The Economy: Work in the Global Village If you are like most students, you are wondering how changes in the economy are going to affect your chances of getting a good job. Let’s see if we can shed some light on this question. We’ll begin with this story: “Not Monday already,” Kim groaned as the alarm went off. “There must be a better way of starting the week.” With her eyes still closed, she pressed the snooze button on the clock (from Germany) to sneak another 10 minutes’ sleep. In what seemed like just 30 seconds, the alarm once again shrilly insisted that she get up and face the week. 364 Still bleary-eyed after her shower, Kim peered into her closet and picked out a silk blouse (from China), a plaid wool skirt (from Scotland), and leather shoes (from Italy). She nodded, satisfied, as she added a pair of simulated pearls (from Taiwan). Running late, she hurriedly ran a brush (from Mexico) through her hair. As Kim wolfed down a bowl of cereal (from the United States) topped with milk (from the United States), bananas (from Costa Rica), and sugar (from the Dominican Republic), she turned on her kitchen television (from Korea) to listen to the weather forecast. Gulping the last of her coffee (from Brazil), Kim grabbed her briefcase (from India), purse (from Spain), and jacket (from Malaysia), left her house, and quickly climbed into her car (from Japan). As she glanced at her watch (from Switzerland), she hoped that the traffic would be in her favor. She muttered to herself as she pulled up at a stoplight (from Great Britain) and eyed her gas gauge. She muttered again when she pulled into a Shell station (a Dutch company) and paid for gas (from Saudi Arabia), because the price had risen over the weekend. “My paycheck never keeps up with prices,” she moaned. When Kim arrived at work, she found the office abuzz. Six months ago, New York headquarters had put the company up for sale, but there had been no takers. The big news was that both a Chinese company and a Canadian company had put in bids over the weekend. No one got much work done that day, as the whole office speculated about how things might change. As Kim walked to the parking lot after work, she saw a bumper sticker proclaiming “Make America Great Again: Buy American.” “Good advice,” she said to herself. “If people were more like me, this country would be in better shape.” The Transformation of Economic Systems 11.6 Emphasizing inequality, summarize the broad historical shifts in economic systems. Although this vignette may be slightly exaggerated, many of us are like Kim: We use a multitude of products from around the world, and yet we’re concerned about our country’s ability to compete in global markets. Today’s economy—our system of producing and distributing goods and services—differs radically from past economies. The products that Kim uses make it apparent that today’s economy knows no national boundaries. To better understand how global forces affect the U.S. economy—and your life—let’s begin by summarizing the sweeping historical changes that have led to the society we live in today. Hearing from Students The Economy Play Hearing from StudentsThe Economy
Thursday, December 8, 2022
11.1.5: The Transfer of Authority
11.1.5: The Transfer of Authority
The orderly transfer of authority from one leader to another is crucial for social stability. Under traditional authority, people know who is next in line. Under rational–legal authority, people might not know who the next leader will be, but they do know how that person will be selected, which precedes the transfer of authority. Even though a newly elected leader represents ideas extremely different from the predecessor, such as the transition from President Barack Obama to President Donald Trump, the transition of authority/power still occurs. South Africa provides another example. This country had been ripped apart by decades of racial–ethnic strife, including horrible killings committed by each side. Yet, by maintaining its rational–legal authority, the country was able to transfer power from the dominant group led by President Ferdinand de Klerk to the minority group led by Nelson Mandela. Because charismatic authority has no rules of succession, it is less stable than either traditional or rational–legal authority. With charismatic authority built around a single individual, the death or incapacitation of a charismatic leader can mean a bitter struggle for succession. To avoid this, some charismatic leaders make arrangements for an orderly transition of power by appointing a successor. This step does not guarantee orderly succession, since the followers may not share the leader’s confidence in the designated heir. A second strategy is for the charismatic leader to build an organization. As the organization develops rules or regulations, it transforms itself into a rational–legal organization. Weber used the term routinization of charisma to refer to the transition of authority from a charismatic leader to either traditional or rational–legal authority. The transfer of authority in Cuba after Fidel Castro became ill is a remarkable example. Castro was a charismatic leader, attracting enough followers to overthrow Cuba’s government. He ruled through a combination of personal charisma and bureaucratic machinery. Castro set up an organized system to transfer authority to his noncharismatic brother, Raul, who, in turn, made certain that authority was transferred in an orderly manner to the state bureaucracies (Bolliger 2018).
11.1.4: Charismatic Authority
11.1.4: Charismatic Authority
A few centuries back, in 1429, the English controlled large parts of France. When they prevented the coronation of a new French king, a farmer’s daughter heard a voice telling her that God had a special assignment for her—that she should put on men’s clothing, recruit an army, and go to war against the English.
Inspired, Joan of Arc—still a teenager—raised an army, conquered cities, and defeated the English. Later that year, her visions were fulfilled as she stood next to Charles VII while he was crowned king of France. (Bridgwater 1953) Joan of Arc is an example of charismatic authority, the third type of authority Weber identified. (Charisma is a Greek word that means a gift freely and graciously given [Arndt and Gingrich 1957].)
