Sociology Debates Pluralism and Elitism

Sociology Debates Pluralism and Elitism Sociology debates have evolved over two political theories namely: pluralism and elitism. The power elite theory however, seems to be true compared to the pluralist view which holds that participation in politics is democratic where people participate in politics through group membership by creating public policies on competitive and compromising basis.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Sociology Debates: Pluralism and Elitism specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More On the other hand, elitism maintains that political and decision making positions are held by elites who are unified for their personal gains and hence are not representative. This is very true as a great number of political leaders do participate in politics only for selfish gains rather than to serve their people. Additionally, power is only set aside for particular elite members and institutional positions are not open to other non elite members. This is e videnced in many political positions in many countries where the key positions in governments are held only by superior and intellectual members. This particular group takes control of the country’s economy where decisions are made based on personal interests rather than from a consensual basis. This domination by the elite groups results to conflicts between the leaders and the ruled. A good example of this rule is where a county’s political leaders raise tax payments from the citizens with the aim of raising their salaries at the expense of the tax payer while they themselves do not pay taxes despite the huge salaries and other benefits they get from the government. Since the elite groups are the decision makers, the members are left powerless as they have to obey and play by the decisions of their leaders. In this context, the top leadership positions have authority to run all the activities and programs in many fields such as legal issues, economic, scientific and civil institutions among others. The leaders and holders of these top positions are basically in charge of a country’s activities either directly or indirectly. Indirect programs such as banking, transportation and communication are also affected by the decisions made by the elite groups. This is a clear indication that the power of any country lies within only a single elite group rather than several groups which may have different perception of leadership. Therefore, the common citizens have no authority over matters concerning their lives and this leaves their lives at risk as the elite groups do not have their interests at hand. However, this does not mean that the elite groups operate under dictatorship. Rather, they operate in respect to constitutional laws and carry out their activities in an open manner and peacefully.Advertising Looking for assessment on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More These characteristics are drawn from inheritance where leaders follow the footsteps of the previous leaders. All these rules by the power elite theory are true especially in today’s economy which has deteriorated greatly and increased the greed in elite leaders. They are gaining personal benefits at the expense of civilians who are suffering not only economically, but also politically and socially. This is because they do not have take in their lives as every activity concerning civilians is on the hands of the elite leaders who are the sole decision makers. Therefore, the elite theory is true opposed to the pluralist theory which maintains that political participation includes everyone and no single group is dominant over the others. In addition, the pluralist theory entails the agreement of groups with one goal of societal interests.

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buy custom Antibiotic Resistance essay An antibiotic refers to a medication that destroys or inhibits the growth of microorganisms (Tenover, 2006). Such microorganisms can be either bacteria or fungi, or certain parasites such as malarial parasites. Medical professionals are facing a serious problem about antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance refers to the ability of microorganisms to withstand the effects of antibiotics (Tenover, 2006). Antibiotic resistance has become a common problem across the world because people are using antibiotics a lot and inappropriately. Proper use of antibiotics is the only way to control the spread of antibiotic resistance. This discussion will focus on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, prognosis and treatment of its infections, and causes and prevention of its resistance. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium that causes infections such as pneumonia, urinary tract infections, toxic shock syndrome, just to mention a few (French Otter, 2010). Health physicians base the prognosis of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections on various symptoms such as fever, headache, lethargy, reddening of skin, and inflammation of wounds (French Otter, 2010). Methicillin has been a common antibiotic in the treatment of Staphylococcus aureus infections over years. However, Staphylococcus aureus bacterium has become resistant to methicillin antibiotic. Causes of methicillin resistance include unnecessary prescription, incorrect diagnosis, and improper use of methicillin antibiotic, which results in a random mutation of the bacterium (French Otter, 2010). A bacterium becomes a superbug when it carries a variety of resistance genes. Prudent prescribing of antibiotics is the best measure to prevent antibiotic resistance. Vancomycin antib iotic can effectively treat methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections (French Otter, 2010). Therefore, antibiotic resistance is not futile because of a variety of preventive and control measures. Prudent prescribing of antibiotics can prevent the occurrence of resistance. This preventive measure can also avoid the emergence of superbug. Superbug results from the ability of a bacterium to carry a variety of resistance genes due to improper prescribing. If microorganisms have become antibiotic-resistant, use of new drugs will be necessary (French Otter, 2010). Buy custom Antibiotic Resistance essay

Drug rehabilitation verses incarceration Research Paper

Drug rehabilitation verses incarceration - Research Paper Example In the contemporary society, there are different opinions regarding the effectiveness of incarceration in deterring crime. Critics of incarceration argue that there is a possibility of accelerating the development of anti-social behavior in individuals that are isolated from the society by virtue of their conduct. The environment in which they live may affect accomplishment of the goal of incarceration. This paper presents a critique of the two forms of dealing with drug use in the society, supporting the view that drug rehabilitation is effective than incarceration. Successful  rehabilitation  programs usually play an important role in reducing recidivism. The offenders are categorized according to the risk factors of the crime. The risk principle is significant in ensuring that the treatment and control given to the offenders match the level of risk. According to Stover (2001), risk is the possibility of the offender repeating the crime. The low risk offenders are those that have a low possibility of committing the offense for a second time. They are given relatively less intensive supervision and treatment compared to the high risk offenders who are associated with several risk factors, meaning that they have a high probability of re-offending. Incarceration is usually in-effective as regards the level of treatment and supervision given to the offenders. All the prisoners are usually treated in the same way apart from the length of imprisonment. In other words, incarceration is applied on the basis that prisons are the ultimate destiny of offenders at all levels. For example, a person convicted of drug use or rape is treated in the same treatment in the prison whereas rehabilitation would begin by assessing the level of risk to determine the probability of recidivism. Factors such as moral values, living environment and such conditions that may influence the occurrence of an offence are considered