Exam 13: Politics and the Economy in Global Perspective.

Subcontracted work is another form of contingent work that often cuts employers' costs at the expense of workers. Instead of employing a large work force, many companies have significantly reduced the size of their payrolls and benefit plans by subcontracting.

__________ refers to an economic and political system that combines private ownership of some of the means of production, governmental distribution of some essential goods and services and free elections.

Ideal capitalism has four distinctive features. Which of the following is not a feature of Ideal capitalism?

__________ is a political system in which the state seeks to regulate all aspects of people's public and private lives.

__________ relies on modern technology to monitor and control people; mass propaganda and electronic surveillance are widely used to influence people's thinking and control their actions.

__________ percent of the voting-age population of the United States (age 18 and older) voted in the 2004 presidential election.

The iron triangle of power is a three-way arrangement in which a private interest group (usually a corporation), a congressional committee or subcommittee, and a bureaucratic agency make the final decision on a political issue that is to be decided by that agency.

People have a greater tendency to accept authority as legitimate if they are __________ dependent on those who hold power. They may also accept authority more readily if it reflects their own beliefs and values.

British kings and queens historically traced their authority from God. Members of subordinate classes obey a leader's edicts out of economic and political dependency and sometimes personal loyalty. This example illustrates __________.

According to C. Wright Mills, the media

Power is a social relationship that involves both leaders and followers. Power is also a dimension in the structure of social stratification. Persons in positions of power control valuable resources of society, including wealth, status, comfort and safety, and are able to direct the actions of others while protecting and enhancing the privileged social position of their class.

Define socialism and describe its major characteristics.

C. Wright Mills argued that the major function of the media and journalists was to be a "watchdog for the public."

Political institutions first emerged in __________ societies as they acquired surpluses and developed greater social inequality. Elites took control of politics and used custom or traditional authority to justify their position.

__________ is the largest nonfinancial U.S. transnational corporation (ranked by foreign revenues).

Political Systems in global perspective

__________ emerge as countries develop specific geographic territories and acquire greater ability to defend their borders. Improvements in communication and transportation make it possible for people in a large geographic area to share a common language and culture.

Competition is reduced over the long run by __________, where members of the board of directors of one corporation also sit on the board(s) of other corporations.

According to the text, what is the first step in keeping an eye on the news?

Charismatic authority tends to be temporary and relatively unstable; it derives primarily from individual leaders (who may change their minds, leave, or die) and from an administrative structure usually limited to a small number of faithful followers.