Power, Elites, and Social Reproduction in Society

Pluralist theory of power

Argues that power is distributed among many diverse groups in a democratic society, which compete and negotiate to shape policy and achieve societal goals.

C. Wright Mills' theory of the power elite

Contends that a small, cohesive group of elites hold the majority of power in society, particularly those in leadership positions within the military, corporate, and political spheres.

ISU graduates as relative elites

Among the top 4.1% of the most educated individuals in the U.S., making them relative elites in terms of educational attainment and access to cultural, social, and economic resources.

Economic Capital

Wealth, money, and material possessions. Example: A high-paying job or inherited wealth.

Human Capital

Education, skills, and knowledge. Example: A college degree or technical certification.

Social Capital

Resources gained from social networks. Example: Job referrals through friends or alumni networks.

Cultural Capital

Includes objectified, institutionalized, and embodied forms, such as owning fine art or designer clothing, ties to prestigious institutions, and skills or manners.

Objectified Cultural Capital

Symbolic significance of material goods. Example: Owning fine art or designer clothing.

Institutionalized Cultural Capital

Ties to prestigious institutions. Example: A degree from an Ivy League school.

Embodied Cultural Capital

Skills, manners, and physical appearance. Example: Being well-spoken or knowing how to act in elite settings.

Hegemonic ideologies

Dominant cultural narratives that appear natural and legitimate, shaping beliefs and behaviors to maintain existing social structures.

Gender ideology

Expectation that women should prioritize motherhood (intensive motherhood).

Meritocratic ideology

Belief that success is based solely on individual merit.

Ideology of individualism

Belief that people are solely responsible for their own outcomes.

Opportunity hoarding

Affluent groups use exclusionary zoning, elite schooling, and laws to prevent others from accessing resources.

Exploitation and domination

Poor people are overcharged and underpaid, making poverty profitable for others.

Evidence of effectiveness of government programs

Temporary reductions in poverty during periods of increased aid (e.g., COVID stimulus).

Long-term poverty persistence

Government aid has increased without reducing exploitation.

Solutions to poverty

Stop hoarding (reform zoning, integrate schools), reduce exploitation (raise wages, improve housing access), and redirect subsidies to those who need them most.

Frances Fox Piven's concept of interdependent power

Describes how interconnected groups can leverage their collective influence to create social change.

Interdependent power

The influence that ordinary people have because institutions and elites rely on their cooperation.

Collective action failure

Occurs when individuals fail to coordinate on mutually beneficial actions.

Game theory explanation of collective action failure

People act in their short-term self-interest, leading to suboptimal group outcomes (e.g., Prisoner's Dilemma).

Undersocialized explanation

Game theory ignores culture, norms, and social structures that influence decisions.

Strategies to overcome collective action failures

Use intellect and strategy, frame issues as social problems, embrace deviance and discomfort, act collectively and find elite allies.

Social Activism

Mobilizing people to influence elites.

Nudging

Changing institutional incentives and structures.

Factors contributing to successful social movements

Strategic leadership, framing issues socially, building broad coalitions, disrupting systems through interdependent power.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Used collective withdrawal and coordinated leadership.

Global climate activism

Frames climate change as a systemic problem; mobilizes youth and international allies.

Human-induced warming

Reached ~1°C in 2017; likely to hit 1.5°C by 2030-2040.

Principal cause of climate change

Greenhouse gas emissions from industrial activity.

Sociological cause of climate change

Capitalist systems that prioritize profit and externalize environmental costs.

Negative externality

Harms third parties (e.g., pollution).

Positive externality

Benefits third parties (e.g., education).

Market behavior with externalities

Markets overproduce goods with negative externalities and underproduce those with positive ones.

Climate change and fossil fuel use

Driven by underpriced fossil fuel use (negative externality).

Solution for externalities

Tax harmful products; subsidize beneficial ones (e.g., public transit).

Colonialism

Direct political and economic control over territories.

World Systems Theory

Exploitation through global economic systems (neocolonialism).

Core countries

Wealthy, powerful countries (e.g., U.S., Germany).

Semi-periphery countries

Countries in transition (e.g., Brazil, India).

Periphery countries

Poor, exploited countries (e.g., Bangladesh, Haiti).

Global inequality explanation

Result of exploitation by core countries.

Elites

Create exploitative jobs and housing systems.

Elites

Use ideology to justify inequality.

Elites

Control policy that prioritizes profit over environment.

