The sculpture in the photo is called “Charging Bull” and is a 7,000 pound bronze work by Arturo Di Modica that sits in Bowling Green park near Wall Street in New York City. The sculpture is a symbol of aggressive financial optimism and prosperity.”
Demystifying Organizational Control
New York City's 7,000 lb. bronze sculpture entitled “Charging Bull” on Wall Street, photo by Xavier Marchant.
Governments, courts, churches, the media - these large institutions have their own structure, communication and power over our culture. The relationship between individuals and these large groups is an intricate one, both dynamic and interactive. Researchers in SBS examine such topics as the way government leaders are chosen, how churches influence communities, and the messages of the media. Insight into institutions provides us with insight into complex human issues, including individual rights, power, influence, rules and norms, conformity and resistance.
A UA political scientist has demonstrated that the substantial decline in union membership in the United States since 1960 is associated with a notable drop in voter turnout in both presidential and congressional elections. Not surprisingly, the decline appears to have been concentrated among lower-income groups, likely leading to an increased class bias in the electorate.
A UA political scientist has likened the contemporary presidential nomination process to a game of attrition, with candidates dropping out one by one until only the winner remains. It turns out that this game can be modeled - and the winner predicted - based on the candidates’ initial resources (i.e., public opinion standing and campaign finances), the initial contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, and the prevailing election rules.
UA political scientists have shown that killers of socially marginal victims are much less likely to be sentenced to death, regardless of the heinousness of their crimes, than those who kill contributing members of the community.
Recent theories of social order further our understanding of how power and authority work to shape people’s consciousness and secure their willing cooperation, but have little to say about how resistance to authority arises. A scholar in Near Eastern Studies examines important instances of resistance in the past two centuries, focusing on non-Western cultures, with the aim of modifying our understanding of social order in a way that would account for political struggle.
A UA sociologist has found that Wall Street is still a man’s world, especially when it comes to executive compensation. One study indicated that in the elite, male-dominated world of securities traders, women earn less than men, even when working at nearly identical jobs. What’s more, the wage penalty for being a woman in this line of work is substantial.A UA philosopher’s research has helped define and defend philosophically the argument that democracy is a morally desirable form of political organization.
UA psychologists have examined the relationship between the fear of death and political preference. They have shown that when subjects are reminded of death, they are more likely to pick a charismatic leader, but no more likely to pick a task-oriented or relationship-oriented candidate.
A UA sociologist researches how churches, synagogues and mosques contribute to their communities. In particular, he found that the community arena to which congregations are most important is not social services or politics - although they are active in each of those arenas - but culture and the arts. He has also revealed an important trend in the social organization of American religion: People are increasingly concentrated in very large or “mega” churches.
UA sociologists have found that one of the best predictors of socioeconomic conditions on American Indian reservations is the form and quality of tribal governance. Factors such as stability in government and a match between formal governing institutions and indigenous political culture do a better job of predicting positive development than such assets as natural resources or education.
UA sociologists are researching how the market for social and recreational opportunities for children works. They hope to describe how congregations, government agencies, schools, nonprofits and business establishments serve different types of children in different ways.
A UA sociologist has discovered that, contrary to popular belief, there is no correlation between economic growth and income inequity in advanced societies.
UA sociologists have found that when it comes to controversial issues, public opinion influences legislators more when there is less political competition. Most scholars assume that policy makers pay attention to what their constituents want and that this will be especially true when the policy-maker’s seat is contested. However, when it comes to controversial issues, such as same-sex marriage bans, the reverse has been found, perhaps because politicians are reluctant to take a stand either way.
Graph: Percent of Shows in 2005 with Sexual Content, by Genre.
UA communication researchers conduct a biennual study for the Kaiser Family Foundation examining the nature and extent of sexual messages in programming across broadcast and cable networks.
UA communication researchers have shown that media portrayals of aging in India demonstrate similar themes and similar presence of older people as media portrayals in the United States. For instance, ads in both countries emphasize the ways in which medications can allow older people to enjoy their relationships with their grandchildren.
UA communication researchers have show that, although Latinos represent 12.5% of the U.S. population, they represent only 3.9% of the television population.
A UA journalism professor has found significant differences in the ways readers utilize and perceive online and print versions of U.S. newspapers. Her work has helped the news industry rethink the economic nature of online news and its philosophy about content and presentation.
A UA journalism professor has found that U.S. government propaganda campaigns in other nations have “blown back” to the United States and have had a significant impact on news coverage and public perceptions of issues and events.
The Social Justice Education Project (SJEP), started by a researcher in Mexican American Studies and the Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology, teaches research skills to Latina/o students from local Tucson high schools. The goal is for the students to use their research results to address the inequalities that Latina/o students experience in public schools and within their communities.
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