Question : Discuss the relevance of historical method in the study of society.
(2015)
Answer : As most social developments—such as the government of India or United States—have unique characteristics, in order to understand them as fully as possible, the social scientist must rely heavily on a study of their historical background.
We can never understand completely how any historical situation came to exist, because there are limits to our historical knowledge and causes become increasingly complex and uncertain as we trace them further into the past.
We can however, make both ....
Question : Distinguish between the social organization of work in feudal society and in capitalist society.
(2015)
Answer : In economics, there are two related models that have shaped standards of living and social classes, given the social organization of work in feudal society and in capitalist society. In both feudalism and capitalism, the power of the dominant class is based on the exploitation of the subordinate class, but there are a lot of differences between them.
| Feudal Society | Capitalist Society |
| .... |
Question : The increasing importance of the tertiary sector has weakened the formal organization of work in recent times. Examine the statement.
(2015)
Answer : The inability of agriculture sector to provide adequate employment opportunities and the increasing significance of tertiary sector emerging as a major contributor to the economic growth, has resulted in a rapid increase in the size of informal sector, especially in the developing countries like India.
Several studies analyzing the impact of economic reforms on the organized and unorganized manufacturing sector have found that share of the informal sector is equally high in the states which are ....
Question : What are the distinctive features of social organization of work in slave society? How is it different from feudal society?
(2014)
Answer : Slave society was the earliest form of class society. The basis of slavery is always economic because with it emerged a kind of aristocracy which lived upon slave labour. The two mainantagonistic classes of the slaveholding system were slaveholders and slaves. The main characteristics of slavery. (1) The slave was the property of one master or of a collective owner, either commune, temple, or the state. He was the master’s living implement of labor, and ....
Question : Education is often viewed as an agency of social change. However in reality it could also reinforce inequalities and conservatism. Discuss.
(2014)
Answer : According to the sociological perspective, education does not arise in response of the individual needs, but it arises out of the needs of the society of which the individual is a member.
The educational system of any society is related to its total social system. It is a sub system performing certain functions for the on-going social system. The goals and needs of the total social system get reflected in the functions it lays down for ....
Question : Examine the social impact of globalization on labour and society.
(2013)
Answer : Globalization is the process of interaction and integration of domestic economies with the international economy. It happens through movement of people, technology, capital, trade, investment and services.
Question : Analyse the mobility of labour in Indian economy in relation to formal and informal organisations. Also analyse the nature of working conditions in these organizations and relation between them.
(2012)
Answer : In recent years there is extensive growth in the mobility of labor. In current situation which is changing fast towards the market economy, labor mobility has increased towards formal and informal organizations.
Formal organization is formed for a purpose conducted according to defined procedure and rule. This organization is helpful in achieving institutional goals and protects labor from negligence and exploitation.
On the other side, informal organizations without any formal role is made up of two ....
Question : Citizenship and Civil Society
(2012)
Answer : Citizenship means that situation in which people by being a complete and responsible member of political community participates in public life.
Citizen is such person who keeps loyalty towards state and political, legal and social rights are provided to him by state. From ancient time, citizenship is defined as a legal membership of political community. According to political and legal theories, citizenship means rights and duties of members of nation state or country.
Civil society word is ....
Question : What is formal organisation? “The growth of bureaucracy has resulted in extreme concentration of power at larger levels of social organisation”. Discuss.
(2011)
Answer : Formal organisation is such an organisation which have a fixed set of rules of intra-organisation procedures and structures. It is usually set out in writing with a language of rules. The formal organisation have several characterstics such as—
Bureaucracy refers to the way that administrative execution and enforcement of legal rules is society organised. ....
Question : Self Help Group (SHG) as an informal organisation of work.
(2011)
Answer : Besides cooperatives and other forms of organisation, there is yet another form of enterprise which is organised voluntarily by the members themselves to meet a variety of their needs.
The self-Help Groups are such organisations which are formed, nourished and managed by the members themselves. A Self-Help Group is an informal organisation of not less than 10 and not more than 20 people from the poorer section of the village society, organised, owned, operated and controlled ....
Question : “There has been a substantial decline in labour class and increase in labour force in non-manual jobs with the advent of new technological revolution” Critically examine.
(2010)
Answer : Marx predicted an increasing homogeneity within the industrial working class. He assumed that technical developments in industry would remove the need for manual skills. As a result craftsmen and tradesmen would steadily disappear and the bulk of the working class would become unskilled machine-minders. Marx argued that, the interests and life situations of the proletariat are more and more equalized since the machinery increasingly obliterate the differences of labour and depresses the wage almost every ....
Question : Human Relations School of Thought by Elton Mayo as a social organization of work process in industry.
(2010)
Answer : Human Relations refer to a process of an effective motivation of individuals in a given situation in order to achieve a balance of objectives which will yield greater human satisfaction and help accomplish company goals. It is a medium through which both employees and the company mutually cooperate for the maximum satisfaction of the economic, social and psychological wants of the people, having relation with an organization which has the objective of increasing productivity.
Few of ....
Question : Feminisation of labour in Informal sector
(2010)
Answer : According to an estimate, the informal economy in India employs about 90 per cent of the country’s workforce and 97 per cent of its womenworkers. Informal sector basically covers marginal livelihoods and survival activity outside the regulatory reach of state and not yet been able to be absorbed by industry. Informal sector is characterized by lower wages, unmonitored working conditions and lack of social protection mechanisms. There are various factors as to why disproportionate number ....
Question : “Work in capitalism is reduced to mere labour in which the individual does not develop freely his physical and mental energy but mortifies his body and ruins his mind.” Critically evaluate the assertion.
(2010)
Answer : Work in capitalism is reduced to mere labour in which the individual does not develop freely his physical and mental energy but mortifies his body and ruins his mind.
