TYPES OF POLITICAL SYSTEMS
Three types of societies manifesting three forms of power comprise three general social structures of expectations. A state is a formal that is sovereign over its members and occupies a well defined territory Governments may effect massive change in laws and roles while the state remains the same. Changed are the civil order, the policy, the particular law norms and authoritative roles through which the elite manifest their interest.
A political system consists of the formal and informal structures which manifest the state's sovereignty over a territory and people. It is the civil aspect of statehood. But a state through its lifetime may have many different political systems, as have China, Russia, and France. As the political elite exercise more or less coercive power, we can call a state more or less powerful.
Social Structure
A. Social structure is defined as the patterned relationships between people that persist over time. Behaviours and attitudes are determined by our location in the social structure. Components of social structure are culture, social class, social status, roles, groups, and institutions. They influence the behaviour of individuals and groups.
B. Social institutions are society's standard and organized ways of meeting its basic needs.
The family, religion, law, politics, economics, education, science, medicine, and the military all are social institutions.
Social institutions are sociologically significant because they set limits and provide frameworks for our behaviour.
The mass media is an emerging social institution; it has a powerful influence on our attitudes toward social issues, other people, and even our self-concept.
Changes in social structure occur as a result of changes in local culture, the impact of globalization, shifts in the relationship between social classes, or racial and ethnic groups, and new government policies.
Culture refers to a group's language, symbols, beliefs, values, behaviours, and gestures. It includes the material objects used by a group. It determines what kind of people we will become.
Social class is based on income, education, and occupational prestige. Large numbers of people who have similar amounts of income and education and who work at jobs that are roughly comparable in prestige make up a social class.