Chapter 15: Realizing the Power—and Vulnerability—of Institutions
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Why Does a Society Need Social Institutions? (1 of 4)
Five basic social institutions:
Government.
Economy.
Religion.
Family.
Education system.
Functionalist perspective: Society would crumble without institutions.
Atkinson, Social Problems, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.
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Satisfies Learning Objective 15.1 Why do societies need institutions?
Government: leaders who will direct everyone else and make sure everyone is safe.
Economy: a system of making and exchanging food and other goods.
Religion: beliefs and sacred rituals that will help bind to a higher power and each other.
Family: set of rules for having sex, children and their responsibilities.
Education system: passing on knowledge of society, surroundings, and the skills needed to survive in it.
Society would crumble without institutions: Those who use the functionalist perspective point out the interdependence of institutions. If the economy fails, so does the government—and education, family, and religion. This perspective similarly applies to each of the other institutions.
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Why Does a Society Need Social Institutions? (2 of 4)
Social institutions of an advanced and complex society:
Science.
Media.
Healthcare.
Importance of institutions not known until one or more starts to fail.
Failure of institutions or its perception.
Atkinson, Social Problems, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.
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Satisfies Learning Objective 15.1 Why do societies need institutions?
Social institutions of an advanced and complex society: As societies become more technologically advanced and complex, they develop other major social institutions. The industrial revolution both created and depended, in part, upon newly institutionalized systems of science, media, and healthcare. They, too, carry out vital functions in complex societies. If one fails, that failure threatens the other social institutions.
Importance of institutions not known until one or more starts to fail: Economic system is not appreciated until a recession hits or financial institutions falter. Government’s work on infrastructure is not appreciated until a bridge collapses or a train is delayed for hours because of a lack of funding for high speed rails. Media is relied upon for accurate information until many news outlets spread “fake news.”
Failure of institutions or its perception: People may lose confidence in their society’s institutions, leading to a sense of anomie, or normlessness. The major social institutions are the foundations of our society. As they begin to crumble, so does our society.
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Why Does a Society Need Social Institutions? (3 of 4)
Societies That Do Not Have Effective Institutions: Karachi, Pakistan
Poorest public transit system in the world.
Tons of garbage remain uncollected.
Corruption:
Notorious education system.
Poor governance.
Atkinson, Social Problems, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.
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Satisfies Learning Objective 15.1 Why do societies need institutions?
Notorious education system: Recruiting (and paying) unqualified teachers who often do not show up to school.
Poor governance: The administrators of government hospitals focus on pleasing political patrons rather than on properly staffing and stocking their medical facilities. Pakistan’s infrastructure ranks the lowest in the world. Its inefficiencies are costing jobs and hurting the overall economy, the education system, and the healthcare system.
Memoirs of Khzir Khan: In his memoir, An American Family: A Memoir of Hope and Sacrifice, Pakistani immigrant Khzir Khan describes how awed he was when he came to the United States and first noticed that the buses run on time. Being able to depend upon a stable government, unimpaired by corruption, made life in the United States dramatically different from the society in which Khan grew up. It made rising on one’s own merit, rather than connections, a possibility. An aspiring lawyer when he left Pakistan, Khan says that, if he had remained in his nation of birth, he would have had to either settle for a life in poverty or become part of a corrupt judicial system to advance materially.
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Why Does a Society Need Social Institutions? (4 of 4)
Societies That Do Not Have Effective Institutions: Venezuela
Collapsed economy, inflation.
Cause and effects of lack of food:
Extensive inflation.
Starvation, stealing, and not going to school.
Unwanted pregnancies.
Atkinson, Social Problems, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.
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Satisfies Learning Objective 15.1 Why do societies need institutions?
“There is no place anymore where you can say it’s safe,” says doctor Manuel Medina, 28, chief of emergency surgery at Caracas University hospital, Venezuela. With the economy in collapse and corruption widespread among police and judicial officials in the criminal justice system, Venezuelans must defend themselves against rampant crime, as best as they can. Those who can afford it hire private guards and drive armored cars. Many carry decoy phones to hand over instead of the phones they use when they are mugged, and rarely venture out after dark.
Extensive inflation: Even parents with jobs in Venezuela tend to have difficulty feeding their children. In 2016, nine out of ten families were food insecure. In 2017, more than one zoo keeper found just the remains of some of their animals; people had broken in and slaughtered them for food. By 2018, not even workers in the oil industry could feed their families.
