Work and the Political Economy: Chapter 16 Overview

The Economy

Social arrangements that organize the production, distribution, and consumption of goods.

Hunting & Gathering

Lightly exploit food resources for immediate consumption; everyone participated in acquiring food.

Horticulturalism

Domestication of various species of animals and plants, occurring between 10,000 & 12,000 years ago.

Average group size in Horticulturalism

Average group is 40 people, can get to over a thousand.

Simple techniques in Horticulturalism

Techniques include turning the soil, slash and burn.

Pastoralism

People make their living by tending herds of larger animals, usually nomadic.

Social inequality in Pastoralism

Increasing levels of social inequality with levels of status between herds.

Agriculture

Occurred between 6,000 to 10,000 years ago and led to a dramatic increase in population.

Plow technology

Use of animals to pull plows, marking the beginning of a sedentary lifestyle.

Pre-Industrial/Feudal Economy

Artisanal work with life revolving largely around farming and family-centered activities.

Gender-based division of labour in Pre-Industrial/Feudal Economy

Men clear lands through plowing; women engage in weeding, harvesting, and planting.

Industrialization

Use of non-animate sources of energy to produce goods, leading to mass production and the emergence of factories.

Post-Industrialization

Reorganization of society resulting from the growth of information technology and global consumerism.

Primary Sector

Exploiting raw materials from the natural environment (logging, farming, mining, fishing, etc.).

Canadian workforce in Primary Sector

Less than 2% of Canadian workforce are farmers.

Secondary Sector

Transform raw materials into consumer goods (cars, furniture, etc.).

Labour force in Secondary Sector

10% of the labour force is employed in this sector.

Tertiary Sector

Provide services (waiters, salespeople, police officers, etc.).

Jobs in Tertiary Sector

75% of all jobs are in this sector.

Primary Labour Markets

Often requires post-secondary training or education, offering stable and comfortable salaries.

Secondary Labour Markets

Insecure and temporary jobs that offer minimal pay and few opportunities to advance.

McJobs

Jobs in the secondary labour market that devalue, demean, and oppress workers.

Professions

Characterized by a common body of specialized knowledge and regulated performance standards.

Labour Unions

Organizations that engage in collective bargaining and strikes.

Union membership in Canada (2011)

About 30% of Canadian workers belonged to a union.

Decline in union membership (1981-2015)

Membership declined from 38% to 32% between 1981 and 2015.

Unionization among younger workers

There is a sharper decline in union membership among younger workers.

Gender differences in unionization

There are notable differences in unionization rates between genders.

Unionization in the private sector

Lower unionization rates are observed in the private sector.

Purpose of unions

Unions represent workers to improve wages and working conditions.

Collective indispensability

Unions are collectively indispensable to the employer.

Factors affecting union collaboration

The ability of unions to come together depends on labour laws and regulations, workers' attitudes, social and economic context, profits, productivity, competition, and collective bargaining.

Functionalism in work

Work is an integral part of the social structure, and people need to connect to their work.

Occupational groups (Durkheim)

Occupational groups promote the integration of workers.

Conflict Theory

Focuses on the alienation of workers as they no longer own their goods and become estranged from their products.

Alienation of workers (Marx)

Workers become alienated from their product, making their labour devoid of meaning.

Competition and alienation

Heavy competition leads workers to become alienated from fellow workers.

Deskilling workers

Deskilling workers is a trend in industrial production.

Symbolic Interactionism

Describes the social drama of work and how work defines one's sense of self-worth and acceptance.

The Protestant Ethic

Work is defined as the expression of one's commitment to God, referred to as 'The Calling'.

Protestantism and work

Protestantism defines work as the expression of one's devotion to God.

Bifurcated consciousness (Dorothy Smith)

Women live in two worlds of work, leading to two different mindsets.

Women's unpaid work

Domestic work is not seen as productive work.

Need for broader definition of labour

There is a need for a broader definition of labour.

Capitalism

Grounded in private ownership of the means of production, with defining features including private ownership, pursuit of personal gain, and competition.

State/Welfare Capitalism

A political and economic system combining free-market principles with social welfare programs to ensure access to healthcare and education.

Socialism

Raw materials and the means of production are collectively owned.

Defining features of Socialism

Collective ownership, centralized, state-administered planning agency, production and distribution of goods without profit motive.

Political Economy

Interactions of politics, government and governing, and the social and cultural constitution of markets, institutions and actors.

Wallace Clement

Defining feature of Canadian Sociology.

Harold Innes

The staples thesis - Canadian development based on exploitation of raw materials for export.

Power

The ability to achieve one's desires in the face of resistance.

Domination

Situations in which an entire group of people could be directed to comply with commands.

Authority

Describes the situation in which subordinates consider the domination by leaders to be legitimate.

Traditional Authority

Is present when power is legitimated by respecting long-established cultural patterns and traditions.

Rational-Legal Authority

Is present when power is legitimated through laws, rules, and regulations.

Charismatic Authority

Based on the personal magnetism of individuals who compel people to believe in them and grant them their support.

Bureaucracy

A rational organization designed to complete many routine tasks as efficiently as possible.

Max Weber's Defining Characteristics of Bureaucracies

An extensive division of labour, written policies and procedures for workers and customers/clients, ongoing written records, a hierarchy of authority, performance-based hiring and promotion.

Features of Bureaucracy and Bureaucratic Organization

Specialization in functions, codification of norms with written rules and regulations.