Problem: Despite widespread public support for raising the federal minimum wage, Congress has not passed an increase. Which sociological explanation best accounts for persistent federal inaction? Need Assignment Help? Functionalism, because the system is balancing competing interests fairly at the national level. Pluralist theory, because many groups compete and the process naturally slows large-scale change. Elite theory, because powerful business and industry lobbies, campaign financing, and institutional barriers allow concentrated interests to block legislation. Symbolic interactionism, because the debate is primarily about everyday meanings attached to work and fairness.