Starvation, stealing, and not going to school: Some Venezuelan parents send the children they cannot feed out into the street to fend for themselves. The children then join gangs, fight each other, and steal to feed themselves. They no longer go to school. Some starve.
Unwanted pregnancies: Some women have unwanted pregnancies because of a nationwide shortage of birth control pills and condoms.
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Why Do Institutions Fail? (1 of 4)
Institutions fail when they no longer have the confidence of the public.
Legitimate power: Consent of the public.
Illegitimate power: Controlling public through force or threat of force.
Atkinson, Social Problems, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.
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Satisfies Learning Objective 15.2 Why do institutions fail?
Institutions fail when they no longer have the confidence of the public: If people no longer have faith in the legitimacy of an institution or leader, they must be controlled through force or the threat of force. Social upheaval can occur when governments and the institutions lose the trust of the people.
Legitimate power: When people believe in the legitimacy of a ruler or institution, they grant it authority and willingly comply.
Illegitimate power: Relying on force to retain control requires great effort and resources (e.g., money to arm and fund the military, constant surveillance of the population), with no guarantee of success. Today, Venezuela and Pakistan, to varying degrees, face this predicament due to the failure of their institutions. Other nations, including the United States, must also deal with declining faith in their institutions.
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Why Do Institutions Fail? (2 of 4)
Institutional Failure in Venezuela and Pakistan
Multiple institutions are failing at once in Venezuela:
Government.
Economy.
Education.
Families.
Atkinson, Social Problems, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.
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Satisfies Learning Objective 15.2 Why do institutions fail?
Multiple institutions are failing at once in Venezuela: After Hugo Chávez died, and his heir and handpicked successor Nicolás Maduro took over, the price of oil plummeted due to a combination of decreased demand and increased production in other nations. Maduro had to rely on borrowed money from China and inflation exploded.
Government: widely seen as an illegitimate dictatorship.
Economy: few goods on shelves, worthless money, and no one willing to invest money in a nation on the precipice of collapse.
Education: no funding.
Families: Due to little money, many parents cannot take care of their children.
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Why Do Institutions Fail? (3 of 4)
Institutional Failure in Venezuela and Pakistan
Government of Pakistan faces a lack of perceived legitimacy.
Corruption is a common theme in every sphere of Pakistani society.
Atkinson, Social Problems, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.
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Satisfies Learning Objective 15.2 Why do institutions fail?
Government of Pakistan faces a lack of perceived legitimacy: Since Britain created Pakistan in 1947, the nation has lurched back and forth between military dictatorships and democratic governments.
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Why Do Institutions Fail? (4 of 4)
Authoritarianization
Authoritarian regimes: People achieving or holding power by undemocratic means.
Authoritarianization: Democratically elected leaders amassing greater power through undemocratic means.
Sowing doubts in democratic institutions.
Atkinson, Social Problems, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.
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Satisfies Learning Objective 15.2 Why do institutions fail?
Authoritarian regimes: During the Cold War, coups (overthrows of the state by a small military group) were the most common means of establishing authoritarian regimes. In recent years, however, insurgencies and interference by foreign governments have increased.
Authoritarianization: Growing numbers of democratic governments have lost power via authoritarianization. President Hugo Chávez’s takeover of various institutions in Venezuela is one example. President Vladimir Putin in Russia and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey have also used threats and violence against the press and changes to their constitutions to gain increased power and to ensure they will remain in power for the foreseeable future.
Sowing doubts in democratic institutions: It is a key strategy behind authoritarianization. If leaders can convince the public that their institutions are failing and cannot meet growing threats (real or not) facing society (e.g., rampant voter fraud, rising crime rates, terrorists, an “invasion” of immigrants, “fake” news), they can position themselves as the answer to these problems. Democracies become authoritarian governments when enough people agree that their leader needs more power in order to right failing institutions.
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Declining Faith in Institutions in the United States (1 of 3)
Only military and criminal justice system show gain in public confidence.
Confidence is either lost or declining in:
Presidency.
U.S. Supreme Court.
Congress.
Media.
Democracy.
Atkinson, Social Problems, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.
