Macro-sociological Perspective Research Articles

Complex concepts with varying connotations: In search for conceptual definitions

One of the fundamental challenges for sociology is the interpretation of its key terms, which is determined by the fact that many words of everyday language and scientific discourse are the same despite implying a much higher level of generalization as sociological categories. Certainly, such challenges are more typical for the empirical research - when sociologists turn their theoretical concepts into sets of empirical indicators which have to be clear enough for the respondent to understand and answer the questionnaire and for the sociologist to interpret these answers correctly. Nevertheless, the lack of generally recognized conceptual definitions is no less important, because the general picture of social reality is necessarily made of them (the society is described as either fair, consisting of trustworthy institutions that provide opportunities for being happy, or in the opposite statements). The article presents a possible reconstruction of the strategy that sociologists use in the search for conceptual definitions for such complex concepts with varying connotations as love, happiness, trust and justice. This strategy consists of two steps: focus on the macro-sociological dimension of the phenomena under study as determining its various manifestations and everyday interpretations (the key step in the study of love and happiness); and identification of objective and subjective indicators of the phenomenon under study (the key step in the study of trust and justice). For instance, in the study of love and happiness, there is the obvious micro-sociological perspective that implies personal responsibility for being happy and loved, and the hidden macro-sociological perspective that implies social standards for identifying and achieving love and happiness; trust is defined as a source of social order, cooperation, institutional, organizational and everyday interactions, which reduces the level of uncertainty; in the searches for the conceptual definition of justice, there are two main approaches - the first approach considers justice as one of many grounds for developing some theoretical model; the second approach reconstructs justice either as an ideal political-philosophical model of social order or as a means of the comparative analysis of its practical implementations.

Ascribed identities in the global era: a complex approach

ABSTRACT This study focuses on the process of identity-building, wherein I aim to provide theoretical tools, other than social-psychology (especially symbolic interactionism), to help analyze the said process. Within the epistemic framework of complexity theories, I demonstrate that historical sociology provides sufficient background for understanding contemporary identity phenomena from a macro-sociological perspective. This enables the assessment of how, in the current scenario, identity dynamics can affect global phenomena and how the global social structure can affect identity-building processes worldwide. The notion of ascribed identities is, thus, crucial. In this study, I describe modernisation as a process where the ascribed characteristics (gender, religion, ethnicity) progressively lose their function of rigidly defining a person's identity, on behalf of personal achievements. Within this framework, I describe the current re-strengthening of ascribed identities and assess, through this description, which phase of the modernisation process is nowadays taking place.

Plasticity of Contemporary Racism: World-system Approach Anomalies and Emergence of Miles-Phizacklea 1977 Paradigm

Contemporary racism has been explained by a large number of perspectives, since the end of World War II, its nature was associated with Colonialism, a type of analysis based on the approach of race relations and complemented by the approach of the world-system. The present study develops a critical analysis with the world-system approach and lists the analytical improvements provided by the so-called Miles-Phizacklea 1977 paradigm. The conclusions of our research suggest that the methodological positivism of the world-system approach is successful only from a macrosociological perspective. However, the Miles-Phizacklea 1977 paradigm is capable of offering broader explanations related to contemporary racism. This paper offers guidelines that can help future research on the combination of micro and macro-sociological racism analysis.

A Critical Analysis of Globalization in China Daily Newspaper

This paper examines the ideological construction of globalization in two types of genres: newspaper Opinion-Editorial articles and political economic speeches in China Daily newspaper. The paper discusses how discourse and ideology are interconnected in texts on globalization, especially the global economy. As a result of the textual and sociological analysis, the paper identifies two central interrelated ideologies in the discourse of globalization: new capitalism and neoliberalism. These political economic ideologies are construed linguistically through vocabulary and socially through universalization. From a macro sociological perspective, the analysis implies that social-Darwinist survival of the fittest is inevitable in global economic affairs.

