StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Sociology: Capitalism, Socialism and the Concept of Mixed Economy - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
This essay "Sociology: Capitalism, Socialism and the Concept of Mixed Economy" focus on capitalism, socialism and involves two planes: the political and the economic. It is essential to demarcate the political and economic levels that are involved within the structure of capitalistic ideologies…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER96.6% of users find it useful
Sociology: Capitalism, Socialism and the Concept of Mixed Economy
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Sociology: Capitalism, Socialism and the Concept of Mixed Economy"

Sociology Define capitalism and socialism and the concept of mixed economy. Both capitalism and socialism involves two planes: the political andthe economic. For capitalism, it is essential to demarcate the political and the economic levels that are involved within the structure of capitalistic ideologies. Assumptions concerning the political or economic levels are often omitted to the benefit only of hazy thinking. Capitalism centers around the concepts of individually owned private property in a decentralized market operated by the forces of supply and demand in the quest for profit. Capitalism means that the “government leaves the people alone regarding all economic activities. It is the separation of economy and state” (Capitalism, socialism and Mixed-Economy, 2007). According to Przeworski (1990) capitalist economic system working under a totalitarian political one is possible. In most cases, capitalism requires a democratic political system in which to function. Likewise a socialist economic system can be either part of Communism or Socialism. Thus capitalist economic institutions under totalitarian governments (for instance, Fascist or Communist) become generally more centralized, more planned, and rely less or not at all on a free market. Capitalism, therefore, requires a democratic political environment if it is to exist and function. It should be recognized that state ownership, and control, and planning produce a bureaucracy and power situation which may latently provide the basis for totalitarianism. Socialism means ”control of property is put into the hands of society as a whole” (Capitalism, socialism and Mixed-Economy, 2007). The classical argument for the perfectly competitive, and free market has therefore been under considerable attack for some years. The weak point of socialist system is that it rests on collectivism which limits free market operations and economic performance. One of the most obvious features of collectivism as an economic system is the absence of the right of private persons to hold property. Property rights of a sort might exist under an absolute dictatorship to the extent that the dictator personally controls all resources in the economy, which he would then regard as his personal property. In a collectivist society there are no market prices to help guide the dictator by serving as indicators of expected benefit and expected cost, and enabling him objectively and meaningfully to record the benefits and costs of each undertaking. A ‘mixed economy’ is a combination of capitalism and socialism which help to achieve the best economic condition. “It [mixed economy] is the attempt to gain the advantages of freedom without government having to give up its power” (Capitalism, socialism and Mixed-Economy, 2007). The mixed economy represents a self-ordering process embodying a powerful internal dynamic that tends to cycle the system between relatively free markets, on the one hand, and collectivist central planning and inevitable crisis, on the other. Furthermore, these crises can signal turning points at which the widespread realization of the inner contradictions generates pressure for dramatic and perhaps radical change. Taking into account advantages and disadvantages of these theories, it is possible to say that all of them have some limitations and advantages. The mixed economy is one of the best models which propose economic and political freedom. The dynamics of the mixed economy arise out of the attempt of some part of the state apparatus deliberately to alter the course of the market process toward an outcome different from the one that would have otherwise emerged. The theories show that market and governmental processes intermingle and influence each other in political, social and economic spheres. 2. Define and discuss the medicalization of society Medicalization of society has different definitions and interpretations but all of the researchers agree that the medicalization of society becomes an area of concern for the government and scientists. Medicalization means promotion and popularization of medicine and health-related issues as important social values. The authors explain that the medicalization of society is closely connected and affected by media and a message created by media. It has a direct influence on behavior of population as they are not passive viewers but active recipients who imitate and copy what they see and hear from the screen. The medicalization is defined as a process in which people see their problems, behavior and activities from medical perspective. “Medicalization occurs when a medical frame or definition has been applied to understand or manage a problem” (Conrad 1992, 209). Also, medicalization can be interpreted as an extensive social control over the health of citizens. On the one hand, popularization of healthcare and medical service, drugs and healthy way of life is an urgent need aimed to improve health of the nation. On the other hand, it becomes social scourge which ruins lives of millions of people. “Increasing reliance on scientific medicine and drugs” lead to tragic outcomes: inappropriate drugs usage, passive way of life, illnesses and deaths. From early years, people are supported and ‘guided’ by medical staff, and even “death came to be viewed as an event that requires the attendance of medical personnel” (Thompson, Hickey 1999, 550). People become helpless and passive performers of doctors will and social values. Thompson and Hickey (1999) underline that “the medical model of deviance” and plastic surgery are another areas of concern. The authors discuss a very important problem created by media and adverting stating that the medicalization sets limits on the behavior of people based on wrong social images and false diseases. They cite vivid examples and facts which force readers to rethink social norms and values they share. Also, it is possible to add to the research discussion of obesity problems and health-related diseases closely connected with the medicalization. Differentiation stems from the consciousness of forming a community with shared perfect health. In reality, most of people are exploited by medical services and pharmaceutical companies which “handle routine problems of everyday living” (Thompson, Hickey 1999, 550). Medicine is essential to medicalization. It denies that the involvement of medical practitioners and institutions is either a necessary or sufficient condition for medicalization. If medicalization involves extending the medical professions activities to some new area, then many diseases like obesity or alcoholism are only weakly medicalized. Conrad (1992) admits that result of medicalization is its contribution to the individualization of social problems. Also, he argues that "the medicalization of deviance is part of a larger phenomenon that is prevalent in our society: the individualization of social problems" (25). Culture permits problems to be attributed to "the society" rather than to the individual deviants. Moreover, the individualization of social problems entails the demand that individuals be seen as responsible for their actions. In sum, rather than waiving the requirement of medical involvement in the medicalization process, medicalization theory modifies its conceptualization of medicine itself. The apparent limitation of medicalization without medicine is resolved when medicalization theory adopts a constructionist view of medicine as well as of deviance. In spite benefits and advantages of medicalization, it becomes a social problem based on images of ideal body and healthy personality. It is a part of consumer culture which works by providing a wave of images and values designed to stimulate desire for healthcare services and drugs and in doing so provide an influential view of social ideals. References 1. Capitalism, Socialism and Mixed-Economy (2007). Importance of Philosophy 2. Conrad P. (1992). “Medicalization and Social Control." Annual Review of Sociology 18: 209-232. 3. Przeworski, Adam (1990). The State and the Economy Under Capitalism. New York: Harwood Academic Publishers. 4. Thompson, W., Hickey, J. (1999). Society in Focus. Fifth edn. Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 10”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1539450-sociology
(Sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words - 10)
https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1539450-sociology.
“Sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words - 10”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1539450-sociology.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Sociology: Capitalism, Socialism and the Concept of Mixed Economy

