Government and Economy Lecture Notes

Government Systems

• Democracy
  • Power given by the people
  • Citizens participate in law making and electing officials
• Authoritarianism
  • Commands absolute obedience
• Dictatorship
  • Ruled by an individual
  • No consent from the citizens
• Communism
  • Classless, moneyless system
  • Property owned by the community
• Monarchy
  • Embodied by a single person (king or queen)
  • Monarch as the figurehead

Economic Systems

• Capitalism
  • Motivated by profits
  • Private ownership
  • Market economy based on supply and demand
• Socialism
  • Motivated by societal benefit
  • Common ownership of production
  • Focuses on human needs and economic demand

Division of Labor

• Considered functionalist
• Certain labor valued more than others (e.g., athletes valued more than garbage men)
• Inequalities arise from limited access to valued professions

Healthcare and Medicine

• Medicalization
  • Human conditions treated as medical conditions
  • Examples: depression, ADD, planned C-sections
• Sick Role
  • Societal expectation to take a break when sick
  • Viewed as deviant if not returning to societal roles
• Healthcare Delivery
  • Inequalities in access (e.g., Medicaid, Medicare, child health insurance)
  • Affordable Care Act aims to address gaps

Illness Experience

• How being ill affects identity and daily life
• Chronic diseases can dominate a person's life
• Stigmas associated with certain diseases
• Experience influenced by access to resources

Social Epidemiology

• Studies health disparities through social indicators (e.g., race, gender, income)
• Correlation between social advantages/disadvantages and health distribution

Conclusion

• The institutions of government, economy, healthcare, and medicine are complex
• More depth and consequences to explore in each topic
• Observing the world can reveal more about these institutions