People are drawn to a charismatic individual because they believe that individual has been touched by God or has been endowed by nature with exceptional qualities. The armies did not follow Joan of Arc because it was the custom to do so, as in traditional authority. Nor did they risk their lives fighting alongside her because she held a position defined by written rules, as in rational–legal authority. Instead, people followed her because they were attracted by her outstanding traits. They saw her as a messenger of God, fighting on the side of justice, and they accepted her leadership because of these appealing qualities. The Threat Posed by Charismatic Leaders Kings and queens owe allegiance to tradition, and presidents to written laws. To what, however, do charismatic leaders owe allegiance? Their authority resides in their ability to attract followers, which is often based on their sense of a special mission or calling. Not tied to tradition or the regulation of law, charismatic leaders pose a threat to the established political order. Following their personal goals, charismatic leaders can inspire followers to disregard—or even to overthrow—traditional and rational–legal authorities. Gallery Two Types of Charismatic Authority Image Viewer Preview Hens14e Ch15 - Gallery:
Two Types of Charismatic Authority
One of the best examples of charismatic authority is Joan of Arc, a teenager who changed the history of France. This engraving from the 1800s shows her liberating Orleans from the British in 1429.
View Gallery Credits: DEA/SEEMULLER/De Agostini Picture Library/Getty Images; VintageCorner/Alamy Stock Photo This threat does not go unnoticed, and traditional and rational–legal authorities often oppose charismatic leaders. If they are not careful, however, their opposition can arouse even more positive sentiment in favor of the charismatic leader, who might be viewed as an underdog persecuted by the powerful. Occasionally, the Roman Catholic Church faces such a threat, as when a priest claims miraculous powers that appear to be accompanied by amazing healings. As people flock to this individual, they bypass parish priests and the formal ecclesiastical structure. This transfer of allegiance from the organization to an individual threatens the church hierarchy. Consequently, church officials may encourage the priest to withdraw from the public eye, perhaps to a monastery, to rethink matters. This defuses the threat, reasserts rational–legal authority, and maintains the stability of the organization.
- (of a place or people) having been overcome and taken control of by military force."a conquered people"
- en·dow/inˈdou,enˈdou/verbpast tense: endowed; past participle: endowed
- 1.provide with a quality, ability, or asset."he was endowed with tremendous physical strength"
11.1.3: Rational–Legal Authority
11.1.3: Rational–Legal Authority
The second type of authority, rational–legal authority, is based not on custom but on written rules. Rational means reasonable, and legal means part of law.
Thus, rational–legal refers to matters that have been agreed to by reasonable people and written into law (or regulations of some sort). The matters that are agreed to may be as broad as a constitution that specifies the rights of all members of a society or as narrow as a contract between two individuals.
Because bureaucracies are based on written rules, rational–legal authority is also called bureaucratic authority.
Rational–legal authority comes from the position that someone holds, not from the person who holds that position. In the United States, for example, the president’s authority comes from the legal power assigned to that office, as specified in a written constitution, not from custom or the individual’s personal characteristics.
In rational–legal authority, everyone—no matter how high the office—is subject to the organization’s written rules. In governments based on traditional authority, the ruler’s word may be law; but in those based on rational–legal authority, the ruler’s word is subject to the law.
chapter 10 to 13 quizz
gender
Age is socially constructed because notions of age vary around the world.
Different cultures fix age with different meanings and different values.
Eastern cultures tend to highly value age and wisdom, while Western cultures tend to highly value youth.
In Western societies, people take pains to appear younger than their biological age. These measures follow Erving Goffman's ideas of self-presentation in that people are trying to get others in society to perceive them as young.
Industrialization increases life expectancy by creating better conditions, better government social supports, and better access to healthcare.
There is currently a disparity in life expectancy between industrialized nations and non-industrialized nations.
1. Traditional Authority- which is based on custom, is the hallmark of tribal groups. Custom dictates basic relationships. Declines with industrialization but never dies out.
2. Rational-Legal Authority- based not on custom but on written rules. Rational means reasonable, and legal means part of the law.
3. Charismatic Authority- People are drawn to charismatic people because they believe an individual has been touched by God or has been endowed by nature with exceptional qualities.
Disengagement theory was the first theory of aging developed by social scientists.
The theory was developed by Elaine Cumming and Warren Earl Henry in their 1961 book "Growing Old. " Subsequently, the theory has been largely debunked.
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phrasal verb blended in; blending in; blends in. : to look like things nearby . The fish settles on the sandy ocean bottom where it blend...
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Terms studied in this round universal citizenship Everyone has the same basic rights by being born in a country, or by becoming a naturali...
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1.2.2: Democracies: Citizenship as a Revolutionary Idea The United States had no city-states. Each colony, however, was small and independe...