4.2.8.4 Changing structures of inequality and the transnational capitalist class Quiz: AQA Sociology, Unit 2

The 20 questions

1. Which group does Leslie Sklair's concept of the 'transnational capitalist class' (TCC) refer to?

   • A national elite that controls the economy of a single country through state ownership of its largest banks and utilities
   • A small group of family-owned farms that trade their produce within a single region and rarely sell goods abroad
   • A global elite whose members share interests in transnational corporations, global institutions and the consumer culture they promote
   • A working-class movement that organises across national borders to campaign for better wages and safer conditions at work

2. According to Sklair, which four fractions make up the transnational capitalist class?

   • The military, religious, educational and legal fractions, which each control the public institutions of a single nation state
   • The corporate, state, technical-professional and consumerist fractions, which together link global business, politics and culture
   • The skilled, semi-skilled, unskilled and unemployed fractions, which are defined by the level of education each member holds
   • The agricultural, industrial, financial and retail fractions, which each represent a separate sector of a single national economy

3. In Wallerstein's world-systems theory, which term describes countries that dominate the global economy and gain most from unequal exchange?

   • The margin, which consists of isolated regions that have no trade links with any other part of the world economy
   • The semi-periphery, which combines some industrial capacity with dependence on core economies for investment and finance
   • The periphery, which provides raw materials and cheap labour and is generally dependent on the core for investment and trade
   • The core, which holds advanced industries, high-value services and financial control over the world economy

4. Which trend is most associated with the shift from manufacturing to service employment in advanced economies?

   • Deindustrialisation, as manufacturing jobs decline and employment grows in services such as finance, retail and health
   • Feudalisation, as employment relationships revert to the personal obligations and dependencies characteristic of medieval societies
   • Industrialisation, as new factories open in every region of advanced economies and manufacturing employment steadily increases
   • Agrarianisation, as more workers return to farming and rural occupations in advanced economies after a period of urban growth

5. What is meant by the term 'precariat' as used by Guy Standing?

   • A growing group of workers in insecure, temporary or casual employment, often without the benefits and rights of stable jobs
   • A group of self-employed business owners who employ large numbers of workers and invest heavily in global markets each year
   • A group of highly paid professionals who are employed on long-term contracts with generous pensions and secure career progression
   • A group of retired people whose pension income is guaranteed by the state and who have no active role in the labour market

6. How has globalisation changed the location of manufacturing in many countries?

   • Production has moved entirely into advanced economies, since low-cost countries have no capacity to manufacture goods at all
   • Production has remained in the same locations as before, because transport and communication costs have remained unchanged
   • Production has shifted to lower-cost regions, while advanced economies have increasingly specialised in services and high-value design
   • Production has stopped almost entirely, since global demand for manufactured goods has fallen to near zero in the last decade

7. Which argument suggests that globalisation has increased inequality within some societies?

   • Workers in declining industries may lose secure jobs, while those with international skills gain higher rewards in global markets
   • Globalisation has no effect on inequality, because national income distributions are determined entirely by government policy
   • Globalisation has increased inequality only in countries that have no trade links with other nations and remain isolated
   • Globalisation has reduced inequality everywhere, since all workers now share equally in the rewards of global trade and investment

8. What is the 'post-industrial society' thesis associated with Daniel Bell?

   • The argument that advanced societies are returning to agriculture as the main source of employment and national wealth creation
   • The argument that advanced societies are shifting from manufacturing to knowledge and service work as the main source of employment
   • The argument that industrial societies have no further economic change ahead, since growth has reached its natural limit
   • The argument that industrial societies have been replaced by feudal systems of hereditary landowning and personal dependence

9. Which concept describes the spread of economic relations, cultural products and political institutions across national borders?