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Satisfies Learning Objective 15.3 What evidence do we have of declining confidence in institutions in the United States and other democratic nations, and why is declining confidence a social problem?
Congress: The U.S. Congress is the least trusted institution of all.
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Declining Faith in Institutions in the United States (2 of 3)
Loss of Faith in the Media
Democracies rely on informed electorate.
Fake news: media peddling falsehoods.
Media’s functions failed in:
Providing awareness to citizens on issues.
Coverage of candidates’ policy positions.
Atkinson, Social Problems, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.
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Satisfies Learning Objective 15.3 What evidence do we have of declining confidence in institutions in the United States and other democratic nations, and why is declining confidence a social problem?
Democracies rely on informed electorate: It is comprised of people who understand how government works and keep up with current events. Trustworthy, reliable sources of information are vital parts of these societies. Today most people in the United States do not trust the media.
Fake news: In recent years, President Trump has stoked this lack of faith in the media. He regularly accuses mainstream media of peddling falsehoods or “fake news.” Meanwhile, the President himself makes false statements multiple times a day (e.g., climate change is a hoax, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia may have been murdered, more people came to his inauguration than any other in history).
Providing awareness to citizens on issues: During the 2016 election, the media was much more likely to publish information about scandals or personal information than they were about policy. This was especially the case when the media reported on Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. While the media covered scandals more than either candidate’s policy positions, they focused far more on Clinton’s email scandal than any other issue. This coverage worked to obscure major policy differences between the candidates.
Coverage of candidates’ policy positions: Only five of 150 front page stories on the campaign published in The New York Times compared the candidates’ policy positions. Clinton said she would strengthen the Affordable Care Act, fight global climate change, and support the Consumer Protection Bureau. President Trump promised that he would dismantle the Affordable Care Act, promote coal and loosen environmental regulations, and diminish the power of the Consumer Protection Bureau.
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Declining Faith in Institutions in the United States (3 of 3)
Declining Faith in Democracy
Democracy: Form of government in which leaders are elected by the people.
Support for the idea of democracy to run the country drops by age.
Democracy is labeled “bad” or “very bad” by younger respondents.
Atkinson, Social Problems, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.
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Satisfies Learning Objective 15.3 What evidence do we have of declining confidence in institutions in the United States and other democratic nations, and why is declining confidence a social problem?
Democracy: There is a growing cynicism toward not only political leaders, but also democracy.
Support for the idea of democracy to run the country drops by age: For example, the percentage of respondents in both Europe and the United States who maintain that it is essential to live under a democratic form of government drops dramatically by age cohort. Support for the idea that democracy is a “bad” or “very bad” way to “run this country” increases as respondents’ ages decrease.
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How Can Social Problems Weaken Institutions? (1 of 4)
One social problem can create and exacerbate others.
Some directly affect social institutions.
Others can lead to social unrest.
Institutions can fail when they no longer have public confidence.
Atkinson, Social Problems, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.
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Satisfies Learning Objective 15.4 How can social problems weaken institutions?
Some directly affect social institutions: Economic depression’s impact on the economy.
Others can lead to social unrest: Social inequality can lead to popular uprisings that threaten governments.
Institutions can fail when they no longer have public confidence: Citizens tend not to have great confidence in social institutions in societies in which social problems remain ineffectively addressed.
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How Can Social Problems Weaken Institutions? (2 of 4)
The Great Depression: The New Deal in the United States and the Rise of Fascism in Germany
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt:
Addressed harm inflicted by breakdown of economic system.
Helped recover faith in economic institution.
Worked to restore faith of American people in their institutions.
Atkinson, Social Problems, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.
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Satisfies Learning Objective 15.4 How can social problems weaken institutions?
Addressed harm inflicted by breakdown of economic system: President Roosevelt used the power of the government to establish a “New Deal” for workers, creating unemployment insurance, the social security system, and signing the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 which gave workers the right to unionize.
Helped recover faith in economic institution: President Roosevelt established the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation that insures bank deposits, so people would not be afraid to put their money into banks. Banks then had money on hand to lend to individuals and businesses.
Worked to restore faith of American people in their institutions: President Roosevelt’s steps gave those suffering the most from the Depression, the poor and working class, reason to put faith in their democratic government and gave them hope for the future. In his first inaugural address, he affirmed, “we have nothing to fear but fear itself.” He also regularly delivered “fireside chats” via radio to reassure the public.
