Political Sociology

Description

Thoroughly revised and updated in this fifth edition, Political Sociology: Power and Participation in the Modern World illustrates the broad social bases of politics and also shows how politics and governmental actions can influence the fate of nations and their citizens. Providing insight into recent political sociological theories, Anthony M. Orum and new coauthor John G. Dale help students make sense of the many major social and political changes taking place in the world today. They examine such timely topics as the economy and politics, states and societies, civil society and politics, basic forms of political rule, power and equality in modern America, political parties, and citizen participation.

Bringing together a wide variety of perspectives and ideas, this unique text also familiarizes students with recent scholarship on the American welfare state, social networks, and the business world. Throughout, the authors provide students with current assessments of popular incendiary topics, increasing their awareness and encouraging them to become more involved in the material.

Classic and comprehensive, Political Sociology: Power and Participation in the Modern World, Fifth Edition, is ideal for upper-level undergraduate courses in political sociology.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Fifth Edition
CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION
Power and Authority
Institutions, Networks, and Culture
Visions of Societies and Politics: Marx, Weber, Durkheim, de Toqueville, and Polanyi
Pedagogical Guidelines
CHAPTER 2. ON THE ECONOMY AND POLITICS: KARL MARX AND THE NEO MARXISTS
Karl Marx on the Economy and Politics
The Essential Marx
The Economy and Social Stratification
Substructure and Superstructure
Politics as a Reflection of the Class Struggle
State Power and Its Limits
Sustaining Capitalism and the Rule of Capitalists
Revolution and Change
The Neo-Marxists
V.I. Lenin
Antonio Gramsci
The Frankfurt School
Nicos Poulantzas
Conclusion
Notes
CHAPTER 3. ON STATES AND SOCIETIES: MAX WEBER AND THE NEO-WEBERIANS
Max Weber on States and Politics
The Essential Weber
The State
The Power of the Ruler
Authority and Its Legitimacy
Political Power and Contending Social Groups
The Neo-Weberians
Reinhard Bendix
Charles Tilly
Theda Skocpol
Conclusion
Notes
CHAPTER 4: ON CIVIL SOCIETY AND POLITICS: EMILE DURKHEIM AND ALEXIS DE TOCQUEVILLE
Emile Durkheim on Civil Society and Politics
The Essential Durkheim
Society
States, Politics, and Societies
Alexis de Tocqueville on Civil Society and Politics
The Essential Tocqueville
Equality in America
The Conditions (Causes) for Equality
Threats to Democracy in America
Concluding Observations
The Neo-Consensualists
Seymour Martin Lipset
Robert Bellah
James S. Coleman and Robert Putnam
Conclusion
Notes
CHAPTER 5: ON THE POLITICS, LAW, AND MORALITY OF MARKETS
Karl Polanyi
The Essential Polanyi
Fictitious Commodities: Land, Labor and Money
State Action is Inherent to Market Formation
The Interwar Years
Protectionist Countermovement
A Global Free Market is Impossible
Future Prospects
Notes
CHAPTER 6: BASIC FORMS OF POLITICAL AUTHORITY
Basic Types of Political Rule: The Classical Greek Conceptions
Types of Political Rule in the Modern World
Democracy
Totalitarianism
Authoritarianism
Conclusion
Notes
CHAPTER 7: POWER AND AUTHORITY IN AMERICA
Prologue
The Power of the American State
The American State as a War-Making State
The American State as a Welfare State
Sociological Perspectives on the Power of the State Today
The Power of Business and Corporations
The Corporate Community
The Corporate Inner Circle
Multinational Corporations and the Growth of the Global Economy
Does America Possess a Ruling Class - or Even a Dominant Class?
Equality and Inequality in Modern America
Economic Inequality
Political Equality
Conclusion
Notes
CHAPTER 8: POWER AND AUTHORITY IN THE METROPOLIS
The Metropolis in American History
The Rise and Decline of the Industrial Metropolis
The Reign of Local Notables and the Engagement of Ordinary Citizens
The Industrial Revolution and Rise of the Capitalist
Class
The Mature Industrial City: Government Emerges as Do
Political Divisions
The Decline of the Industrial City: the Loss of Industry, Local Clout and the Emergence of Ethnic/Racial Conflicts
Concluding Observations
The Politics of the Contemporary American City
The Contentious Politics of the American Metropolis: Central Cities, Suburbs, and Edge Cities
Sunbelt Cities and Metropolitan Fragmentation
Interpreting the City
Political Pluralism in the City: Civil Society and the Dispersal of Power
The City as a Growth Machine: The Political Economy of the City
The City and the Creative Class: Reviving the Metropolis Today
Concluding Observations
Remaking the American City
Cities and the New Global Economy
Global Cities
Other Postindustrial Cities
Regional and Urban Experiments of Major Developing Nations: China, South Korea and Taiwan
Conclusion
Notes
CHAPTER 9: POLITICAL PARTIES
The Nature of Modern Political Parties
The Birth of Modern Political Parties
Variations in Modern Political Parties: Highlights of Current and Early Patterns
Current Patterns
Early Patterns: The Political Machine of Urban America
The Power and Politics of Modern Political Parties
The Breadth of Political Partisanship
Values and Partisanship
The Social Bases of Partisanship
The Past and Future of Modern Political Parties: The Case of the United States
Notes
CHAPTER 10: SOCIAL MOVEMENTS: BASIC PERSPECTIVES
The Nature of Social Movements
Collective Behavior vs. Collective Action
New Paradigms for the Study of Social Movements
The Resource Mobilization Paradigm
Political Process vs. Identity Politics
Political Process Theory
Critical Concepts: Political Opportunities,
Mobilization, and Framing
Identity Politics and "New" Social Movement Theory
Beyond Democratic Elitism and Democratic Fundamentalism: The 2008 Presidential Campaign and Pressures for Social Change
The Politics of Influence
Culture, Structure, States
Notes
CHAPTER 11: TRANSNATIONAL SOCIAL MOVEMENTS AND GLOBALIZATION
The Multiple Meanings of Globalization
The Free Burma Movement as Transnational Social Movement
The Selective Purchasing Law Campaign
The Campaign to De-Charter Unocal Corporation
The Alien Tort Claims Campaign
New Directions for Social Movements and Research
Notes
CHAPTER 12: THE MASS MEDIA
Highlights in the History of the Mass Media in America
The Mass Media as a Vehicle of Corporate Capitalism
The Mass Media and Their Influence in Society
Agenda-Setting
The Media and the Business of Making the News
The Public and Its View and Susceptibility to the Media
The Future of the News and the News of the Future
Notes
CHAPTER 13: POLITICAL PARTICIPATION AND THE PURSUIT OF DEMOCRACY
Democratic Theory and Participation
A Classic View of Democracy and its Critics
Why Public Participation is Essential to the Workings of Democracy
A Challenge to Democratic Theory: Rational Choice
Rational Choice and Collective Action
The Problem of the Free Rider
Selective Incentives
Public Participation in Everyday Social Life
Political Participation and Social Cleavages
Rates and Types of Political Participation
Social Class and Participation
Gender and Participation
Race, Ethnicity, and Participation
Promoting Political Participation in the Pursuit of Democracy
Notes