11.7 Contrast capitalism and socialism:

 World Economic Systems 11.7 Contrast capitalism and socialism: their components, ideologies, criticisms, and convergence. Now that we have sketched the major historical changes in world economic systems and their means of exchange, let’s compare capitalism and socialism, the two main economic systems in force today. This will help us to understand where the United States stands in the world economic order.

11.6.4: An Emerging New Type of Society Biotech? Artificial Intelligence?

 11.6.4: An Emerging New Type of Society: Biotech? Artificial Intelligence? 

We seem to be on the verge of a new type of society. This one could be ushered in by advances in biology, especially the deciphering of the human genome system. Or the emerging technology that is leading to our new type of society could be artificial intelligence. Although the specifics of this new society have yet to unfold, the technological advances on which it is based should bring greater abundance and leisure, and allow us to lead longer, healthier lives. Its effects on the inequalities of the world’s nations are likely to be spotty. Some poorer nations may be able to adapt the new technology to develop their economies, while others remain in poverty. Rather abstract? Read the following Applying Sociology to Your Life. Applying Sociology to Your Life Your Work and Your Future in the Global Village The broad changes in societies that I just sketched may seem to be merely abstract matters, but they are far from irrelevant to your life. A changing society has profound effects on your life. If you had grown up in our industrial society, you likely would not have gone to college. Fresh out of high school—if you went that far—you probably would have marched through the factory gates. But now, with the information explosion of our postindustrial society, college is both more necessary than it used to be and also much more accessible. When you graduate from college, you will avoid those factory gates and most likely will do some form of “knowledge work.” You probably will manage information or will design, sell, or service products. Work is vastly more than an activity or a paycheck. The type of work you do has profound implications for your life. Work produces attitudes, and it even affects how you view yourself and the world. Work also produces social networks, which, in turn, limit or expand your opportunities and influence how you view yourself and others. Increasingly, you are living in a globally connected society. To gain a broader perspective of your future work, let’s place it in a global context. Think of the globe as one large village, divided into three neighborhoods. These are the three worlds of industrialization that you read about in Chapter 7. Some nations are located in the poor part of the global village. Their citizens do menial work and barely eke out a living. Life is so precarious that some even starve to death, while their fellow villagers in the rich neighborhood have plenty to eat, and in extreme cases feast on steak and lobster, washed down with vintage Chateau Lafite Rothschild. It’s the same global village, but what a difference the neighborhood makes. Now peer closer. Look within any one of these three neighborhoods. Again you will see severe inequalities. In the poor neighborhood, not everyone is poor, and in the rich neighborhood, there are pockets of poverty. Your work, whatever it is going to be, will take place within this global division. As the global economic leader, the United States occupies the most luxurious mansion in the best neighborhood and spearheads the coming biotech society. It is quite likely that your social location will place you among the Earth’s privileged. For Your Consideration The matter that I am going to ask you to consider is not a usual part of introductory sociology texts, but it touches on vital issues of your life. → Do you think that your more privileged work and social location bring with them any obligations for those who live in the poor part of the global village? → How about for those who live in the poorer part of the rich neighborhood that you occupy? No one can answer these questions for you. They are personal matters, and only you can provide the answers. I just want to provide the invitation for you to apply what you are learning in a slightly different way.

11.6.3: Postindustrial Societies:

 11.6.3: Postindustrial Societies: 

The Birth of the Information Age The society that followed the industrial society is known, logically and uncreatively, as the postindustrial society (Bell 1973). 

Its six primary characteristics are: 

(1) a service sector so large that most people work in it, 

(2) a vast surplus of goods,

 (3) even more extensive trade among nations, 

(4) a wider variety and quantity of goods available to the average person,

 (5) an information explosion, and

 (6) an interconnected global village—that is, the world’s nations are linked by fast communications, transportation, and trade. 

To see why analysts use the term postindustrial society to describe the United States, look at Figure 11.3. The change shown in this figure is without parallel in human history. In the 1800s, most U.S. workers were farmers. 

Today, farmers make up about 1 percent of the workforce. With the technology of the 1800s, a typical farmer produced enough food to feed five people. 

With today’s powerful machinery and hybrid seeds, a farmer now feeds about eighty.

 In 1940, about half of U.S. workers wore a blue collar. 

As changing technology shrank the market for blue-collar jobs, white-collar work continued its ascent, reaching the dominant position it holds today.

