Reference no: EM133769578

Assignment:

What feedback can you give the student based on discussion board?

The diagram from the "Who Rules America" website illustrates the relationship between wealth, income, and political power. It reveals a hierarchical structure where a small, elite group at the top holds substantial influence over political and economic decisions, while the broader population has less direct impact. The diagram highlights that wealth and income are not merely economic metrics but are also crucial determinants of political power and influence.

Impact of Wealth and Income:

According to Marger (2014), wealth and income play significant roles in shaping social inequality and political power. The diagram shows that individuals with higher income and wealth have greater access to political influence, either through direct means, such as donations to political campaigns, or indirectly, by controlling media and shaping public opinion. High-income individuals and wealthy families often have the resources to fund political campaigns, lobby policymakers, and thus steer public policies in their favor (Marger 2014: 245-247).

This concentration of wealth translates into political dominance, where the preferences and needs of the wealthy are prioritized over those of the general population. As wealth becomes more concentrated, the disparity in political power between the rich and the average citizen grows, reinforcing existing social inequalities.

Classical View of Democratic Political Systems:

The classical view posits that in a democratic system, citizens have power through active participation, such as voting, lobbying, or engaging in public discourse. However, evidence from chapter 12 of Marger (2014) suggests that this assumption may not fully capture the complexities of political influence in the U.S. political system. Marger (2014) argues that while democratic ideals suggest equal participation, in reality, political power is often concentrated among affluent and organized groups who can leverage their resources to influence political decisions (Marger 2014: 280-283). This discrepancy reveals that the democratic process may be skewed in favor of those with greater economic resources.

Dominant Groups in American Political Process:

According to chapter 12 of the textbook, the American political process is predominantly dominated by the wealthy elite and organized interest groups. This dominance is expressed through their ability to fund political campaigns, shape policy agendas, and exert pressure on lawmakers (Marger 2014: 275-278). Wealthy individuals and corporations often have more access to policymakers and greater influence over legislation compared to average citizens, which skews policy outcomes in favor of the affluent.

Class Models of Political Power:

Chapter 12 describes two contrasting views within the class model of political power: the pluralist model and the elite model. The pluralist model suggests that political power is distributed among a variety of competing interest groups, and that policy outcomes result from negotiation and compromise among these diverse groups (Marger 2014: 268-270). In contrast, the elite model argues that power is concentrated in the hands of a small, privileged group who dominate political and economic systems, with limited influence from the broader populace (Marger 2014: 273-275). The elite model posits that the political process is largely controlled by this elite group, which maintains its dominance through the strategic use of wealth and influence.

References:

Marger, Martin N. 2014. Social Inequality: Patterns and Processes. 6th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

"Who Rules America." 2024. University of California, Santa Cruz.