The Inequality Of The State And Society Complex

The relationship between the individual and society is not just something found throughout human history, but also within the pages of a literature classic. From the first days of settlement in America, to racial tensions and slavery, to the development of capitalism, there has always been a relationship between the individual and society that is reflected in the written pieces of each time, revealing the connection between oneself and the collective spanning across the centuries. ‘The Scarlet Letter’, written in a Puritan world, and ‘Bartleby, The Scrivener’, written in capitalist America, are two key examples of literature that expose, detail and discuss the relationship between society and the individual in American history.

When looking into the ideas of political theorists it is important to the use of political concepts that may play an important role in what the theorists are suggesting and also how they may affect the relationship between to state and the individuals living within a state. The concepts that will be looked at within this essay are: power, authority and also accountability.

According to Habermas, when people believe that the economy no longer serves them or that the government isn’t working in their best interest, crisis ensues. He believes we have such a crisis today because quantitative media are non-communicative. With money and votes, he who has the most wins. Money and votes can be useful ways of getting things done, but only so long as their legitimacy is assured by the common understandings of influence and value-commitments. Therefore, it must be understood that money and power are expressions of shared value-commitments and interpersonal influence. The I & L will generate the legitimacy of the A & G (Frank, 2000).

Martin Gilens and Benjamin Page argue that policy change can be characterized into four theories such as Majoritarian Electoral Democracy, Economic Elite Domination, and two types of interest group pluralism: Majoritarian Pluralism and Biased Pluralism. Majoritarian Electoral Democracy claims that policies are “attributed to the collective will of the average citizen, who are empowered by democratic elections”, (Martin Gilens 2014). Majoritarian Electoral Democracy rests on the idea that government serves for the people and is governed by the people. Economic Elite Domination is significant, because it provides that “policy making is dominated by individuals who have substantial economic resources, i.e. high levels of income and/or wealth…” (Martin Gilens 2014). In the theory of Economic Elite Domination, the influential factors of policy are people with financial resources, or executive power. Economic Elites use their resources to shape, influence, or sway policy in his or her

As Habermas puts it “the relationship of the individual to the state has increasingly become one of client or consumer services, rather than citizen” (Roberts & Crossley, 5). Due to the limited agency (citizens’ roles) within this sphere, we can conclude that the ongoing competition and negotiation for a role in the public sphere ends with strictly dominant views. In such a monarchy, ordinary citizens such as lower classes and women have limited input when debating politics among other things. The ideal of a place where all opinions are counted, so to speak, fails to provide a sense of individual identity. This is due to the fact that it is pre-destined by the state itself and then turned back to the people- telling them what they will think about particular issues; shown especially through the controlling lens of the media.

To begin, inequality remains an injustice in which society strives to avoid because it often addresses the definitive distinction between the wealthy, and impoverished, oppressing those who are slaves to the rich. Rousseau indicates the inequalities of society when he states, “...Labour became necessary; and boundless forests became smiling fields, which it was found necessary to water with human sweat; and in which slavery and misery were soon seen to sprout out and grow with the fruits of the earth” (Rousseau [1761] 2004). Thus, Rousseau indicates how slavery became essential to human life, and that without the existence of slavery a civil society would cease to exist. A proper-functioning society only exists if there is slavery, and those

Social and economic inequalities exist in the UK particularly because of discrimination and prejudices resulting in unequal society lacking cohesion and unity. In 2008, a comprehensive analysis to critically analyze and asses the level of social and economic inequality was conducted in the UK, by Professor John Hills who chaired the National Equality Panel created by the government to provide in-depth analysis on the subject.