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How Can Social Problems Weaken Institutions? (3 of 4)
The Great Depression: The New Deal in the United States and the Rise of Fascism in Germany
Germany did not survive the Depression.
World War I made the nation bankrupt.
Adolf Hitler gained control of the government.
Economy stabilized at the cost of democracy.
Atkinson, Social Problems, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.
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Satisfies Learning Objective 15.4 How can social problems weaken institutions?
World War I made the nation bankrupt: Economic, political, and social chaos and conflict ensued. Unemployment rose to 33% and hyper-inflation spiraled out of control. As a result, both communists and right-wing extremists gained popularity in Germany. The conservative president realized he no longer had the support of the people and was pushed by business leaders who feared the communists more.
Adolf Hitler gained control of the government: Hitler then quickly took control of all levers of government, influenced the decisions of private companies, destroyed unions, created a massive public works program to rearm Germany that provided jobs for workers, and created a propaganda machine that placed blame for the nation’s problems on Jewish people.
Economy stabilized at the cost of democracy: This led to the rise of Nazi Germany, the Holocaust, and World War II.
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How Can Social Problems Weaken Institutions? (4 of 4)
Social Media and Tribalism
Social media leads to multiple news sources.
Social media-inspired violence:
Messages spreading false rumors.
Facebook-spread rumors.
Sites are programmed to promote whatever wins the most attention.
Atkinson, Social Problems, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.
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Satisfies Learning Objective 15.4 How can social problems weaken institutions?
Social media leads to multiple news sources: People hear perspectives with which they do not already agree. In nations with weak institutions, this can lead to violent results. When there are few reliable sources of information and people do not feel protected by their police forces and courts, online rumors can lead to panic and people may take matters into their own hands. The outcomes may be violent.
Messages spreading false rumors: Some include doctored photos.
Facebook-spread rumors: Lynchings have spurred in many other nations, including Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India, and Mexico. “Time and again, communal hatreds overrun the newsfeed—the primary portal for news and information for many users—unchecked as local media are displaced by Facebook and governments find themselves with little leverage over the company.”
Sites are programmed to promote whatever wins the most attention: Posts that tap into negative, primal emotions like anger or fear, studies have found, produce the highest engagement, and so proliferate.
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How Can We Save Our Social Institutions? (1 of 6)
Individuals and societies are inextricably connected.
Society is hurt with mere focus on individual gain.
Sociological imagination: Relating our own life to social patterns in society.
Institutions ensure that individuals cannot act only in their short-term interests.
Atkinson, Social Problems, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.
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Satisfies Learning Objective 15.5 How can sociological tools help save our major institutions?
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How Can We Save Our Social Institutions? (2 of 6)
Restoring Trust in Government
Government can regain citizens’ trust.
Available and easy to access information.
Public being involved in policy creation.
Government services put online.
Open, easy to understand process and policy.
Public, not private, campaign contributions.
Atkinson, Social Problems, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.
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Satisfies Learning Objective 15.5 How can sociological tools help save our major institutions?
Government can regain citizens’ trust: By encouraging them to invest in the well-being of the entire community.
Available and easy to access information: In Boston, you can use an app to report anything managed by the city that needs repair (e.g., potholes, broken streetlights). When the city workers make a needed repair, they send a picture to let the person who reported it know. It is a simple thing, but officials found that when citizens knew the city was responding to their reports, they were more likely to report future problems.
Public being involved in policy creation: Often, we are asked to vote simply “yes” or “no” on policy or policy positions that politicians create. Sometimes it is unclear what our votes will accomplish. Canada and Australia have tried an alternative. Instead of making decisions by way of a popular vote, they have used a “citizen’s jury.” A randomly selected group of citizens carefully consider, discuss, and decide whether to enact the proposed policy (e.g., whether to open a nuclear waste factory or how to expand public transportation).
Government services put online: When it is easy to accomplish what you need to do (e.g., paying taxes or renewing a license), people are more likely to comply with government regulations and have more positive feelings toward their government.
Open and easy to understand governing process and government policy: California, for example, publishes transcripts of every legislative hearing and lists every elected official’s financial ties to lobbyists and corporations. Such transparency increases trust in government and citizens’ ability to participate in the political process.