Contextualizing psychological contracts research: a multi-sample study of shared individual psychological contract fulfilment

ABSTRACTResearch on psychological contracts has made significant contributions to theoretically advancing our understanding of the employee-employer exchange relationship and its implications for organizational practice. However, the predominant emphasis of this empirical research has been on the individual level of analysis and in the process does not give sufficient attention to contextual influences. Teams have become a common feature in organizations today and provide a proximal context through which to understand how teams affect individuals’ evaluation of their psychological contract. Based on the macrosociological perspective of social exchange theory as well as theories on the role of social influence in psychological contract evaluations, we examine how shared individual psychological contract fulfilment (PCF) shapes the relationship between individual PCF and outcomes (employee’s own contributions and contextual performance) at the individual level as well as the predictors (group POS) and consequences (average employee contributions and average contextual performance) of shared individual PCF at the team level. Our findings from three studies, representing a total sample of 995 employees and 170 teams, provide support for the study hypotheses. This paper contributes to the psychological contract literature by conceptually and empirically addressing the role of a team context (shared individual PCF) and its impact on individual- and team-level relationships.

Visitor Inflows and Police Use of Force in a Canadian City

Early ethnographic studies suggested that police intervention should be understood within its larger context. Still, the number of studies focused on the ecology of force remains small compared to those of studies on individual and situational factors. Furthermore, Canada remains nearly absent from the academic literature on police use of force. Assuming that force does not occur in a spatially random manner, this article aims to test propositions for the main macrosociological perspectives in the use-of-force literature: social disorganization theory, the minority-threat hypothesis, and the theory of police rigour. Another purpose of this study is to investigate whether, at the level of the census tract (CT), visitor inflows are predictive of police action. Negative binomial regression modelling is used to predict the occurrence of 1,411 self-reported uses of force in 506 CTs. The findings show that social disorganization is the most predictive explanation for the frequency of use-of-force situations in an area. The analysis also supports the proposition that the frequency of use-of-force situations is positively related to the level of crime in the area. While the inclusion of visitor inflows significantly improves the analysis of spatial variations of police use of force, it contributes relatively little relative to other explanations. No support was found for the minority-threat hypothesis, nor for Klinger's theory of police vigour.

Ethnic Identity from a Macro-Sociological Perspective: Second-generation Iranian “immigrants”

Ethnic Identity from a Macro-Sociological Perspective: Second-generation Iranian “immigrants”

Racial–Ethnic Socialization and Youth Ideological Formations in an Era of Diversity and Inclusion

This article introduces a special issue of Humanity & Society which aims to expand approaches to the development of racial and ethnic minority youths’ beliefs regarding the role of race and racism in shaping U.S. society. In this introduction, I highlight the increasingly contradictory nature of our public discourse on race as signaling a unique moment in which taking stock of how racial and ethnic minority youth learn race must be linked more directly to their ideological development. I suggest that at the core of these contradictions is the ethos of individualism which is both a key principle of our national identity and a pillar that sustains the racialized character of our social system. A brief review of two parallel lines of inquiry—the micro-oriented field of race and ethnic socialization and macro-sociological perspectives on the determinants of ideological formations among American Blacks—is offered in support of a call to wed insights from these fields.

