SOCIOL 1A06 Chapter 18: NS - Chapter 18 – Politics and Social Movements.docx
11 Apr 2012
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Document Summary
Democracy involves a two-way process of control between the state (the set of institutions that formulate and carry out a country"s law, policies and binding regulations) and civil society (the private sphere, consisting of social movements, political parties, etc. ) The level of democracy in a society depends on the capacity of civil society to influence the state through citizen support of social movements, political parties and other groups. That capacity increases as power becomes more widely distributed in society. Although pluralists correctly note that democratic politics is about negotiation and compromise, they fail to appreciate how advantaged groups tend to have more political influence than others. Although elite theorists are correct to note that power is concentrated in the hands of advantaged groups, they fail to appreciate how variations in the distribution of power influence political behavior and public policy.
