Upgrade to remove ads
Only $35.99/year

CH 15 Authority and The State

Terms in this set (30)

Authority is
the justifiable right to exercise power
Charismatic authority
based on personal appeal of an individual leader (Jesus, Hitler, Ghandi )
Traditional Authority
based on appeals to the past or a long established way of doing things.
Legal-rational authority
based on legal , impersonal rules that have been routinized and rationalized. (Police have authority, and we elect president and give power they have. Not hereditary )
Bureaucracy
a legal- rational organization or mode of administration that governs with reference to rules and roles and emphasizes meritocracy. (rules are the rule, not ppl that embody them. rules above everyone)
Bureaucracies are structured
hierarchically ( ex. LSU. students are at bottom, professors,colleges, all the way to president. Needs students to functions though
Positions in bureaucracies show a high degree of
specialization. ( Sociology professor teaches socl, doesn't help schedule or teach english)
Bureaucracies are
impersonal ( Ex. LSU identifies us as #'s on ID
Promotions are based on_______ , making the bureaucracy a______. ( only way to move up ladder is making an achievement)
achievement,meritocracy
Administration of bureaucracies is
highly efficient
Max Weber stated that:
Power is the ability to carry out one's will despite resistance
Domination is the probability that a command will be obeyed by a group of people
Domination by economic power
domination by virtue of a position of monopoly
Domination by authority
occurs when those who are ruled act as if the ruler's will were also their own
Ex: parents, president, laws of govt.,
A state is a
human community that claims a monopoly on the legitimate use of force within a given territory
The paradox of authority is that
once the state resorts to coercion, legitimate authority is lost
Coercion is
the use of force to get others to do what you want. Once a person or institution decides to use physical coercion, it loses all its legitimate authority
Now states are also concerned with __________and any rightfully be called welfare states
social provisions
Social policies are developed to
meet social needs
The welfare state is a system in which
the state is responsible for the welfare of its citizens
Most people living within a state have certain rights, called
citizenship rights
Ex: right to vote
Sociologist T.H. Marshall identified 3 types of citizenship rights:
Civil rights guarantee personal freedom without state interference
Political rights are rights to participate in politics, hold office, or vote
Social rights guarantee protection by the state
Ex: housing, employment, health, education (if you cant pay for these the state will assist you)
To achieve peace for ourselves, we enter into a
social contract and submit to an overarching authority
Democracy is a
system of govt. where the power lies with the people, who can vote and participate in the political system
Dictatorship is a
system of govt. where participation in politics is limited to a select few (or maybe even just one person)
In the US, power is shared between 3 branches of govt. as well as
between the federal govt. and the many state governments
Other important actors in our political system are
political parties and interest groups
A political party is an
organization that wants to gain power in a govt., typically by backing a candidate who shares the same beliefs
An interest group is an
organization that seeks to gain power in govt. and influence policy without its representative (a lobbyist) seeking election
Political participation is the
activity that has the intent or actual effect of influencing govt. action
Political participation has
declined in the US since the 1960s
Sets found in the same folder