Surveys on Household Consumption: An Overview of the Most Common Surveys

1. The sociology of consumptionThis paper presents an overview of some of the most common surveys of household consumption. The number of sociology studies addressing household consumption has increased greatly over the last twenties years. The reasons for this growth are numerous, with the three most influential factors being: i) Bourdieu's (1984) analysis of consumption behaviour, a study which emphasised the importance of consumption practices in social differentiation; ii) the studies by Castells (1977), which have provoked an increased use of the concept of collective consumption; and iii) the diffusion of the culture of studying the consumption of goods, their use and significance. Consequent to these developments, sociologists have started to analyse many aspects of consumption. Some studies have focussed on the consumption behaviours of individuals - the micro-sociological perspective, while others have focussed on the consumer behaviours of an aggregate of individuals - the macro-sociological perspective; for example, some people buy certain products to indicate that they live in a particular way or that they believe something.The study of consumption is not merely the analysis of consumed products. Indeed, this field of research addresses many different elements of product consumption, including: the decision processes involved in choosing one product over another; consumer practices; the quality of goods consumed; the price of goods; the strategies used to promote specific products; and a variety of other features. The analysis of these factors can be carried out in relation to the individual or on the societal level.Moreover, changing consumption practices have undeniable characterised the development of society and can be been correlated with the level of social status in people. Indeed, nowadays we can affirm that consumption is also associated with the diffuse use of information technology within society. Thanks to the widespread availability of the Internet, an increasing portion of society is starting to buy and even exchange products online. What is more, consumption practice has become a method through which people use to communicate with others.In some countries, the current economic crisis has reduced as well as modified both individual and family consumption practices, thus the need to study these practices has become increasingly important. The present overview, does not helps us understand the changes in individual and family behaviours and identify new strategies for combating the economic crisis, rather it presents a summary of the most common surveys about household consumption. The surveys addressed in this essay consider household consumption as well as general family finances. Some other surveys are also considered that do not specifically regard consumption, but which are nevertheless useful here because they address variables associated with household finances or general consumption. All of the surveys considered were funded by public institutions, public utility foundations or consumer organisations; none were sponsored by private companies.In some cases, especially for some international surveys, like the Household Budget Survey (HBS) and the Household Finance and Consumption Network (HFCN), survey information is difficult to recognise accurately because such supranational surveys collect their data from nationals' survey, which may be carried out in different ways. For example, in some countries the HBS is carried out every year and in other countries only every five years. Of consequence, it is only possible to perform an international comparative study every five years.The surveys described here concern the European area and they are classified into three groups: surveys that regard the European area, national areas or local areas. Here, the last cluster is relative to Italy. As much information about each survey is provided as was possible to obtain, including items such as the name of the principal investigator, the sponsoring institution (and thus owner of the data), the surveyed topics, the sampling procedure and interview techniques used, the frequency of data collection and the survey's website address. …

Language and Ideology in Texts on Globalization: A Critical Discourse Analysis

A contentious question in critical language studies has been whether and how ideology is embedded in discourse. This question has attracted attention from scholars within the humanities and social sciences. A number of scholars argue that there is a dialectical relationship between language and ideology. Discourse internalizes and is internalized. By applying Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as a transdisciplinary research approach, this paper (re)examines the ideological construction of globalization in two types of genres: newspaper Opinion-Editorial articles and political economic speeches. The paper discusses how discourse and ideology are interconnected in texts on globalization, especially the global economy. As a result of the textual and sociological analysis, the paper identifies two central interrelated ideologies in the discourse of globalization: new capitalism and neoliberalism. These political economic ideologies are construed linguistically through vocabulary and socially through universalization. From a macro sociological perspective, the analysis implies that social-Darwinist survival of the fittest is inevitable in global economic affairs.

Social Construction of Poverty in Ghana: A Structural Sociological Analysis

Poverty is a social construct largely based on the culture of poverty paradigm where the poor are blamed for their plight. Poverty constructed this way diverts attention from the social forces responsible for it. In order to thoroughly understand poverty in Ghana, therefore, we need to engage in the sociological imagination to see if poverty is a personal problem or a public issue. This paper aims to disprove the culture of poverty paradigm, which defines poverty as a personal problem, and redirect the attention to the macro social structure as the premise upon which poverty resides, thus making it an important public issue.The general objective of the paper is to use the macro sociological perspectives - functionalist, conflict, feminist, and postmodernist - to make a cogent case against the culture of poverty paradigm as basis for the social construction of poverty. Specifically, the paper identifies the social groups more susceptible to experience poverty in Ghana, the macro social forces responsible for their susceptibility, and propose feasible specific policy strategies to address poverty and the social pathologies tied to it.

Can the Earned Income Tax Credit Increase the Number of Unmarried Black Parent Families?

Since the 1960s an increasing number of Black children are reared by poor unmarried parents on welfare. To reduce poverty, minimize welfare dependence, and provide a monetary incentive for low-income, unmarried parents to wed, the government established the earned income tax credit (EITC). Since its establishment in 1975, however, scholars know very little about whether this credit can increase Black marriage among low-income couples with children. To address this paucity, I support and extend Mayhew's (1980, 1981) micro-sociological and macro-sociological perspectives by highlighting the individual, interpersonal, and sociological factors that encourage or discourage Black marriage. I examined the qualitative responses of 17 Blacks between the ages of 23 and 61 years regarding whether they believed an increased child dependent tax credit (limited to married parents) would increase the number of married parent Black families. Qualitative analyses of the data revealed that although some participants were hopeful that the EITC could increase the number of Black marriages, most did not believe the EITC would substantially increase the number of Black marriages because the credit fails to address the intrinsic value of marriage. Supporting qualitative data are presented in connection with each theme. Practical and policy implications for Black marriage are also discussed.

