Sociology Chapter 16: The Economy and Work – Flashcards

economy

social institution

postindustrial economy

primary sector

secondary sector

tertiary sector

global economy

agricultural revolution

industrial revolution

the postindustrial economy propelled by the ___________ __________ is based on:

the information revolution made 3 significant changes:

Capitalism

Capitalism results in:

Socialism

Socialism results in:

communism

Welfare capitalism

under welfare capitalism:

State Capitalism

under State Capitalism:

primary labor market

secondary labor market

labor unions

profession

underground economy

jobs in the postindustrial U.S. economy

Self-employment

Unemployment

Information technology affect on work

Corporations

corporations form:

conglomerate

Conglomerates account for:

monopoly

oligopoly

Many large corporations operate as:

Modernization theorists claim that multinationals:

Dependency theorists claim that multinationals:;

The economy organizes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. T or F

The economy did not emerge as a distinct social institution until the Industrial Revolution.

One key to industrialization was creating new sources of energy.

Compared to agricultural work, industrial jobs involve less specialization.

The invention of the corporation is generally taken as the point at which a postindustrial society emerged.

The Information Revolution requires workers to gain literacy skills instead of the mechanical skills that were important during the Industrial Revolution.

Agricultural production is part of the primary sector of the economy.

The concepts "primary sector," "secondary sector," and "tertiary sector" refer to how productive a sector is in terms of economic value

The global economy pays little regard to national borders.

Adam Smith's idea was that, in a capitalist system, government tells businesses what to produce and consumers what to buy.

Although there are many privately-owned companies in the United States, most of the U.S. economy is owned and operated by the government.

Taken together, local, state, and federal governments are the U.S.'s largest single employer.

Socialism is also called a "laissez-faire" economic system.

Socialism has spread around the world to the point that, today, a majority of the world's nations have a socialist economic system.

Combining a market-based economy with an extensive social welfare program yields what is called "welfare capitalism."

Capitalism is more productive than socialism, and capitalism also creates greater economic inequality.

The concept "state capitalism" refers all productive enterprises in a country being owned by the government.

Socialist economies create greater economic equality than capitalist economies, but with a lower overall living standard.

Less than 2 percent of today's U.S. labor force works in agriculture.

Most people with jobs in the primary labor market would probably rather have jobs in the secondary labor market.

In the United States, union membership is higher today than ever before

Denmark is an example of a European nation with a system of welfare capitalism in which high taxes pay for extensive government-provided benefits.

The concept "paraprofessional" refers to work that requires skills, but typically lacks a broad theoretical knowledge of a field.

Most self-employed persons are professionals.

The self-employed are more likely to have blue-collar jobs than white-collar jobs.

A recent trend in the United States is a steady rise in the share of small businesses owned by women.

In recent years, the lowest unemployment rates in the United States have been among teenagers.

Prostitution and selling illegal drugs are typically part of the underground economy.

The U.S. workforce is becoming more "white," even as immigration rates rise.

One effect of computer technology is giving workers greater power over their employers.

The use of computers by workers tends to limit workplace interaction.

A corporation is an organization with a legal existence apart from that of its members.

Conglomerates are giant corporations composed of many smaller corporations.

Oligopoly refers to any company that operates in more than one country.

Monopoly refers to a corporation that operates within a single sector of the economy.

Large corporations dominate many markets in the global economy.

As a social institution, the economy a. produces and distributes goods and services. b. guides the consumption of goods and services. c. operates in a relatively predictable manner. d. All of these are correct.

Which social institution do most sociologists claim has the greatest effect on society as a whole? a. the family b. the economy c. the political system d. religion

Over the course of human history, revolutionary changes in which of the following have brought great changes to the economy? a. production technology b. the family c. population size d. natural resources

The text describes three technological revolutions that transformed all of social life. Which of the following is NOT one of them? a. the Agricultural Revolution b. the Industrial Revolution c. the Immigration Revolution d. the Information Revolution

The development of agriculture was set in motion by a. changes in the church. b. using animals to pull the plow. c. the discovery of writing. d. the discovery of oil.

The economy first became a distinct social institution during which historical stage of technological development? a. hunting and gathering societies b. agrarian societies c. industrial societies d. postindustrial societies

As societies industrialize, a smaller share of the population works in which of the following locations? a. farms b. factories c. assembly lines d. All of these are correct.

The Industrial Revolution was based on a. the spread of cottage industry. b. people beginning to work in their homes. c. a decrease in productive specialization. d. new sources of energy.

Which of the following new sources of energy launched the Industrial Revolution? a. the gasoline engine b. the steam engine c. wind power d. electricity

Early factories in New England, where the Industrial Revolution first developed in the United States a. employed women for half the wages paid to men. b. manufactured textiles. c. discouraged any worker organizations. d. All of these are correct.

The postindustrial economy is defined by a. the spread of factories. b. mass production of goods and services. c. manufacturing of raw materials. d. service work and computer technology.

Which of the following concepts refers to an economy based on computer technology? a. postindustrial economy b. industrial economy c. technological economy d. agrarian economy

Which of the following statements about the Information Revolution is NOT correct? a. There was a shift from making tangible products to generating ideas. b. There was a shift from mechanical skills to literacy skills. c. There was a shift from farming to turning raw materials into finished products. d. There was a shift from working in factories to working almost anywhere.

What sector of the economy generates raw materials directly from the natural environment? a. primary sector b. secondary sector c. tertiary sector d. None of these are correct.

Turning metals into automobiles is work that falls within the a. primary sector. b. secondary sector. c. tertiary sector. d. All of these are correct.

Looking at economies around the world, the primary sector is the largest in a. high-income nations. b. middle-income nations. c. low-income nations. d. It is the same size in all nations.

