Power/Stratification
Power and Stratification: The Perpetuation of Social Inequality under Global Capitalism
Stratification is defined as a social strategy of structured inequality where one group rules over another, economically, or politically, or usually both. This can be seen on a national level, in America, where wealth and political influence go hand in hand, and how America's wealth has translated into its continued international influence -- at least, as long as the dollar does not fall too much farther. Of course, class stratification has existed since time began, according to Marx, even before capitalism. But capitalism has defined class in terms of wealth, and solidified the existence of the class system. Worse yet, in a superficially democratic system the illusion of meritocracy is created through the ideology of the rhetoric that 'anyone can succeed so long as he or she tries hard enough.' But the rich continue to get richer, and the poor continue to get poorer, in America, and throughout the world rich nations get richer and poor nations get poorer.
Social power without capital under capitalism does not exist, unlike previous eras where, for example, the medieval church exerted great influence over policy as a class, in greater proportion than the (not inconsiderable) wealth it held. However, today, land, capital, and the ability to make money off of money are the primary means by which influence is leveraged. Having money perpetuates money. This is how rich hold onto their places in the social hierarchy. Money buys education, commodities like the 'right' clothes that signify success, money buys social influence for one's self and one's children, money buys property from which one can make more money, money buys media influence, and quite often the ears of the politically connected. The necessity of technology to do everything from allowing a business run efficiently to applying to college further underlines the ability of the digital divide between rich and poor peoples and nations to perpetuate inequality.
To stimulate economic development and fiscal growth, local, state and federal governments work in tandem with the private sector. Urban planning can therefore be a highly political endeavor. Urban planning involves large-scale land-use projects that involve political decisions. For example, how to zone a metropolitan region is a political issue. Should new schools be built in neighborhoods with higher property taxes because the residents of those neighborhoods can afford them?
The American Society stratification according to the family income incorporates the individual's origin (nativity) and citizenship status in the country, the size of the household and region. The stratification also groups the American population according to age and the size of the household whether individual or comprised of other family members. According to the 2013 census report, 48,810,868 persons live below the poverty in America. Out of the total
stratification and what evidence is there to suggest that contemporary Australia is or is not stratified? Social Stratification refers to the division of society into various hierarchical layers based on their socio-economic conditions. Some groups are given more power and prestige than others, whilst lower groups are dominated by the higher (Homes; Hughes, & Julian, *). Social stratification is founded on four principles: It reflects society rather than individual differences and therefore
It is quite apparent that if the subordinates are not happy with the leader or the decisions that he makes, they will not work to the best of their ability. A practical example of this sort of leadership is of Sir Richard Branson who is the owner of the Virgin Company. It should be noted that till this day, the company has a total of 50,000 employees. Despite having so
Power Stone presents a model of power that identifies nonofficial and invisible types of power that are more important than visible electoral clout. Social capital, cultural capital, and economic capital are within the province of this invisible type of power. Specifically, Stone identifies several types of unofficial and invisible power including potential power, nondecision making, and anticipated reactions. Nondecision making is defined as "the capacity of elite groups to restrict the
Differentiate between race and ethnicity Race refers to the socially constructed physical, genetic characteristics of a person. Ethnicity refers to the group he or she identifies with in a cultural fashion. For example, a person may be Caucasian racially, but identify in terms of his or her ethnicity as an Italian-American -- versus his or her Irish-American friend who is also classified according in same 'racial' category. These identifications are not necessarily
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now