Politics and Impression Management

I guess my colleagues over on the Politics blog may also be interested in this, but it grabbed my attention, and I have to say, amused me.  Apparently Speaker John Berkow is behind the launching of a computer game which allows students to get a taste of life as an MP.

Of course, nasty cynical sociologists - like myself - will ask you to consider the extent to which this can be seen as a crafty bit of impression management by the politicians.  And while we’re on that front - what other strategies can people -and institutions - use to try and ensure that their actions are seen as legitimate?  It’s the art of impression management - and there is a rich vein of the study of this sort of thing in sociology.  For starters, investigate Goffman’s book, Asylums, where he identifies the various roles inmates in institutions like hospitals, schools and prisons adopt.

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Violence and terror - Bauman [12 Dec 2011]
Health - animated lecture [11 Dec 2011]
Mass Media: Facebook [8 Dec 2011]
Traditional family? [6 Dec 2011]
Crime and Deviance - London riots [5 Dec 2011]
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Growing populations [27 Oct 2011]
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African-Caribbean underachievement [21 Oct 2011]
Hyper-connected? [29 Jan 2011]
Gender and education [28 Jan 2011]
Glass Ceiling , Gender and Pay [9 Dec 2010]
Social Capital - Again [14 Jul 2010]
Subcultures [7 Jul 2010]
Risk and Resilience in Nottingham [16 Jun 2010]
More Debate on Black Music [28 May 2010]
Lords, Commoners and The Queen [25 May 2010]
Unequal Opportunities [19 May 2010]
Wartime Childhood [18 May 2010]
Education and Social Elites [11 May 2010]
Sociology and Opinion Polls [3 May 2010]
Social Capital [20 Apr 2010]
Families or Friends? [19 Apr 2010]
Gender, Family and Happiness [14 Apr 2010]
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CEP Research Paper on the Politics of Crime [12 Apr 2010]
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Burglary and iPods [17 Mar 2010]
Class and Voting [16 Mar 2010]
Racist Humour [10 Mar 2010]
Rap, Race and Social Class [9 Mar 2010]
Polygamy [8 Mar 2010]
When I Grow Up - Last Four Days [5 Mar 2010]
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Education and the State [2 Mar 2010]
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Parental Influence [23 Feb 2010]
Research is Not Easy [22 Feb 2010]
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Consumerism and Identity [11 Feb 2010]
Inequality and Difference [10 Feb 2010]
Just a Cartoon? [14 Jan 2010]
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Crime in the UK - Mapping the Crime Stats [12 Jan 2010]
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