The Sociology of Politics and Democracy SOCI 101 November 17, 2011 SOCI 101 () The Sociology of Politics and Democracy November 17, 2011 1 / 27
The Sociology of Democracy Political Sociology: Sociology and the State The American Political Character American Voting in Comparative Perspective Civil Society, Social Capital, and Democracy SOCI 101 () The Sociology of Politics and Democracy November 17, 2011 2 / 27
Political Sociology The relationship between the State (government) and society Big questions: When do people participate in politics and when not? When and why do social movements form, people protest, and movements make a social difference? Where do people s political beliefs come from? How do they change? How do different countries organize social policies such as health care and welfare? How and when can citizens discuss and deliberate over important political questions? How do important social institutions (the media, organizations, etc.) contribute to, or detract from, democracy? SOCI 101 () The Sociology of Politics and Democracy November 17, 2011 3 / 27
Society and the State: Classical Theory State Economy Society/ Culture SOCI 101 () The Sociology of Politics and Democracy November 17, 2011 4 / 27
Society and the State: Parsons Society Leisure State Economy Religion Third Sector etc. SOCI 101 () The Sociology of Politics and Democracy November 17, 2011 5 / 27
Society and the State: Contemporary Visions State Economy Society/ Culture SOCI 101 () The Sociology of Politics and Democracy November 17, 2011 6 / 27
Important Concepts in Political Sociology Social networks Social capital Civil society Civic skills SOCI 101 () The Sociology of Politics and Democracy November 17, 2011 7 / 27
Important Concepts in Political Sociology (cont.) Political cognition and political psychology Efficacy Political culture SOCI 101 () The Sociology of Politics and Democracy November 17, 2011 8 / 27
Important Concepts in Social Movements Research Collective Psychology Resource Mobilization Political Process Model SOCI 101 () The Sociology of Politics and Democracy November 17, 2011 9 / 27
Important Works in Political Sociology: Tilly Popular Contention in Great Britain, 1758 1834 How do disaffected groups make their needs known? The study of social movements begs the question: are social movements themselves really only one kind of contentious behavior? Contentious Repertoires: In different social, historical, and national contexts, similar kinds of grievances are approached differently. SOCI 101 () The Sociology of Politics and Democracy November 17, 2011 10 / 27
Important Works in Political Sociology: Skocpol (1992) Protecting Soldiers and Mothers Against the myth of American exceptionalism The U.S. had a strong, significant welfare state for many years prior to the New Deal. Social policies in the U.S. tend to be stronger when they are: Universal; and Associated with categories of honor SOCI 101 () The Sociology of Politics and Democracy November 17, 2011 11 / 27
Important Works in Political Sociology: Eliasoph Avoiding Politics: How Americans Produce Apathy in Everyday Life The importance of deliberation and political talk What kinds of social circles are amenable to political talk and engagement? Often: none. The phrases close to home and for the children worked hard; they were pivotal in allowing volunteers to maintain that feeling that the world made sense. SOCI 101 () The Sociology of Politics and Democracy November 17, 2011 12 / 27
The American Political Character Strange combination of individualism and collectivism Mistrust in government, trust in private institutions Avoids discussion of things political Political deliberation is seen as a means to an ideal end Opinion holding as a form of identity SOCI 101 () The Sociology of Politics and Democracy November 17, 2011 13 / 27
American Voting in Comparative Perspective Americans vote much less than citizens of comparative democracies. Why? Demographic theories: Education Age Race Sex etc.... = Voting Structural theories: Registration; Complexity; Frequency Ideological theories: People are satisfied People are dissatisfied SOCI 101 () The Sociology of Politics and Democracy November 17, 2011 14 / 27
Social Explanations for Political Participation Tocqueville: a nation of joiners Rosenstone and Hansen, 1993: organizational effects on voting Putnam, 1995: social capital as a citizenship resource Does democracy rest on a base of private interaction? SOCI 101 () The Sociology of Politics and Democracy November 17, 2011 15 / 27
Social Bases for Politics Americans participate in nonpolitical organizations far more than citizens of other countries Churches and unions are the real outliers Verba et al. (1995): churches and unions as mobilizers Is civil society declining? SOCI 101 () The Sociology of Politics and Democracy November 17, 2011 16 / 27
Social Bases for Politics: Perrin, 2001 Participation in almost any kind of nonpolitical civic association is associated with citizenship behavior Some kinds of civic associations are more associated Some provide civic skills or political efficacy The key variable: access to political discourse Political culture is the key to citizenship SOCI 101 () The Sociology of Politics and Democracy November 17, 2011 17 / 27
The Meaning of the Vote Zambia, 1991 SOCI 101 () The Sociology of Politics and Democracy November 17, 2011 18 / 27
SOCI 101 () The Sociology of Politics and Democracy November 17, 2011 19 / 27
Jürgen Habermas: Origins of the Public 18th Century French Salons Development of the modern bourgeoisie Development of the modern public SOCI 101 () The Sociology of Politics and Democracy November 17, 2011 20 / 27
Origins of the Public Key points The public has a history Our vision of democracy emerged from that history Louis Hartz: fragment theory Tocqueville and American deliberative democracy SOCI 101 () The Sociology of Politics and Democracy November 17, 2011 21 / 27
The Contemporary Public Sphere Benjamin Page, Who Deliberates? Robert Putnam, Bowling Alone Frank Bryan, Real Democracy Ackerman and Fishkin, Deliberation Day SOCI 101 () The Sociology of Politics and Democracy November 17, 2011 22 / 27
The Contemporary Public Sphere Perrin, Citizen Speak The Democratic Imagination emerges from everyday life Deliberation happens all the time A rich democratic discourse enriches deliberation Real deliberation is an interactional, creative process SOCI 101 () The Sociology of Politics and Democracy November 17, 2011 23 / 27
Democracy as a Representative System Perrin and McFarland 2008, 2011 Public Policy Citizens Preferences SOCI 101 () The Sociology of Politics and Democracy November 17, 2011 24 / 27
Democracy as a Representative System Perrin and McFarland 2008, 2011 SOCI 101 () The Sociology of Politics and Democracy November 17, 2011 25 / 27
Shifting gears... Sociology in the Public Sphere SOCI 101 () The Sociology of Politics and Democracy November 17, 2011 26 / 27
Sociology in the Public Sphere Public problems often have empirical dimensions Sociology can address: What s really going on? Who s affected by it? How do policies, institutions, and decisions tend to affect people and groups? How do policies, institutions, and decisions tend to form and change? Why are people s perceptions sometimes so wrong? SOCI 101 () The Sociology of Politics and Democracy November 17, 2011 27 / 27