safety from external threats.
Bureaucracy
Political dynasties • Rule by officials
• Are believed to have always existed even • According to Max Weber, it is
in advanced democratic states. characterized by “rationality,
• A dynasty refers to a succession from rule-governed behavior, and impersonal
rulers from the same line of descent. behavior.”
• Thus, relatives who stay in power
specifically members of one family who Political Liberation
continuously hold elective political positions • Refers to the emergence of liberal-
are considered members of a political democratic regimes that are characterized
dynasty. by a representative form of democracy
where political office gained through formal,
Political Clientelism (Clientelistic competitive elections in western societies.
Politics) • Principles such as political equality and
• It is defined by Susan Stokes as giving electoral choice had developed.
material goods in return for electoral
support. Political Culture
• Refers to the pattern of orientation to
• The relationship involves two parties: political objects such as parties,
1.Patron (politician) government, and constitution, expressed in
2.Client (voter) beliefs, symbols, and values.

Nation Social Stratification

• Consists of a distinct population of people - refers to the division of large social groups
bound together by a common culture, into smaller groups based on categories
history, and tradition who are typically determined by economics.
concentrated within specific geographical
regions.

• Two aspects of a nation:

1. Cultural community
2. Political community Social Exclusion
- refers to the process by which individuals - marriages between people from the
are cut off from full involvement in the wider same social class.
circles of society.
Meritocracy
Systems of Stratification -determined by personal effort and merit
-how well a person performs his or her
Closed Systems social role.
- impose rigid boundaries between social -remains an ideal and is only implemented
groups and limit interactions among in certain areas such as business and
members who belong to different social industry
groups or occupy different levels in the - strongly influenced by inheritance and the
social hierarchy. pressure to conform.

Open System
-is based on achievement, allowing more Theoretical Perspectives on Social
flexibility in social roles, increased Stratification
mobility, and better interaction among
social groups and classes. Stratification can be examined using
three different theoretical
Caste Systems perspectives namely functionalism,
- are closed stratification systems conflict theory and symbolic
- promote belief in faith, destiny and the will interactionism.
of higher spiritual power rather than the
promotion of individual power Functionalism
- are socialized to accept their social - examines how the different aspects of
standing society contribute to ensuring its stability
- they will permanently remain in it and continued function
throughout their lives. - they believed that each part of society
- therefore, promote social inequality serves an important purpose
- social stratification is based on the intrinsic
Class Systems value of social activities or roles
- a stratification system based on the
ownership of resources and individual's Davis- Moore thesis
occupation or profession -introduced by Kingsley Davis and Wilbert
- composed of people who share the same Moore in 1945
background, income, education and - a social role that has a greater functional
occupation purpose will result in greater reward, and
that stratification represents the inherently
Exogamous Marriages unequal value of different types of work
- marriages between two people who
come from different social classes.

Endogamous Marriages Melvin Tumin

- proposed an alternative perspective on the -refers to buying certain products
significance of employment of social to make a social statement about
stratification status.
-social stratification as being defined by the
lack of opportunities for the less- privileged Social Mobility
sectors of society. - the ability of individuals or groups to
change their positions within a social
Conflict Theory stratification
- a critical view of social stratification - refers to how individuals progress
and considers society as benefiting only from a lower to a higher social class
a small segment -factor that influences mobility is
- believed that stratification perpetuates economic status
inequality, and they draw many of their
ideas from the works of Karl Marx. 2 Main Types of Social Mobility

Karl Marx Upward Mobility

- social stratification is influenced by - refers to an upward movement in
economic forces, and that relationships social class
in society are defined by the factors of
production Downward Mobility
- refers to the lowering of an
Bourgeois individual's social class
- belong to the upper class of society and
gained wealth due to the profits from their Intragenerational Mobility
business. - focuses on the experience of people who
belong to the same generation
Proletariat
-belongs to the lower classes, lacks power Intergenerational Mobility
and influence, and experiences great - refers to the changes in social standing
Hardships. experienced by individuals belonging to
different generations
Symbolic Interactionism
- examines stratification from a microlevel Structural Mobility
perspective and attempts to explain how - large scale changes in society can result in
people's social standing affects their the improvement or decline of the conditions
everyday interactions. and status of a large group of people
-it often leads people to interact with others
within their social class Social Inequality
-system that groups people together - may be expressed differently from society
but is often seen in distinctions in class,
gender, religion, ethnicity and age