   • Globalisation, understood as increasing interconnectedness of economies, societies and cultures across the world
   • Secularisation, understood as the decline of religious institutions and the growing influence of scientific reasoning in society
   • Nationalisation, understood as the transfer of private industries into state ownership to protect national economic interests
   • Localisation, understood as the decline of international trade in favour of self-sufficient regional economies and markets

10. Which evidence would best support the claim that a transnational elite shares common interests across countries?

    • Identical tax rates imposed by every government on all income earners in every country of the world at the same time
    • Similar lifestyles, business networks and policy positions among senior executives and officials in several countries
    • Identical populations in each country, so that elites in different nations have the same demographic characteristics
    • Identical languages spoken in each country, which shows that elites communicate only with people from their own nation

11. Which change is most associated with the 'changing structures of inequality' in late modern societies?

    • A complete end to occupational change, since jobs have remained identical in form and content for the last century
    • A rise in the number of people working on farms, as agriculture regains its dominance over industrial and service employment
    • A fall in inequality of every kind, with the share of income going to the richest groups falling steadily since the 1980s
    • Growing income and wealth gaps alongside shifting occupational structures and new forms of insecure employment

12. Which feature of the labour market is characteristic of the 'flexible' employment patterns discussed in relation to globalisation?

    • Lifetime employment with a single employer, with promotion and pay increases guaranteed by statute for every worker
    • Temporary, part-time and zero-hours contracts that give employers greater flexibility and give workers less security
    • Compulsory state employment in which all workers are assigned to jobs by central planners for their entire working lives
    • Permanent, full-time contracts with fixed hours and guaranteed pension rights for all employees in every sector of the economy

13. Which factor is most likely to reduce the power of trade unions in a globalised economy?

    • Employers can relocate production to other countries, which weakens the bargaining position of workers in any single nation
    • Unions have stronger legal rights in every country, so employers have no choice but to accept all union demands on pay
    • Unions have lost all members since the 1950s, so their bargaining power has ceased to matter in any national context
    • Unions are required by law to merge into a single global organisation, which removes local bargaining options entirely

14. Which measure is most suitable for studying changing patterns of income inequality over time?

    • A single snapshot of the income of one family in one village, which shows the situation in only one place and moment
    • Income distribution data collected at regular intervals and compared across years and across social groups
    • A list of the names of all the company directors in the country, which shows who holds senior positions at any moment
    • A count of the number of shops in a high street, which indicates how many retail businesses are trading in one locality

15. Which statement best describes the relationship between globalisation and social class?

    • Globalisation has eliminated social class, since all workers are now equally mobile and able to choose their employer freely
    • Globalisation can create new class divisions, such as between mobile professionals and insecure workers in local labour markets
    • Globalisation has no connection with social class, which is determined only by the political system of each individual nation
    • Globalisation has made class identities more uniform, since workers in every country now share an identical economic position

16. A sociologist argues that the transnational capitalist class has become more influential than national elites. Which evidence would best test this claim?

    • Recording the number of languages spoken in the homes of the children of executives in a single city during one term
    • Measuring the average height of executives in each country, to see whether transnational elites are physically taller
    • Counting the number of national flags displayed at international sporting events held in a single country during one year
    • Comparing the influence of global corporate networks and national governments on major policy decisions over time

17. Which of these is the best example of a 'consumerist' fraction of the transnational capitalist class?

    • Global media and advertising executives who promote consumer lifestyles across many countries through their products
    • Factory workers who assemble goods on a shift pattern in a single plant and are paid hourly wages by one employer
    • Civil servants in a national ministry who administer social security payments to residents of a single region of the country
    • Local farmers who sell produce at a weekly market in their own village to customers who live within a few kilometres

18. Which characteristic of global inequality is most often identified by sociologists studying the world economy?

    • Wealth and resources are distributed equally across all countries, with each nation holding the same share of world income
    • Wealth and resources are concentrated in the countries with the largest populations, regardless of their economic structure
    • Wealth and resources have no connection with national boundaries, since all income is generated within individual households
    • Wealth and resources are concentrated in a relatively small number of countries and among elites within them

19. What does the 'race to the bottom' argument suggest about globalisation and labour standards?

    • Competition between countries for investment has no effect on wages, which are set entirely by the price of raw materials
    • Competition between countries for investment can push wages and workplace protections downward as governments try to attract employers
    • Competition between countries for investment always raises wages and workplace protections, since employers prefer high-skilled workers
    • Competition between countries for investment only affects agriculture, so manufacturing wages are unaffected by any trade policy

20. What is 'outsourcing' in the context of changing employment structures?

    • Contracting work out to external firms, often in other countries, instead of employing workers directly within the organisation
    • Moving head office functions into a single building in the city centre to reduce the number of branches the company runs
    • Recruiting new staff through agencies inside the same country so that every worker is hired directly by the main organisation
    • Transferring company ownership to employees through share schemes, so that workers receive a share of profits each year

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