 Figure 11.3 The Revolutionary Change in the U.S.

 Workforce SOURCE: Based on Statistical Abstract of the United States, 2019: Table 639. The vertical axis of the graph represents “Percentage” ranging from 0 to 100 in increments of 10, while the horizontal axis represents “Year” ranging from 1900 to 2020 in increments of 20 years. The graph shows three lines as follows: The line on top represents “blue-collar,” beginning at 40 percent in the year 1900, which rises to 48 percent in 1940. Further, it is shown to decline till 13 percent, in the year 2020. The curve in the middle represents “white-collar,” beginning at 20 percent, in the year 1900, which rises exponentially to 85 percent, in 2020. The curve at bottom represents “farming,” beginning at 31 percent in 1900, which is shown to decline till 12 percent in 1930, beyond which it further declines to 2, in 1980. It further remains constant be-tween 1980 and 2020. Note: All data is approximate. Hearing from the Author: The Meaning of Market Listen to the Audio

 The commonsense meaning of market is a place where people exchange or buy and sell goods. Such old-fashioned markets remain common in the Least Industrialized Nations, such as this one in Vietnam. I took this photo in a village market outside Ho Chi Minh City. The customer (squatting, as is customary in Vietnam) does not have to wonder if her chicken is fresh. Credit: James M. Henslin

11.6.2: Industrial Societies

 1.6: The Transformation of Economic Systems 

11.6.2: Industrial Societies: The Birth of the Machine The steam engine, invented in 1765, ushered in industrial societies. Based on machines powered by fuels, these societies created a surplus unlike anything the world had seen. This, too, stimulated trade among nations and brought even more social inequality. A handful of individuals opened factories and exploited the labor of many. Then came more efficient machines. As the surpluses grew even larger, the emphasis gradually changed—from producing goods to consuming them. In 1912, sociologist Thorstein Veblen coined the term conspicuous consumption to describe this fundamental change in people’s orientations. By this term, Veblen meant that the Protestant ethic identified by Max Weber—an emphasis on hard work, savings, and a concern for salvation—was being replaced with an eagerness to show off wealth by an “elaborate consumption of goods.”

11.6.1: Preindustrial Societies:

 11.6.1: Preindustrial Societies: The Birth of Inequality The earliest human groups, hunting and gathering societies, had a subsistence economy. In small groups of about twenty-five to forty, people lived off the land. They gathered plants and hunted animals in one location and then moved to another place as these sources of food ran low. Having few possessions, they did little trading with one another. With no excess to accumulate, everybody owned as much (or, really, as little) as everyone else. Then people discovered how to breed animals and cultivate plants. The more dependable food supply in what became pastoral and horticultural societies allowed humans to settle down in a single place. Human groups grew larger, and for the first time in history, it was no longer necessary for everyone to work at producing food. Some people became leather workers, others made weapons, and so on. This new division of labor produced a surplus, and groups traded items with one another. The primary sociological significance of surplus and trade is this: They fostered social inequality, because some people accumulated more possessions than others. The effects of that change remain with us today. The plow brought the next major change, ushering in agricultural societies. Plowing made land more productive, allowing even more people to specialize in activities other than producing food. More specialized divisions of labor followed, and trade expanded. Trading centers then developed, which turned into cities. As power passed from the heads of families and clans to a ruling elite, social, political, and economic inequalities grew.

11.6: The Transformation of Economic Systems PT 363 The Economy: Work in the Global Village

 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

over-population discussion

 

       Overpopulation could affect the world in many ways.  I am concerning about the over-population can become a problem in the future because it related with many problems in our society. In developing countries and some poor countries lack family planning caused over-population such as India, Bangladesh etc. The main cause of overpopulation is poverty. Over-population causes environmental damage such as global warming, climate changed, faced weather issued, overcrowding, increased poverty, more demand for over used resources and demand for food production which deplete and damage natural resources, increased air pollutions from the wasted of industries, which caused more environmental pollution and waste materials. In some places started facing overpopulation issue shortage of housing and shortage of employment opportunities because of greater number of people than job opportunities. Unemployment also directly relating to the crime rates. Over-population can cause more diseases and more chance to deal with epidemic and pandemic issue. We should look into it seriously and prevent over-population and also, we should balance and implement on the negative affect of over-population and create a better world.