sociology

In Class Assignment #4: The Overspent American and Social Institutions

1. What are social institutions (definition)?

2. What is the “new consumerism”? What are some of its central components?

3. What are the three historical trends that led to the rise of the “new consumerism”?

4. What are some of the social costs of “the new consumerism”?

5. How does “the new consumerism” impact the organization of the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services (the economy)?

6. How does “the new consumerism” impact the organization of reproduction and reproductive labor (the state)?

7. How does “the new consumerism” impact the organization of collective needs, collective behavior and collective security (the government)?