Sociologists have long debated how power is

spread throughout the US population

Weber defined power as the ability to get one’s way,

even in the face of opposition from others

Decision making is complex and often takes

place behind closed doors

Two competing models

Pluralist Model

Power Elite/Marxist Model

The Pluralist Model

An analysis of politics that sees power as spread

among many competing interest groups

Pluralists claim:

Politics is an arena of negotiation

Organizations operate as veto groups

Realizing some goals but mostly keeping opponents from

achieving all of theirs

Political process relies heavily on creating alliances

and compromises so that policies gain wide support

The Power Elite/Marxist Model

An analysis of politics that sees power as

concentrated among the rich

Based on social-conflict theory

Upper class holds most of society’s wealth,

prestige, power

Power-elite/Marxist theorists say US is not a

democracy

Economic and political system give a few people

so much power that the average person’s voice

cannot be heard

Reject pluralist idea that various center of power

serve as checks and balances on one another

The difference between the two is that the

Marxist view sees the economic sphere as most

important, while the Power Elite view regards the

economy, government, and military as equally

important

Economic Concentration

Most US corporations are small

Assets less than $500,000

Largest corporations dominate nation’s

economy

ExxonMobil

Largest US corporation

208 billion in total assets

Corporations are linked through

INTERLOCKING DIRECTORATES

Networks of people who serve as directors of many

corporations

This increases the concentration of power.

Labor Unions

Decline in Labor Unions

Organizations that seek to improve wages and

working conditions

Widespread decline in membership

Shrinking industrial sector of the economy

Newer service jobs less likely to be unionized

Aggressive anti-union campaigns

Voting in the U.S.

How is our system set up?

Winner-take-all plurality voting

How does this differ from other countries?

What are the implications of the

differences?

Special-Interest Groups

People organized to address some economic or

social issue

Employ LOBBYISTS to support goals

Political Action Committees (PAC’s)

Formed by special interest groups to raise and spend

money in support of political aims

Does having the most money matter in public

elections? YES!

90% of the candidates with the most money end up

winning

Source: Bartels (2008)

Example of Military Spending

Defense is US government’s third biggest

expenditure after social security

US has emerged as the world’s single military

superpower

More military might than the next nine nations

combined

Military-Industrial Complex

The close association of the federal government, the

military, and defense industries

Federal Budget in 2010

$3.7 trillion total

$721 billion on Social Security

$883 billion on medical care (mainly

Medicare and Medicaid)

$692 billion on the military