Ombudsmanship and Turkey's Europeanization in ‘World Society’

This article investigates Europeanization in a candidate country from a macro-sociological perspective. From the point of view of sociology, extant Europeanization studies treat culture only in a reductionist manner. In particular, ‘sender-receiver’ models overlook the domestic perceptions that translate, vernacularize or reframe exogenous conditionality. Furthermore, ‘goodness of fit’ approaches ‘bringing domestic agency back in’ misleadingly reinforce the image that the domestic and the external spheres are easily separated. By studying the ombudsmanship reform in Turkey, the article concludes that: (1) the content of Europeanization is not purely European; (2) the role for domestic norm entrepreneurs in leading cultural change is variable and constrained; and (3) domestic motivations for Europeanization include exogenous factors trespassing upon EU conditionality, that is, global culture/world society.

Machteloosheid van ouderen onderbelicht

There is much research into problems of the elderly in The Netherlands. It seems however that studies from a macro-sociological perspective are scarce. This is discussed in greater detail focusing on the concept of power. Using a well-known definition of Max Weber, it is assumed that the dependency of many older people gives rise to serious powerlessness. Firstly this is reflected in the usual problem representation, with shows a heavy emphasis on "dangers" of the burden of the babyboom-generation and on the "leisure class-life" of old people. Second, considering the policy measures with the pensions and the care system, the question can be raised if a countervailing power is actually present. In most cases a comparison with younger cohorts is lacking, and there is not much insight in the processes underlying the decision making processes and the networks involved.

Are the poor socially integrated? The link between poverty and social support in different welfare regimes

Cultures of support vary across enlarged Europe. This article examines the link between poverty and social integration in countries characterized by different economic, cultural and welfare state regimes. Its object is to determine whether being materially disadvantaged increases the likelihood of social disintegration (accumulation) or whether poor people can count on receiving more support (compensation). In addition it will examine the conditions under which material and social disadvantages accumulate. The empirical analysis thus combines a micro- with a macro-sociological perspective and focuses particular attention on the context in which people are poor. Although poverty is closely connected to social disintegration, the degree of accumulation varies from one country to the next. Of decisive importance is household composition, which is strongly related to country-specific social policy design. Contextual factors such as the prevalence of poverty also play a role, as do general attitudes to religion and family solidarity.

Evolution der Medien und der Medienkontrolle im postsowjetischen Russland

The political influence of media practices in post-Soviet Russia is very much related to the ongoing change of media control. Thus, it is highly important to examine the question concering societal and media pre-conditions of such a development in media. Exemplifying the evolution of television structures in the (post-) Soviet Russia between 1970 and 2006, one can show in which ways the typical forms of propaganda communication of the Soviet Union (commencing 1985/86), were replaced by new forms of media communication. The empirical data illustrates that not only media structures but also the forms of media control are changing. The macro-sociological perspective of this paper focuses on the connection between the media evolution and the societal formation of the former Soviet Union.

Africa: Cultural Dimensions of Corruption and Possibilities for Change

Corruption has seriously impeded the growth and effective utilization of Africa's vast economic potentials. This paper traces from a macro-sociological perspective, the roots of public service corruption in the socio-economic and political fabric of African countries as evidenced in traditional and modernistic conceptualizations of societal development. The relationship between this background and current trends in probity, accountability and efficiency in the African context is also examined. This paper partly employs a comparative strategy and relates the African picture of corrupt practices to an analysis of Nigeria's situation. In conclusion, it posits prescriptions for social change

