Customer Reviews

Inequality, Power, and Development: Issues in Political Sociology

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Inequality, Power, and Development: Issues in Political Sociology, 2nd edition by Jerry Kloby (Humanity Books) is an invaluable resource for the student or professor of social science that looks critically at global power and inequality. At once impressive for its breadth, depth and readability, this work speaks to audiences beyond the classroom and should therefore earn a more popular readership among activists, organizers and engaged citizens of diverse political orientation or interest.

The book begins with an introduction to the origins, rise and crises of capitalism and its attendant socio-political conditions along with theories of political economy that prepare the reader for a tour of economic inequality in the United States, corporate and state power, and global development.

The chapter that directly addresses the sociology of development provides an honest and cogent appraisal of the prevailing theoretical approaches to development in our time in a way that is potable for both high school and college students and rich enough for scholars of inequality and development.

Overall, Kloby's book is a grand and critical tour of US and global power relations in the 20th century and the present that concludes with valuable speculation about grassroots challenges to corporate, state and neoliberal hegemony.

The wealth of data and information that is invested in the work provides a valuable resource for classroom discussion and an unmistakable transparency to the skeptical reader. I have used Inequality, Power and Development in the classroom with great success and I will be sure to continue.

"Few sociology texts extensively review global issues of inequality even as economic inequality grows prolifically and causes significant damage to the world's ethnic minority peoples across all geographic borders. However, Kloby's book accomplishes this feat by extensively reviewing the relationship between transnational corporate exploitation, the extensive reach of Western political institutions, and the alleged "free trade" or neo-liberal policies of the world's richest nation-states and international financial institutions.

Even for those of us who fail to include a political sociology course in our curriculums, this text is a necessity for introductory sociology courses, inequality courses, and criminology courses that dare to take a critical worldview of current socio-economic and political dynamics.

... this book is a necessity for any Introductory Sociology class, not simply political sociology classes. It should be mandatory reading for all sociology students at some point in their undergraduate curriculum and furthermore, a necessary adjunct to any graduate class. Jerry Kloby has spoken the truth in the fashion of Noam Chomsky and bell hooks..."

Read the full review at: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3719/is_200407/ai_n9434774

Inequality, Power, and Development: Issues in Political Sociology, 2nd edition by Jerry Kloby (Humanity Books) More than ever before the world is being shaped by the interests of transnational corporations and their partners in global financial institutions such as the IMF and WTO. What are the consequences of such concentrated power for the great masses of people throughout the world? One clearly emerging pattern is the growing disparity between the developed nations and the rest of the world. In this excellent analysis of power distribution and its effects, sociologist Jerry Kloby presents data on the increase of wealth and income inequality, and argues that many of the policies pursued by the developed nations and transnational corporations have led to a deterioration of both living standards and the environment in many parts of the world. He also discusses a power shift in the United States that has weakened the working class.
Kloby creates a comprehensive picture of global society from many diverse events and trends-local and international, contemporary and historical. The many graphs and tables containing supporting data guide the reader toward a heightened understanding of the complex forces underlying contemporary developments. He also clearly explains the meaning and relevance of such sophisticated but important terms as neoliberalism, dependency, civil society, and social capital.
This fully revised and updated edition will have enduring value for students and scholars of sociology, political science, economics, and international relations.

There is a paucity of political sociology textbooks available these days. The (2005) Handbook of Political Sociology is an excellent edited collection but does not provide the fundamentals for undergraduates.

Kloby's (2004, second edition) 'Inequality, Power, and Development: Issues in Political Sociology' introduces basic concepts and then grounds the approach in political economy. Readers are introduced to basic Marxian principles such as surplus value and imperialism.

He does a great job of explaining how old money (Rockefellers, etc.) got rich and juxtaposes that process next to the high levels of exploitation (including job fatalities) faced by railroad, steel, and oil workers who worked for the old money capitalists.

He goes over neoliberalism in the United States by covering rising income inequality. Not only does he cover rising income inequality, but he goes over its link to health insurance, economic growth, home ownership, the CEO pay explosion, union decline, strike decline, etc. He covers these major transformations/trends in American society. Following this is a chapter that links the first and second half of the book: corporate power plus globalization.

He covers the basics of corporate power, includes an analysis of the Enron scandal.

By chapter five, and this is somewhat unconventional, he introduces major theories in political sociology: pluralist, power elite, marxian structuralist. The following chapters cover development and world-system approaches as well as the Cold War.

At first I did not like that he waited until chapter 5 to introduce theory, but I think it actually works well because the first chapters provide students with concepts of power and historical political economy as well as the corporation.

There could be an expanded coverage of Foucault, surveillance, and the panopticon principle. He does mention COINTELPRO , but this should be expanded to include how racism operates.

Certainly the best political sociology textbook I've yet encountered.