Public , not private, campaign contributions: Doing so would free elected officials to focus on the needs of voters rather than their need to raise money. It also diminishes the influence of wealthy voters and corporations.
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How Can We Save Our Social Institutions? (3 of 6)
Restoring Trust in Government
Trust in government benefits everyone.
Members of democratic society can make government take steps by:
Organizing effectively.
Voting.
Atkinson, Social Problems, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.
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Satisfies Learning Objective 15.5 How can sociological tools help save our major institutions?
Trust in government benefits everyone: When you get vaccinated, you not only protect yourself, you protect others, a concept called community immunity. When we are vaccinated against a disease, we protect both ourselves and others by helping to stop it from spreading. Recently, however, the Centers for Disease Control has become concerned about the number of unvaccinated children in the United States. Anti-vaccine activists told parents that doctors and the government do not have their best interest in mind and should not be trusted, and Russian trolls aware of the declining trust in U.S. institutions used vaccine related tweets to sow discord in the United States during the 2016 election.
Organizing effectively: The new Bargaining for the Common Good strategy of organizing that brings unions and community organizing groups together shows much promise. Its focus on efforts that will benefit all members of a community has proven successful in several areas of the United States. In 2015, the city of Los Angeles agreed to a study on its finances and to “hire 5,000 new workers, raise wages and benefits, and restore city services to pre-austerity levels.” A similar win resulted in Chicago for teachers and more than 40 community groups in 2016.
Voting: Politicians pay attention to people who support them through money, organizational power, or votes. People without much money can gain power through organizing and voting. Older people in the United States have disproportionate power in elections because they vote at a higher rate than younger people. Perhaps this helps explain why elected officials have taken few steps to reduce the cost of higher education.
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How Can We Save Our Social Institutions? (4 of 6)
Restoring Trust in the Media and in Facts
Organizations work to gain citizen faith.
Public must hear from political leaders that reliable news sources exist.
Attacks on media:
Endanger journalists.
Diminish trust in media.
Diminish existence of facts.
Atkinson, Social Problems, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.
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Satisfies Learning Objective 15.5 How can sociological tools help save our major institutions?
Organizations work to gain citizen faith: Their efforts include creating easy ways for people to distinguish hard news from opinion, such as making news sources more transparent, creating computer programs that can recognize falsehoods in articles, and establishing rankings of news sources for trustworthiness. Examples include Trusting News, The Trust Project, News Integrity Initiative, Trust & News Initiative, NewsGuard, Deepnewsai, and The Journalism Trust Initiative.
Public must hear from political leaders that reliable news sources exist: Recent declarations from leaders such as President Donald Trump and President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil that the media is “the enemy of the people” and spreading “fake news” have stoked many people’s mistrust and disrespect for the media—and other established sources of information, like science.
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How Can We Save Our Social Institutions? (5 of 6)
How Sociology Can Help You Save Our Social Institutions
Sociological perspective.
Sociological imagination.
Individuals working together:
Can improve and strengthen our institutions.
Makes them worthy of people’s faith.
Help differentiate fake news and facts.
Atkinson, Social Problems, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.
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Satisfies Learning Objective 15.5 How can sociological tools help save our major institutions?
Sociological perspective: Gives us many of the tools needed to help save our major social institutions.
Sociological imagination: Individual survival depends upon the survival of our institutions.
Help differentiate fake news and facts: Institutions like science help us uncover information and establish facts. For example, all the facets of the institution of science gives us confidence to say that climate change is happening. The large number of researchers involved in climate analysis, the complex system for verifying data, the articles and reports, the principle of peer evaluation, the vast network of weather stations, floating weather buoys, satellites and computers that ensure the flow of information help us gather the evidence we need to say that climate change is a fact. Those who deny climate change have none of this institutional architecture.
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How Can We Save Our Social Institutions? (6 of 6)
How Sociology Can Help You Save Our Social Institutions
Sociology reminds us that we can all be agents of change.
Social institutions are evolutionary in character.
Atkinson, Social Problems, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.
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Satisfies Learning Objective 15.5 How can sociological tools help save our major institutions?
Sociology reminds us that we can all be agents of change: As social beings we create and shape social institutions.
Social institutions are evolutionary in character: Social institutions are not chiseled in stone, but rather are evolutionary in character and become what we make of them. We can allow them to be torn down, or we can reinforce and improve them.
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