Theory of Conspicuous Consumption Social Inequality and Poverty

Karl Marx considered class as an essential Absolute Poverty
characteristic based on the economic - refers to the lack of basic resources
structure
of society. Relative Poverty
- applies to those who may be able to obtain
Max Weber defined stratification through the basic necessities but are still unable to
concept of status which he defined as the maintain an average standard of living
esteem or "social honor" given to certain compared to the rest of society
individuals or groups.
Subjective Poverty
Warner, Meeker and Eels suggested that - a type of poverty that is defined by
class is influenced by cultural factors such how an individual evaluates his or her
as lifestyle and consumption patterns. actual income against his or her
expectations and perceptions
The concept of class is evident in many
industrialized societies, which are generally Gender Inequality
divided in to the upper class, middle class,
and lower or working class. Gender- refers to the culturally imposed
characteristics that define masculinity
Upper Class and femininity.
- usually composed of the rich, well-born, Sex- refers to biological and anatomical
powerful, or a combination of these. differences that distinguish male from
-wielded greatest political power Females

Middle Class Gender Identity

- the most contested of the three categories - how a person identify himself or herself as
- refers to a group of people who fall belonging to a particular gender
socioeconomically between the lower and
upper classes Patriarchy
- refers to the socially sanctioned and
Lower Class systematic domination of males over
-working class females, and this is expressed in various
-employed in low-paying wage jobs aspects of society
-sometimes called blue-collar workers
Socialization also contributes to gender
Underclass Inequality. Functionalists stress the notion
-is also utilized to refer to the segment of that gender differences and the sexual
society that is not only affected by poverty division of labor contribute tosocial stability
but is also subject to social exclusion and integration.
-experiences impediments that hinder them
Liberal Feminists explain gender inequality
in terms of social and cultural attitudes.
Two types of poverty Radical Feminists argue that men are
responsible for the exploitation of -involves holding "stereotypes"
women through patriarchy. - manifests as close mindedness

Black Feminism identifies factors such Discrimination

as class and ethnicity, in addition to - refers to actions or behavior of members
gender, essential for understanding the of a dominant social group that negatively
oppression experienced by non-white impacts other members of society that do
Women not belong to the dominant group.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Other Minorities

(LGBT) -Persons With Disabilities
- they have been more active in seeking -Elderly
equality -Religious Groups
- are seeking legally- mandated protection -Communities living in isolated areas
from discrimination in employment,
education Primary issues
and social benefits. - lack of access to resources and
opportunities
Ethnicity and Race Issues - experience discrimination and violence
- difficult to gain employment
Ethnicity - denied basic services such as
- is the feeling of affinity or loyalty towards infrastructure, electricity and adequate and
a particular population, cultural group, or clean and water supply
territorial area. -difficult to meet their needs without
assistance.
Race -being subjected to stigma or isolation
- refers to a group of people who share a Global Inequality
common ancestry - defined by extreme differences in wealth
-refers physical or genetic differences and poverty

Racism Global Stratification

- refers to a set of attitudes, beliefs, and -refers to the unequal distribution of wealth,
practices used to justify the superior power, and prestige on a global basis,
treatment of one racial or ethnic group and highlighting patterns of social inequality and
the inferior to others as a result of racial resulting in people having vastly different
Differences. lifestyles and opportunities both within and
among the nations of the world.
Displacement and Scapegoating are
psychological mechanisms associated with
prejudice and discrimination.

Prejudice Modernization Theory

- believes that poverty can be eliminated by
overcoming or adjusting cultural values like
negative attitudes regarding work, limiting
gov't intervention in economic affairs, and
encouraging high rates of savings and
investments.
- has been criticized as mainly ethnocentric
as well as implicitly labeling low-income
economies as backward

Dependency Theories
- global poverty is the result of exploitation
of poor countries by wealthy ones, thereby
creating a cycle of dependence
-low-income countries are trapped in a cycle
of structural and economic dependency on
high-income countries

World-Systems Theory
-focuses on the relationship among the
"core," "peripheral," and "semiperipheral"
countries in the global community
-focuses on long-term trends in the global
economy and global commodity chains that
erase national borders

State-Centered Theories
-emphasize the role of governments in
fostering economic development
-draw on the experiences of the newly-
industrialized countries