Inside this scope of viewpoints, many creators offer unmistakable typologies for dissecting social strengths and for creating suitable firm reactions to each arrangement of social powers. In the interim, the ascent of extremist gatherings who debilitate

There are several different theories and models used in general politics and the creation of public policies. These models and theories help to simplify the understanding of how some things work (Kraft and Furlong, 2013). According to the Elite Theory perception the general public has little to no impact on the regulation of public policies. All of the policy changing authority is within the elite population. The elite theory stresses the fact that partiality is given to the governing body of elites (Kraft and Furlong, 2013). The policy players in this group include financial

because it is established by nature, and which consist in the difference in age, health, strength of

Do economic markets and state governments share an adversarial or symbiotic relationship? Scholars of International Political Economics have been at odds over what role, if any, the state should have in the International Economy. Despite such disagreements, most scholars can concur that IPE is ultimately concerned with the ways in which states shape the systems through which economic interactions are expressed, and conversely the results that economic interactions (including the power of collective markets and individuals acting both within and outside them) have upon political structures and outcomes. The relation between states and markets in the international scene, and whether, the relationship at home affects relationships abroad, is of great importance. One contemporary in particular Ian Bremmer has attempted to explain this relationship in light of the latest economic recession, and what impact the state should have in the future. In his book titled The End of the Free Market Bremmer believes that the Free Market Capitalism which has been a staple of American Economic prosperity is still the system that will provide for innovation and the free flow of ideas, information, people, money, goods, and services (Bremmer,183-184). Countries like China, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, and regions like Southeast Asia and Africa have all converted from command economies to a degree into state capitalist countries. These countries have all experienced the positives of the free market

He was an orphan child and was raised by his grandmother. He is now a political scientist and a professor of International Political Economy at Brown University. So Blyth went from rags to riches, as the saying goes. He is best known for the book her wrote in 2012: ‘Austerity: The History of a Dangerous Idea’ as he portrays a great set of sources and consequences of the current economic affairs, and extremely detailed account of how we managed to arrive in this current situation. He also wrote the book ‘Great Transformations’. He is a Watson Institute Faculty member and director at the University of Undergraduate Programs in development studies and international relations. He is editor of Routledge Handbook of International political economy and a co-editor of the volume of Constructivist Theory and Political Economy titled ‘Constructing the International Economy’. He is currently working on a new book that questions the political and economics sustainability of liberal democracy called ‘The End of the Liberal World’. Blyth is a member of the Warwick Commission on International Financial Reform and also a member of the Editorial Board of the Review of International Political Economy. His articles have appeared in journals such as ‘The American Political Science Review’, ‘Perspectives and Politics’, ‘Comparative Politics’ and ‘World Politics’. Mark Blyth has a PHD in Political Science from Columbia

The social analysis that Habermas describes in Legitimation Crisis, is for the economy to be steered by the State effectively without causing motivation and legitimation crises among the general populace it is difficult because our government is under constant threat. It also appears to be controlled by many corporations instead of being led by the people. For the states continued existence the organizational structure needs to be revisited in order to remain and get out of a legitimation crisis. For without organization and ensuring the public that they are being represented a crisis will ensue. Habermas believed that institutions must update their policies and goals in order to keep up with the technological advancements and keep the institution running smoothly. As Habermas states, “Crises in social systems are not produced through accidental changes in the environment, but through structurally inherent system-imperatives that are incompatible and cannot be hierarchically integrated. Structurally inherent contradictions can, of course, be identified only when we are able to specify structures important for continued existence” (Habermas, Chapter 1 pg.2, 1973).

Economy and State: A Sociological Perspective, written by Nina Bandelj and Elizabeth Sowers, explains the economic foundation of the state by discussing the governance of property and money, in correlation to labor and firms, ending in economic development and internationalization/globalization. Bandelj and Sowers’, target audiences for this book seemed to be intended for those individuals wanting to learn the basics of economics from an economic sociology perspective allowing readers to broaden their minds, while drawing comparisons from the political economy and economic sociology. This book was written with clear language for the audience to understand and comprehend the large amount of traditional economic theory information within its condensed size, as well as introducing a sense of economic sociology in to the mix. Both Bandelj and Sowers separate their book into eight chapters: ranging from property and money, labor and firms, development and the international global economy, before its conclusion. Authors Nina Bandelj and Elizabeth Sowers, provide a wonderful analysis between economy and sociology by breaking down the study of economics including the production, distribution, consumption, and exchange of goods and services and its direct correlation to social networks, cultural reality so to speak, and political and social forces.

An understanding of contemporary relations of power, and of the Western intellectual's role within them, requires an examination of the intersection of a theory of representation and the political economy of global capitalism. A theory of representation points, on the one hand, to the domain of ideology, meaning, and subjectivity, and, on the other hand, to the domain of politics, the state, and the law.