THE EVOLUTION OF MODERN INSTITUTIONS

The global �deepening� of world system expansion involves the extension of capitalist culture into the basic structure/institutions of societies all over the world. This process is mediated both by the position of nations in the world system (C, SP, P) and by the internal class structure of the individual nations. A key part of this process is the increasing �contradiction� between nonmaterial and material culture. Nonmaterial culture (especially aspirations) is most quickly/heavily influenced by capitalist deepening, while the penetration and availability of material culture (technology, productivity, etc.) often lags far behind or is non-existent.

Key processes:  Commodification, Mechanization, Contract model, Proletarianization, Polarization.

Key cultural result of these processes:   Individualization and Universalization.


                                       CORE                              SEMI-PERIPH                           PERIPHERY


DIV. OF LABOR             Post-industrial                  Proto-industrial                        Pre-industrial
                                       (service economy)           agri - indus - service                agri/primary prod
                                                                               (like 1900 U.S.)                       (like 1850 U.S.)

PRODUCTIVITY             High productivity              Medium productivity                 Low productivity
                                       PC-GNP  20K                  PC-GNP  5-10K                       PC-GNP  < 1K  

POPULATION                 ZPG or near ZPG            Slowed growth                         Slowing growth
                                       (lo BR / lo DR)                 (med BR / lo DR)                     (hi BR / med DR)
                                       �Graying� pop                 Aging pop                                Young pop

STRATIFICATION          Complex class sys           3 class system                         2 class system
                                      (5 classes in U.S.)           (rich, small mc,                        (tiny rich class,
                                                                               large poor class)                     huge poor class)

POLITY                          Cap democracy               Cap authoritarian                    Authoritarian
                                      Universal suffrage            Near univ suff                         Class dominated


FAMILY                          Post-modern                   Modern nuclear                       Pre-mod extended
                                      (fragmented)                   (economic unit)                        (social unit)


KNOWLEDGE                 Post-modern                   Modern - Mixed                       Pre-modern
                                       (scientific-techno)           (secularizing)                          (religious) 

  
Education                   Universal through HS      Universal through GS             Class based
                                       Class based higher ed    Class based after that

  
Literacy                      Universal - 95-98%          High - 80-95%                         Low/Med - 30-80%
  
  
Medicine                     Modern +                        Modern +                                Pre-modern
                                       Universal access             Class based access               limited access
                                       (lo IMR, hi LEX)               (med IMR, med LEX)             (hi IMR, lo LEX)



CHAPTER 7 - INSTITUTIONS OF MODERNITY
  (Seven discussions of five different institutional sectors)


1.   Indus Revol usually seen as "great divide" between pre-modern and modern society.
         Sanderson says earlier capitalist revolution is the real divide  --  why?

What is proto-industrialization?

Why was industrialization really "mechanization within capitalism"?


2.  Rise and fall of the Soviet Union


Was the Soviet Union a "socialist core" country exploiting its trading partners?

What two factors were the main sources of economic problems leading to collapse?

Internal -
External -

(I will add another piece to this in class)

Why does Sanderson say that socialism is not dead?


3.  Stratification and mobility


Browse the different analyses of class - nobody seems to agree about what class is!
Note:  These theories individualize class and ignore class reproduction!

I will discuss an alternative view in class (based on families and class reproduction).

How much class "mobility" is there in modern capitalist society?


4.   Evolution of the modern state


What were "absolutism" and the absolute state?

Whose interests were promoted by the absolutist states?

According to Sanderson, why has the modern state expanded so much?

What are the three stages of evolution of parliamentary democracy?  (p. 295)

According to Sanderson, who benefits most from democracy and why?  (caps or workers)


5.   Mass education


Mid-1800's formal education was "irrelevant" - since then huge expansion:
compulsory primary educ, universal secondary educ, expanding higher educ.

What is the functionalist/meritocratic theory?

What is the labor discipline theory?

What is credential inflation?

What is the connection of education expansion to nation building?

How does Sanderson explain the expansion of education?

(I will add to Sanderson's explanation in class - surplus population & "safety valve")


6.   The Scientific Revolution


What are the three phases of the early scientific revolution?

How is the growth of "big science" related to the WSYS?

Why do less developed countries try to generate big science?

How did Robert Merton explain the rise of science?

How did Toby Huff explain the rise of science?

What do both of these theories overlook?

How does Sanderson explain the rise of science?


7.  Post-industrial society

How did Daniel Bell describe the emergence of post-industrialism?

How does Sanderson respond to the three key claims of Bell's theory?

Note: I disagree with Sanderson here - I'll talk about this in class.

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