Personal complicity

Benefiting from low prices and high returns.

Personal complicity

Participating in exclusionary systems (zoning, schools).

Actions

Advocate for inclusive policies.

Actions

Buy from ethical companies.

Actions

Vote and organize to shift power and priorities.

Actions

Support systemic reforms to labor and environmental practices.

Social Reproduction

Process by which society maintains its characteristics from generation to generation.

Elite theory of power

A small network of individuals controls the most powerful positions in our organizations and social institutions.

Pluralist Theory of Power

Diverse groups with conflicting interests use democratic processes to create compromises and achieve societal goals.

Capital

A resource that empowers you to do things.

Economic capital

Money, wealth, material possessions.

Human Capital

Education, skills, knowledge.

Social Capital

Resources owned by social groups and social networks.

Cultural Capital

The symbolic significance of your material possessions.

Objectified cultural capital

The symbolic significance of your material possessions.

Institutionalized cultural capital

Symbolic significance of your ties to high-status organizations and people, especially organizational endorsements.

Embodied cultural capital

The symbolic significance of how you look and what you can do.

Hegemonic Ideologies and Persuasion

A shared cultural idea about how human life should be organized.

Gender ideology

A set of ideas widely shared by members of a society that guides our gendered identities, behaviors, and institutions.

Ideology of intensive motherhood

Children require near-constant attention from their mothers.

Meritocratic Ideology

People of higher classes have more merit; those in lower classes have less merit.

Ideology of Individualism

A set of ideas that people are independent actors, responsible primarily for themselves.

ISU ranking

US News and World Report 2024: 209th National Universities.

ISU ranking

Wall Street Journal 2024 ranking: 164th.

ISU ranking

2384 four-year accredited (Title IV), public or non-profit, degree-granting colleges and universities.

4-year degree percentage

33% (36% among 25-34 year olds).

ISU graduates

ISU graduates are within the top 4.1% highest educated elite.

Opportunity hoarding

Using exclusionary mechanisms to limit access to resources and opportunities.

Exploitation and domination

The practice of taking advantage of vulnerable individuals, making it costly to be poor.

Poverty abolitionists

Individuals or groups advocating for the complete elimination of poverty.

Government programs and poverty

In 2021, the US spent $177 billion on programs aimed at reducing poverty.

Affluent families and subsidies

Most government subsidies benefit affluent families rather than poor families.

Tax breaks in 2021

The US spent $1.8 billion on tax breaks, including student loans and health insurance.

Exclusionary zoning

Laws that create barriers to housing opportunities, often replacing racial zoning with class zoning.

Exclusionary school district zoning

Zoning practices that prevent racial and class integration in public schools.

Landlords and exploitation

Landlords who charge high rents for low-quality properties, contributing to poverty.

Employers and low wages

Employers who pay low wages to desperate individuals lacking choices.

Government policies and poverty

Policies that enable employers to offer low wages, perpetuating poverty.

Shareholders and profits

Individuals who prioritize company profits, impacting wages and employment conditions.

Consumer behavior and poverty

Consumers seeking the lowest prices can inadvertently support exploitative practices.

Federal minimum wage

Currently set at $7.25/hr, it is the minimum wage for many workers, particularly in service jobs.

Labor laws and competition

New labor laws are needed to prevent companies from relying on exploitative wages.

Public housing support

Advocating for public housing in middle-class and wealthy neighborhoods.

Inclusionary ordinances

Policies that replace exclusionary zoning to promote integration and access to housing.

Mortgage market support

Fixing the mortgage market in low-income neighborhoods to support homeownership.

Promoting opportunities

Encouraging initiatives that provide resources and opportunities for poorer individuals.

Reducing exploitation as an employer

Creating jobs that offer fair wages and reduce poverty.

Consumer responsibility

Choosing to buy from or invest in companies that do not contribute to poverty.

Collective action problem

The challenge of getting people to coordinate their actions in a way that would be mutually beneficial.

Wade's definition of collective action problem

The challenge of getting large groups of people to act in coordinated ways.

Montgomery bus boycott

An example of how social movements can overcome collective action failures to create social change.

Strategies to overcome collective action failures

1. Use your intellect and strategize. 2. Be creative and change the culture. 3. Show leadership. 4. Act collectively in organizations and social movements.

Human activity and greenhouse gas emissions

Human activity since the Industrial Revolution has caused most greenhouse gas emissions.