The expansion of office work marks the growth of the economy's a. primary sector. b. secondary sector. c. tertiary sector. d. None of these are correct.

In the United States, about what percentage of the labor force performs tertiary sector work? a. 15 percent b. 35 percent c. 55 percent d. 85 percent

The concept of "global economy" refers to a. economic activity that moves across national borders. b. the fact that only a few countries now contribute to the global economy. c. the fact that economic output is under the control of global political leadership. d. All of these are correct.

Globalization of the economy means that a. world regions specialize in one sector of economic activity. b. more and more products pass through several nations. c. a small number of businesses represent a huge share of global economic output. d. All of these are correct.

Capitalism is an economic system in which there is a. government control of production. b. private ownership of property. c. pursuit of collective goals. d. All of these are correct.

In a capitalist economic system, "justice" amounts to a. doing what is best for society's poorest members. b. everyone being more or less economically equal. c. freedom of the marketplace allowing people to follow their self-interest. d. All of these are correct.

The social thinker whose ideas supported the operation of a free-market economy most was a. Thorstein Veblen. b. Adam Smith. c. Karl Marx. d. Max Weber.

The United States is a mostly capitalist nation because a. the vast majority of productive businesses are privately owned. b. we have a system of free elections. c. of our high living standards. d. of the extensive government control of the economy.

Socialism is an economic system in which there is a. collective control of production. b. private ownership of property. c. pursuit of individual profit. d. All of these are correct.

Which of the following DOES NOT describe the operation of a socialist economy? a. collective orientation b. government control of production c. laissez-faire economy d. command economy

In a socialist economic system, "justice" amounts to a. trying to meet the basic needs of all in a equal manner. b. doing whatever helps boost company earnings. c. freedom of the marketplace. d. All of these are correct.

What is the hypothetical economic and political system in which all people in society are socially equal? a. capitalism b. socialism c. welfare capitalism d. communism

Which of the following concepts refers to a political and economic system that combines a mostly market-based economy with extensive social welfare programs? a. capitalism b. socialism c. welfare capitalism d. communism

An example of a European country with a mostly private economy and extensive social welfare programs is a. Germany. b. Sweden. c. Spain. d. All of these are correct.

The concept "state capitalism" refers to a system in which a. the government owns and operates most economic enterprises. b. privately-owned companies cooperate closely with the government. c. the government owns but does not operate most economic enterprises. d. large businesses control the government.

Which of the following countries best exemplifies a system of state capitalism? a. the United States b. Great Britain c. Australia d. Japan

Contrasted to socialist economic systems, capitalist economic systems are typically a. equally productive. b. more productive. c. less productive. d. not concerned with productivity.

Contrasted to socialist economic systems, capitalist economic systems typically a. generate more economic inequality. b. generate less economic inequality. c. generate about the same level of inequality. d. do not generate any social equality.

Concerning the issue of personal freedom, capitalist systems emphasize people's _____, while socialist systems emphasize people's _____. a. collective needs; personal needs b. freedom from basic want; freedom to pursue their self-interest c. freedom to pursue their self-interest; freedom from basic want d. social needs; material needs

In the United States about what share of the population aged sixteen and older is in the paid labor force? a. 18 percent b. 38 percent c. 58 percent d. 78 percent

Over the course of the last century, the number of people involved in agricultural work a. has remained about the same. b. has declined steadily. c. has increased dramatically. d. has stayed the same, although a larger share of workers are immigrants.

By the early 1960s, most of the people in the U.S. labor force had which type of job? a. white-collar b. blue-collar c. pink-collar d. farming

Yesterday's family farms have given way to a. importing most foods from abroad. b. collectively-run farming communes. c. corporate agribusinesses. d. smaller, individually-run farms.

The concept "primary labor market" refers to a. jobs that provide extensive benefits to workers. b. jobs typically taken by teenagers. c. jobs that require no particular training or experience. d. jobs that offer little pay and low security.

In recent decades, union membership a. has risen in the United States and other high-income nations. b. has risen in the United States, but not in other high-income nations. c. has declined in the United States, but not in other high-income nations. d. has declined in the United States and other high-income nations.

Read the four descriptions below. Which of them DOES NOT apply to a profession? a. having theoretical knowledge of a field b. working for a large, well-established company c. having authority over clients d. professing a community, rather than an individual, orientation

What percentage of today's U.S. workers are self-employed? a. 6.8 percent b. 26.8 percent c. 46.8 percent d. 66.8 percent

Which of the following would be included in the operation of the underground economy? a. a teacher who is on disability leave for a long time b. an executive who illegally "borrows" funds from the company c. a taxi driver who fails to report most of her income d. food servers who are paid less than the minimum wage

Which category of the U.S. population is showing the greatest labor-force increase in terms of percentage? a. white men b. Hispanic women c. white women d. African American women

Computers are having which of the following effects on the workplace? a. Computers are deskilling labor. b. Computers are limiting workplace interaction. c. Computers enhance employers' control of workers. d. All of these are correct.

A conglomerate is a. a giant corporation composed of many smaller corporations. b. a corporation in the manufacturing sector. c. a corporation engaged in both legal and illegal activity. d. any company that completely dominates a market.

The concept "oligopoly" refers to a. any corporation with more than $1 billion in sales. b. the largest company in a particular field. c. domination of a market by a few producers. d. a large company operating in all three economic sectors.

Modernization theorists see large corporations as a. offering little to help poor nations seeking to develop. b. unleashing the productive power of capitalism to speed development in poor nations. c. responsible for the debt crisis in many poor nations. d. needing the technology currently available in poor nations.

Dependency theorists see large corporations as a. the key to meeting the needs of people in poor nations. b. helping poor nations to develop local industries. c. a major source of foreign investment for poor nations. d. intensifying global inequality.