Essay Question Topics

1. What is Political Economy? How does it help us understand the functioning of society?

According to Glasberg and Shannon It is an important intersection between the economy and the state which generate economic power differentials. For example Capitalism as a political economy produce wealth that is then privately appropriate by own of the mean of production.  By the other hand in political economy of socialism means of production are more likely to be controlled by the state. Also, Communist Political Economy whereby the means of production are collectively owned by the workers themselves. Political economy is a key of understanding the role of the state in reproducing or resisting structure of power and inequality in our society. Also, help us to understand that structures of power produce subordination, imbalance and oppression. 
Oppression Attitudes behaviors, action by which members of one group are exploited and subordinate while members of another group are granted privileged.
Matrix of domination: Structures of oppression are not isolated from one another but it’s forming a complex. It means that people live with different status of oppression simultaneously. Example: A poor black woman lesbian.
Differences between state, nation and nation state?

2. Define and provide examples of racism, patriarchy, and heteronormativity. (these three are power structure of oppression)

Patriarchy: Is a system of gendered inequality and oppression in which males are more valued and privileged than women, so patriarchy enforces inferiority and subordination of women. For example, the argument that women is biologically weaker than men

Racism is a power structured of oppression and inequality where there is a discrimination against others based racial categories as the skin color. For example argue that whites Americans are genetically superior of African American.

Heteronormativity is a power structure in the society where some people is privileged because of their sexual or gender practice. For example, people who are gay, bisexual, lesbian or transgender can suffer violent attacks, social discrimination or employment prejudice.

3. In Stranger’s opinion what can and can’t the state do? Why does this matter?

-The state can sacrifice lives of individual citizens for defending national territory                           
-Providing a safety net. Ex. Welfare for old, young, sick disables and unemployed                               
-Choose economy and manage it (capitalism, socialism or communism) according with Susan Strange the state has the freedom for choosing the appropriate form of capitalism develop in two models.
-Maintain the value of currency
-Confine citizens in prison
-Control over foreign trades(international trades), specially imports.
-Building of infrastructure from ports and roads to posts.
-Correcting the tendency of market economy to cyclical booms and slumps (crisis). Ex. Marshall Plan for east and central Europe.
-taxation
-Mange monopoly (competitive environment in the national market)

It matters because the state it’s a powerful social structure. Thus, it’s necessary determinate limits of it power and establish the relationship between state, society and oppression. Also because which Weber it’s the only one with the legitimate authority to generate violence, according with Weber.

4. Explain what Piven means by rule-making and rule-breaking; provide examples.

According with Piven Rule making is a strategy of domination and power that create rules specifying the behavior that is prohibit or allow in the society, it is create by people, enforced by people and violated by people. For example national laws imposed by the State. By the other hand, rule breaking it’s a rupture in the society in which people defy rules as a strategy in challenge to domination. For example, El Salvador in 1980 had a civil war length 12 years in which the guerrilla fights against the government and its military politics. 
According with the zero sum conflict is endemic linked with power in the social life. Power presupposes conflict when resistance has to be overcome.

5. What is Biopower, provide examples. How is biopower used to control citizens? (Foucault)

According by Foucault Biopower is the control over our physical bodies in two forms:  First, the human body is treated like a machine: productive and economically useful. For example in the military, education and the workplace, biopower seeks to create a more disciplined and effective population.
Second, the regulation of population which focuses on the reproductive capacity of the human body. This form of bio-power appears in demography, wealth analysis, and ideology, and seeks to control the population on a statistical level.
* NO fruitless pleasure—reproductive sex only! For Foucault, power, discourse, and knowledge are linked. Knowledge is never a neutral accumulation of facts. There is always a "will to knowledge," a drive to gain knowledge of certain things, and to gain it in a particular way. The more we know about something, the more power we have over it. Further, in coming to know new things, we make use of what we already know, and so learning is also an exercise of power. For instance, in scrutinizing and classifying different forms of sexual perversion, we are using our powers of analysis while also gaining new knowledge, and hence new power. Discourse works its way in here as well, since what we know of something, and how we know it, is directly related to how we can talk about it.

6. Explain what the Mills meant by the “Power Elite.”

Mills argued that power is concentrated in few hands in key institutions of society: State, corporate economy, and military. He offered a positional theory of the power elite in which power is not a trait of individuals; to be powerful require access to command position in the key institution of society.
Mills argued, the elite are of one mind and one single interest because three related process: co potation, class identity and interchangeability.

7. Explain what Polanyi meant by the “double movement.”
Society moves to protect itself. For example for Boom and bust cycles

9. How did Gramsci conceive of power structures, provide examples?
The power structured according with Gramsci established a cultural domination and hegemony in which elites dominate cultural diverse societies by controlling the beliefs, ideologies, explanations (cause and effect), perceptions and values. For example, The control of social media and public opinion, and accept the fact that workers are just hired workers not own of main of production

10. How do the media, family and peers shape our political socialization, provides examples?
According to Glasberg and Shannon the political socialization process of women and men is not random, in contrast is deep seated in values and ideologies that support the power structures of society through institution such as Family, State, Media, School. For instance, media support the figure of women as weak, delicate, dependents, meanwhile men is strong, intelligent and free (patriarchy idea), families promoted the stereotype of submissive women who assumed the household chores and taking care kids while men are ill suited to these chores