Political Sociology

Grand definitions:
Who gets what, when and how How political outcomes affect and effected by social circumstances How class and inequality affect demand for welfare states How different kinds of welfare states have different impacts in inequality and class

Informal definitions
how people relate to, and think about politics what policies they want what makes them participate and at what level what divides or unites them. things affecting political preferences, attitudes, values and behavior in society how that affect policy and other political outcomes

Comparative Government focuses on the political institutions

Political Sociology focuses on the social circumstances in which those institutions work

Political Sociology and Political science

both are disciplines of social sciences both deal with human behavior

What are the differences between Political Sociology and Political science?

Keith Faulks defines political sociology

Is concerned with relationship between politics sociology Distinctiveness lies in its acknowledgement that political actors operate within a wider social context Political actors inevitably shape and in turn are shaped by social structures Social structures ensure that political sociology is that power Political sociologists find answers to the following questions: which individuals and groups in society possess the capacity to pursue their interests and how is this power exercised and institutionalized

Basics Concepts Of Political Sociology

Polity Politics Policy

Polity
refers to the entire political domain A political field where the political actors vie for power try to maintain or increase their power struggle to have their interests prevail.

Politics
refers to the activities that political actors engage within the political domain Crafting bills, trying to influence legislators, campaigning for elections, all these activities constitute politics with any social activity there are norms in place as to what is or what is not acceptable

Policy
refers to public actions that public policies and the actual products of governance These actions are distinguished by domain of activity economic policy, environment policy, labor policy or educational policy are all public policies

Power
the capacity to achieve ones objectives even when those objectives are in conflict with the interest of another actor.

Hard Power
The exercise of power through force or the threat of force. Military power , a parent spanking a child May result in compliance on the short term Since it generates resentment, it might have negative effects on the long term

Soft Power
refers to the exercise of power through persuasion Diplomacy, for instance, is a form of soft power Soft power tends to generate better and more long term effects recipients do not feel bullied or forced against their will

Forms of Power
Ideological Economic Military Political

Ideological power
derives from the human need Control of an ideology combining ultimate meaning, values, norms, aesthetic and ritual brings general social power Examples: religions and secular ideologies like liberalism, socialism and nationalism.

Economic power
derives from the need to allocate resources of nature it combines intensive, everyday labor cooperation with extensive circuits of the distribution, exchange and consumption of goods All the complex societies unequally distributed controls over economic resources, thus classes have been ubiquitous

Military power
social organization of physical force derives from the (necessity) of organized defense and utility of aggression both intensive and extensive aspects Those who monopolize it, as military elites and castes wield a degree of general social power

Political power
derives from the usefulness of territorial and centralized regulation Political power means state power It is essentially authoritative commanded and willed from a center State organization is twofold: a) Domestically: it is territorially centralized b) externally in involves geopolitics.

Political Action and Participation:

Voter Turnout Citizen participation Social movements Political violence, civil wars and revolutions

Social Cleavages
Race and ethnicity Extreme-right Nationalism Religion Gender Class

Class issues

Political elites Welfare regimes Post materialism and social attitudes

Any Questions?