Explain what are the mechanisms through which the wealthy also have the most political and civic power?

SOC3300/ Final Exam Part (B)

Instructions: Choose ONE options below. Your answer should reflect your understanding of the reading, The Politics of Volunteering. For those who do not have the book, I scanned Chapter 5 and placed in the Exam folder of Pilot. Your answer should be at least 500 words with substantive content and analysis. Cite at least three times the ideas, concepts, theories, or illustrations in the reading when you complete the critical reading response. But you must avoid a long citation with more than 25 words. Make sure that you identify the page number so that I can verify your supporting evidence in the reading. Your paper should have an appropriate format and organization (1 inch margins, double-spaced, 12 font size). You must submit your answer in the Exam folder of Droxbox to receive the full credits. Note also that the written assignment is due on the same date . Late work may be accepted with heavy penalties. Grading is primarily based on three criteria:

• Depth of Subject: ▪Demonstrate understanding of major concepts and theories/ ▪Adequate support and evidence by examples/ ▪Adheres to and fulfills the requirements of the assignment.
• Organization: ▪Is precise, pertinent, and well supported/ ▪Avoids tangential material that detracts from central focus/ ▪Provides clear transitions between and within sections of paper.
• Clarity of Expression: ▪Sentences are clear, concise, and logical/ ▪Spelling, punctuation, capitalization, etc., are correct.

Optional Questions from the Reading:

• Eliasoph, Nina. 2013. The Politics of Volunteering. Malden, MA: Polity.

Option #1: Chapter 4 examines a prevalent form of civic association: the non-governmental organization (NGO; also called “nonprofit” in the U.S.). A great deal of activism and volunteering nowadays happens in NGOs. NGOs engage in various “empowerment projects,” but they also create tensions. This chapter discusses four tensions (civic self-help versus helping the needy, honoring the local culture versus convincing distant funders, honoring the local culture versus personal transformation, helping the needy versus avoiding experts) with examples. These examples of NGOs include Grameen Bank, Homeboys Industries, Homeless Shelter, Mrs. Little’s Natural Foot Society, Human Rights Watch, The Heifer Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, battered women’s shelters, Genetics and Society, Engineers Without Borders, Doctors Without Borders, Globe Med, Global Architecture Brigades, and Habitat for Humanity. Choose one of these NGOs and illustrate how its empowerment project may develop tensions as discussed in this chapter.

Option #2: Chapter 5 discusses the obstacles that ordinary people face when trying to participate. Vast inequality hampers healthy civic associations. The wealthy and powerful have almost always participated more in civic affairs than the poor and powerless. They have been creating fake civic associations: “Astroturf” instead of “grassroots” associations. In this context, chapter 5 asks what happens when social inequality becomes so vast that ordinary volunteers or activists become tiny dots compared to these powerful giants. In your answer, address two of the following three questions [You can find a pdf file of chapter 5 in the exam folder]:

1) What are the mechanisms through which the wealthy also have the most political and civic power?
2) Why do ordinary people tend to vote less and participate less?
3) Is the absence of political activism such as protest due to a lack of consciousness or a lack of appropriate space for communication?

Option #3: Chapter 6 asks how civic associations try to overcome the difficulties that the previous chapters have described. What could make more people get more involved in public affairs and decision-making than they are now?


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