The Marxist and Weberian Treatise of Global Inequality and Development

The explicitly mentioned issue of the empirical studies of Marx and Weber is capitalism, but the purpose for its analysis was the issue of humanity's fate in the modern world, whose challenging characteristic is typified by the concept of 'capitalism'.... For neither of them is this suggestion factual in terms of economic determinism: 'it is not that capitalism as a form of the economy causes modernity to be as it is' (ibid, p.... However, for Marx and Weber, the invasion of the global economy by capitalism is a critical agency of modernisation....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Karl Heinrich Marx

Despite strongly believing in socialism and communism, Marx fought for the implementation of socialism with the argument that both the underprivileged people and the social theorist are accountable for bringing about transformation in the socio-economic form by getting rid of capitalism.... An example of this is the ‘Communist Manifesto by Engels' and the “critique of political economy”.... The philosophical roots of Marxism resulted from three sources: the French republican and extremism, English political economy and the philosophy of German idealist....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Influence of German Philosophy and English Political Economy in Marx's Manuscripts

The paper "Influence of German Philosophy and English Political economy in Marx's Manuscripts" asserts philosophers explained what they felt society and interaction of different phenomenon was; with eco-socialism as the preferred type of socialism in the third world and communism less preferred.... arxian economics evaluates various crunches in capitalism and focuses on the dissemination of resources in terms of surplus product and value generated within the production process among various types of economic systems....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

Social Stratification

Non-stratified egalitarian societies exist which have little or no concept of social hierarchy, political or economic status, class, or even permanent leadership.... The term social stratification is a sociological term used to describe the various differentiations or groupings of people within society....
11 Pages (2750 words) Essay

The Classical Approaches to Understanding Contemporary Society

History of man is the history of the study of human nature in relation to himself, in relation to society and in relation to his environment and it is the nature of the human beings since birth to explore his environment and the fundamental concepts of the nature around him.... ... ... ...
11 Pages (2750 words) Essay

Historical and Social Attributed to Capitalism in the Communist Manifesto

Based on the concept of the Bourgeoisie and the proletariat, Marx states that the capitalist system is a minor initial stage of the total economic development of society.... The author examines the Communist Manifesto in which Marx accumulates his thoughts towards stating that any proletarian state will find it next to impossible to exist even if it gains power over others because the state is redeemed as a needless where the class antagonism has ceased to exist....
7 Pages (1750 words) Term Paper

In What Sense is The Communist Manifesto Pro-capitalist

Latter-day Marxists are using the teachings of Marx and Engels on the bourgeoisie by prescribing either transitory phase in the movement to socialism or via the advocacy for liberalizing the socialist economy, opening up to trade and investments, and welcoming economic liberalization and globalization.... 23-28) of Marx's Preface to a Contribution to the Critique of Political economy (1859) history progresses in this manner: in humanity's struggle to live, man advances the forces of production that require specific forms of social relations....
10 Pages (2500 words) Term Paper

Feminism and Socialist Politics

socialism has been well defined by a number of intellectuals.... The majority of the literature that has been published so far to reflect and understand socialism explains it to be an economic condition or system where the ownership is considered public.... This indicates that socialism is against capitalism where a private owner exploits labor for personal gains by giving a negligible amount of return for the overall production.... Thus, socialism is against private ownership and centralization of capital within a little level of society....
18 Pages (4500 words) Report
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us