SOC-UA 1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 21: Pentagon, Ivy League, Elite
27 Apr 2016
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Topics: state and public policy & domhoff"s theory of power. Power is most consequential when exercised through the government and government institutions. Definitions: state permanent political institutions and permanent parts of the political system that don"t change after an election, government who"s in power at the moment, federal state military, constitution, etc, state and local governments. Decide criminal justice policies: death penalty education: testing and standards for diplomas. Why is the concept of the state needed: politicians are limited by these permanent institutions that are extremely difficult to change, about three quarters of the national budget is untouchable because it is dedicated to these institutions. What do states do: five critical areas, war making. Military, pentagon, intelligence agencies, national security: rulemaking/regulation, environmental laws, controversial red tape , legal enforcement (criminal/civil, police, fbi, sheriff, courts, social welfare, taxes. States and economy: in the absence o regulation people might not play fair.
