Fun With Ideal Types 2

If I wanted to generate problems for sociological inquiry (and who doesn’t?), I would use the time tested Weberian method of constructing ideal types. In a nutshell, Weber’s method consisted of imagining what perfectly rational people would do in a given situation and organization and then focusing on those areas which inevitably deviate from the type. Of course, you also have to generate assumptions about the objects and goals of the people under study in order to decide whether their actions are rationally calculated to lead to the desired outcomes. This approach should work for journalists looking for stories and angles. A journalist might imagine how a rational person would organize reconstruction in Iraq or the response to Katrina and then investigate those areas where rationality seems to have failed.

An alternative approach is to assume that the results achieved were intended and that the actions that led to them were, in fact, calculated to achieve them. In this manner, you might point to the disproportionate number of black people convicted of drug offenses and conclude that drug enforcement programs are designed to oppress and terrorize black people. In this kind of analysis, there are no unintended consequences. You might point to the instability in Iraq and the Middle East and conclude that the policy of the US has been to destabilize the region and to bring about sectarian violence in Iraq. This would be a good way for journalists to question politicians. “Mr. President, how did you arrive at the decision to abrogate the Geneva Convention?” “What is your next step in your plan to obtain dictatorial powers?” “Mr Speaker, will the House of Representatives dissolve itself, or will you wait for the President to dissolve it by decree?”

Another possibility is to add yet another dimension to the construction of the ideal type. In addition to rationality, assume that your subjects are evil or sublimely selfish. This works well in politics. You really can't go wrong by attributing to politicians the meanest, most self centered goals imaginable. Assume that every legislator has only two goals: staying in office and getting richer by the minute. Assume that every President secretly, or not so secretly, yearns to wear a crown. The Founding Fathers did.

I also like to imagine that my subjects' goals are grander than their achievements. Only 1 in 136 Americans is behind bars? What would be the best way to double that accomplishment? I know! Let's criminalize dealing with undocumented aliens. Criminalizing tobacco would be a big boost to the criminal justice industry.