This statement coming from Marxist school of thought talks, about, how work becomes meaningless and dehumanizing in capitalism leaving labour alienated from his work and his own self. According to Marx, the truly human existence is one in which man’s productive capacities are developed in a balanced ....
Question : Comment on the critics charge that Immanuel Wallerstein’s dependency theory is simplistic and wrong.
(2009)
Answer : Term dependency has been defined in context of economic and technology that developing and under developed countries often beg from the developed countries for the social development of the country. Due to this dependency the developing and underdeveloped countries are being exploited by the developed countries. This is being done through giving suggestions on various developmental issues by the expert of developed countries.
This dependency theory is based on such a concept which considers that the ....
Question : Industrialization and change in the family function.
(2009)
Answer : Impact of industrialization on the family has been analysed by the different scholars from different empirical realities. If we look at the origin of changes in the family then we find that in medieval times households were the chief factors of production of goods and services. Family was an integrated productive unit. But as industrialization started, the home was separated from the work place.
William Jack Goodie argues that with the advent of industrialization family structure ....
Question : Relevance of pattern variable in the society change
(2008)
Answer : Pattern variable as propounded by T-Parson talks about dilemma and confusion faced by individuals and conforming to roles differently leading to social change in both traditional and modern society.
Pattern variable means variability of choices given to actor to choose any one out of two as a result of which dilemma can be solved. Pattern variables tell about tension how it affects the actions of actors because actor fails to understand the demand of situation. If ....
Question : Features of pre-industrial economic system.
(2007)
Answer : The pre-industrial economy is generally characterised by the absence of market exchange and general-purpose money. If at all market exchange exists, it tends to be primarily a barter exchange. On the other hand, the industrial economic market exchange based on general-purpose money as universal system of exchange is inevitable.
Secondly, the traditional rationality and traditional action are its important features. Principle of patrimonialism and patriarchalism are the predominant type of authority in the economic field. All ....
Question : Indicate social determinants of economic development. Discuss any one sociological perspective analysing backwardness and poverty in the developing societies.
(2007)
Answer : Economic systems are the institutionalized arrangements developed by societies for the production and distribution of goods and services. In simple food gathering-hunting societies with no surplus goods, there was more equality. With the advent of advanced civilizations, idea of private property and competition for goods replaced primitive communal ownership. Inequalities in wealth developed rich and poor classes.
With industrialization the simple division between aristocrats and peasants broke down and a middle class also emerged. Karl Marx’s ....
Question : Social determinants of Economic Develop-ment.
(2005)
Answer : Economic development employs two things — (1) Economic growth which lead to increase in production and generation of income and (2) equitable distribution of these income among population to improve the quality of life. Although economic development does not necessary imply industrialization but there is no historical precedent of substantial increase in per capita income without diverson of both labour and capital and labour out of agriculture.
Some of the important social determinants of economic ....
Question : Examine in detail the impact of new global economy on work organisation and family structure in India.
(2004)
Answer : New global economy is used mostly from the process of globalisation. It is the process of integration of world economies in conditions of free market. Free market envisages free flow of trade and capital and movement of persons across national borders. Due to this economy new world trade order opening up of commercial markets. Historically, the world had experience periods of economic integration even in the later half of the nineteenth century. But the process ....
Question : Industrialization and Social change
(2002)
Answer : Industrialization is one of the important factors of social change in present age. Technology affects society greatly in that a variation in technology causes a variation in some institution or custom. Invention and discoveries are the significant characteristics of our age. The present age in often called the age of power. Ogburn says, “Technology changes society by changing our environments to which we in trun adapt. This change is usually in the material environments and ....
Question : Emerging pattern of sex roles in modern society.
(2001)
Answer : The modern industrial capitalist society which is now about to enter in the post industrial society phase is characterized by high division of labour, competition, differentiation, inequality, individualism, low collective conscience, interdependence etc. In this complex system, the traditional role expectation from the male & female in the society has been drastically changed. Now the radius of roles performed by women has been largely expanded. Now, they are not merely confined to the household works ....
Question : Social determinants of economic development
(2000)
Answer : Economic development involves three areas. First, there should be rise in economic growth i.e., growth in the total output of goods and services. Secondly, there should be an equal distribution of the resources so that all sections of society may benefit and there should be reduction of absolute poverty.
The goal of economic development is determined by various social factors. One is the rise in literacy rate. Unless people are educated which involves learning of ....
Question : Features of pre-industrial economic system.
(1998)
Answer : The pre-industrial economy is generally characterised by the absence of market exchange and general-purpose money. If at all market exchange exists, it tends to be primarily a barter exchange. On the other hand, the industrial economic market exchange based on general-purpose money as universal system of exchange is inevitable. Secondly, the traditional rationality and traditional action are its important features. Principle of patrimonialism and patriarchalism are the predominant type of authority in the economic field. ....
Question : Types of Exchange.
(1996)
Answer : In sociology, Exchange refers to the process of allocation or distribution of scarce goods and service among the members of society. According to Karl Polanyi there are three basic modes of allocation. These are; Reciprocity, Redistribution and Market Exchange. Every empirical economy exhibits at least one of these principles of distribution. Most are characterised by all the three.
Reciprocity: It includes exchange of goods among people who are bound in non market and non-hierarchical relationship ....
Question : Social consequences of economic development.
(1995)
Answer : The social change and economic development are mutually correlated. Economic development such as living standard of people, high social mobility, consumption of modern goods etc. ensures the social change in society. The traditional values, customs, economic institutions, political institutions, family, marriage and kinship are gradually changing and adopting the modern values. The role of agriculture is gradually decreasing and industry and services sector are taking the significant position. The two major social problems such as ....