Using a functional analysis to explore Tri-Met system in Portland - Essay Example

Using a Functional Analysis to Explore Tri-Met System in Portland Tri-Met is a public agency operating mass transit in an area, which spans a big portion of the Portland metropolitan area of Oregon State in the United States of America (Glickenstein 9--14). It was created through Oregon legislature in 1969 with the district replacing five private companies that operated buses in three counties of Clackamas, Washington, and Multnomah. In 1986, there was put in operation by Tri-Met a light rail system known as MAX with new lines following in subsequent years culminating to a commuter rail line in the year 2009 (Glickenstein 9--14).

Tri-Met also operates Portland Vintage Trolley, which runs on some of the lighter rail lines found in Downtown Portland area as well as operating Portland Streetcar, that fall under the ownership of City. Tri-Met system concurs with Talcott Parsons theory of social action theory in the sense that it was formulated out of a necessity to streamline or bring social order to the Portland metropolitan area in transport sector (Taylor 89). The system came into place replacing existing bus services but still was able to maintain the positivism in terms of scientific rigor and acknowledgement of the human action, which was subjective in dimension.

The aspect of motives forming part of human actions is clear in the outcome of the Tri-Met system coming into being and successfully taking over the transport industry of the three counties. While the move/action by Oregon legislature to monopolize the transport operations in the three counties through Tri-Met might have been criticized or condemned in the humanistic sense, the social science behind it was consideration of ideals, purposes, and ends. This is what Talcott Parsons social action theory demands even in formulation of systems that work efficiently and effectively like the Tri-Met system (Taylor 89).

Oregon’s Tri-Met transportation system is positivistic but not absolutely since there are those who share negative sentiments against it, which is part of theorizing social action. In fact, the Tri-Met system has become so popular that it serves as a function of the cultural and social system in Oregon. In action, the Tri-Met system has proved to bring a sense or level of order and harmony in the transportation sector of Portland metropolitan area. Robert K. Merton on the other hand was more concerned with sharpening of conceptual tools that can be used in functional analysis (Holmwood 87--109).

Manifest and latent functions are the outcomes of these social scientific concepts. The Tri-Met system was a deliberate move by the Oregon legislature to overhaul transportation in Portland metropolitan area, which exemplifies a manifest function of the social theory. Tri-Met offers good transportation services and sufficient fleet to handle the three counties, which is a manifest or intended, functions and is positive per se. The latent or unintended is also a function since there is the issue of taxation, uncalled for police ordinances, and issuance of bonds that borders on the negative or dysfunction (Holmwood 87--109).

The running out of the private Rose City Transit Company by the Portland city council is perceived negative thing in the exercise of state powers. The future for this system is a good one in the sense that it is protected by the state of Oregon legislature and this function makes it stand unopposed in transportation. With the issue of democracy of such state corporations being challenged by the private sector, there might as well be change in how the transport industry functions to allow for social order in terms of giving room for competition (Holmwood 87--109).

If this goes through, then the society should expect better services and more competitive prices, which will be ultimately fairer. Works cited:Glickenstein, Harvey. "Portlands light rail system by tri-met celebrating ten years of Transportation systems." Vehicular Technology Magazine, IEEE, 4. 1 (2009): 9--14. Print. Holmwood, John. "Functionalism and its Critics." Modern social theory: an introduction, (2005): 87--109. Print. Taylor, Michael. "Structure, culture, and action in the explanation of social change.

" Politics and rationality, (2003): 89. Print.