Peace, Conflict and Development: A Macro Sociological Perspective

It is significant that we are in an era when development as a process of socioeconomic change is widely conceptualised in direct reference to peace and conflict. Development-assistance agencies, such as the World Bank, have shown an increasing tendency to view development as a pro cess with peace and conflict implications. In other words, the widely held view today is that development could help avoid or reduce conflict. It is not difficult to understand why development practitioners are concerned about the 'conflict potential' of development. According to 2000/2001 World Development Report, 80 percent of the incidents of civil war and strife during the period 1990-95 were concentrated in deve loping countries (World Bank 2001: 50). It is also significant that a large proportion of these conflicts have taken place in sub-Saharan Africa that has one of the world's highest concentrations of abject poverty. What is noted here, by implication, is that there is a symbiotic relationship between the level of development and conflict: 'poor countries produce more conflict, and widespread conflicts, in turn, produce greater poverty and deprivation'. What is peculiar about the above analysis is that it is contextualised in an extremely ahistorical manner. In other words, the contextualisation is largely independent of time and space. On the other hand, a broader conceptual framework would indicate that development is a process that has often involved both structural and symbolic violence. It is a pheno menon with a long history, spanning over several centuries (cf. Baeck 1993). Moreover, deprivation and poverty in much of the developing world cannot be discussed without reference to growth and affluence elsewhere (cf. Rifkin 1981). '9/11' (11 September 2002), which many people routinely refer to when they, talk about the present global condition, has persuaded the world leaders to explicitly recognise the connection between develop ment and security. While some commentators would like to see the nexus as one connected with conflicting value systems or worldviews (Huntington 1991), others see a structural link between material and symbolic violence, on the one hand, and growing terrorism, on the other.

Law, Political Reconstruction and Constitutional Politics

The purpose of this introductory article is to put the constitutional reconstruction that followed the collapse of Communism in 1989 in historical and macrosociological perspective. The `new constitutionalism' is considered the novel feature of the post-1989 transition to democracy, and is analytically contrasted with the old constitutionalism and the classic idea of rule of law, and with the ideological constitution-making of the intervening era. The role of constitutional courts as the typical institution of the new constitutionalism is highlighted. The concept of `constitutional politics' is developed to throw light on the process of political reconstruction, and the variation in its interface with the law is considered along a spectrum ranging from the `judicialization of politics' to the `politicization of the judiciary'. Contemporary constitutional regimes are compared with respect to their distance from ideological politico-legal regimes, the extent to which the emergency powers of the head of the state creates a situation of `dual legality', and in terms of the contribution of their major institutions to the transition to democracy.

Toward A Renewed Sociological Jurisprudence: From Roscoe Pound to Herbert Blumer and Beyond

This article, based on the Distinguished Lecture presented on August 21, 2001, at the annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction in Anaheim, California, proposes a synthesis of Herbert Blumer's macrosociological perspective on the race question with Roscoe Pound's philosophy and science of law (i.e., his so‐called sociological jurisprudence), Joseph Tussman's and Jacobus tenBroek's juridical methodology, and Philip Selznick's sociology of responsive law. The compound so produced will help to establish a foundation for a praxiological sociology of American constitutional law. The article focuses on the problem of legislative‐made “classifications” and their relations to the legitimate public purposes entailed in the enactment of statutes, laws, and decrees. Such classifications become problematic when they are said to be “underinclusive,” “over‐inclusive,” or both in seeking to effect their aims. Strategic research sites for this issue are racial and ethnic classifications that single out one or a limited cluster of racial or ethnic groups for special benefits (“affirmative action”) or restitution (“reparations”). Calling for a reinvigoration of Pound's pragmatic approach to sociological jurisprudence, I show how Blumer's analysis of the “color line”—when seen in relation to the original intent of the makers of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth post‐Civil War Amendments to the U.S. Constitution and, using Tussman's and tenBroek's showing of how such categorizations might be both methodically evaluated and applied to the challenged classifications—provides grounds for reconsidering whether the latter are instances of “reverse discrimination” and, hence, violations of the constitutional requirement of “equal protection of the law.”The science of law is a science of social engineering having to do with that part of the whole field which may be achieved by the ordering of human relations through the action of politically organized society.—Roscoe Pound, Justice According to LawWe did not hold it necessary to wait for nature to put a canal across the Isthmus of Panama, and we shall not much longer hold it necessary to wait for nature to dig the legal canals that will give security to neglected human interests which clamor for recognition and protection.—Roscoe Pound, “Juristic Problems of National Progress”