Concept of power and authority in political science. Power in Politics: Definition & Importance 2022-12-25

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Power and authority are central concepts in political science, as they are essential to the functioning of any political system. Power is the ability to influence or control the behavior of others, while authority is the legitimate right to make decisions and exercise power within a given system. These concepts are closely related, but they are not the same thing.

Power can be exercised in many different ways, including through the use of force, coercion, manipulation, or persuasion. It can be exercised by individuals, groups, or institutions, and it can be used for good or evil purposes. Power can also be exercised in formal or informal ways, and it can be legitimate or illegitimate.

Authority, on the other hand, is typically seen as a more formal and legitimate form of power. It is typically associated with positions of leadership or decision-making within a political system, and it is often granted by a higher authority or through a democratic process. Authority is often exercised through the use of laws, rules, and regulations, and it is typically accompanied by a sense of responsibility and accountability.

Political science recognizes several different types of power and authority, including personal, expert, referent, and legitimate power. Personal power is based on an individual's personal characteristics, such as charisma or physical attractiveness, while expert power is based on an individual's knowledge or skills in a particular area. Referent power is based on an individual's ability to inspire loyalty or admiration in others, and legitimate power is based on an individual's formal position within a hierarchy or political system.

The concept of power and authority is closely related to the concept of governance, which refers to the processes by which political systems make and enforce decisions. Governance can be exercised by a variety of actors, including governments, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations, and it can take many different forms, including democracy, autocracy, and oligarchy.

In conclusion, power and authority are central concepts in political science, as they are essential to the functioning of any political system. Power is the ability to influence or control the behavior of others, while authority is the legitimate right to make decisions and exercise power within a given system. Understanding the various types and sources of power and authority is essential for understanding how political systems operate and how decisions are made and enforced.

15.1: Politics, Power, and Authority

concept of power and authority in political science

The State is the association that has the greatest power within a particular territory. Since the beginning of human power has been occupying the central position in human relations. K Organski, World Politics New York, 1958 , p. I have become more aware of the need to focus on issues rather than consistently supporting certain parties and politicians. In such systems, the master, almost exclusively an older father, is designated in accordance with the rules of inheritance.

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Key Concepts of Political Science: Power, Legitimacy and Authority: [Essay Example], 2500 words GradesFixer

concept of power and authority in political science

Success in getting elected to political office confers power and authority on individuals. Patrimonalism and Feudalism In comparison to patrimonalism, feudalism has one major similarity and several important differences. Power is related to taking of decisions and for the implementation of those decisions. Maurice Duverger maintains that a government of the people and the people, as a classical explanation of democracy, must be replaced by another formula-government by an elite sprung from the people. Power is the crux of politics, local, national, and international. Which comes first, power or conflict, need not detain us. Influence Our last term of the day is influence, the ability to affect the behavior of another without coercion or legitimate authority.


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Difference Between Power and Authority (with Comparison Chart)

concept of power and authority in political science

The source is considered legitimate. From this perspective there are three major theoretical frameworks: pluralism, elite or managerial theory, and class analysis which overlaps with Marxist analysis. Power of this kind is often said to be illegitimate. Power is the ability or potentials of a person to influence another person or a group to perform an act. According to Weber, the state is that entity that "upholds the claim to the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force in the enforcement of its order. Everybody knows that it is the right of the superiors to issue orders and the obligation of the subordinates to offer willing obedience but this is generally applicable to the family.

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Influence Power And Authority

concept of power and authority in political science

Together these mechanisms affect the balance of power in politics and governance. There are four means and methods by which one nation can influence or control others as per its own desire. This ambiguity, between the president-elect and outgoing president, creates the potential for a leadership vacuum, which may be most acutely felt during wartime or times of economic crisis. Max Weber, for instance, says that power and authority are different as the latter conveys within its fold the sense of legitimacy. Punishment may also include hostile activities like unfriendly propaganda, diplomatic opposition, and aid to the enemy of the state concerned. Rational-legal authority is a form of leadership in which the authority of an organization or a ruling regime is largely tied to legal rationality, legal legitimacy, and bureaucracy.

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Concept of Power in Political Science

concept of power and authority in political science

When it feels threatened by an enemy, a nation seeks to convince the enemy and the rest of the world that it means to defend itself and that it has an adequate workforce for this purpose. Weber wrote that the modern state based on rational-legal authority emerged from the patrimonial and feudal struggle for power uniquely in Western civilization. Groups of individuals try to maximize their interests. Most people have an intuitive notion of what it means. Superiors, he states, feel that they have a right to issue commands; subordinates perceive an obligation to obey. Finally, a nation may exhibit its power and will to use it by calling for partial or total mobilization.

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[PDF Notes] Importance of Power, Influence, Authority and Legitimacy in Political Science 2023

concept of power and authority in political science

All officials are personal dependents or favorites of the ruler, and are appointed by him. In practice to the political authority is the mixture of the two. Suppose A is an officer and asks B another subordinate official to obey his orders, then if B refuses and A suspends him, then A has used his powers. Instead, he depends on the willingness of subservient group members to respect his authority. Researchers have documented the "bystander effect" and found that powerful people are three times as likely to first offer help to a stranger in distress. The Vietcong had structural knowledge and information about Vietnam and used it to pick and choose their battles against the Americans.

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Politics, Power, and Authority

concept of power and authority in political science

It is exactly how various coup detaches occur in the world, and political power changes hands. The power structure approach focuses on determining who rules, while the structuralist approach emphasizes the way a capitalist economy operates, allowing and encouraging the state to do some things but not others. In such systems, the master is designated in accordance with the rules of inheritance. Schleicher, International Relations: Cooperation and Conflict New Delhi, 1963 , p. It's also not usually obtained through a legitimate process of voting. Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions. E nhancing Prestige: Various states use power to enhance their prestige in the world.

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Concept of Power in Political Science

concept of power and authority in political science

The use of power need not involve coercion, force or the threat of force. The liberal-democratic theory identiûes power with developmental and extractive capacities. This power is independent of a state's democratic elections process. Readings in International Relations New York 1967, 3rd ed. It consists of social relations involving authority or power, the regulation of political units, and the methods used to formulate and apply social policy. The BBC, Voice of America, and Tashkent Radio have extensive overseas services in foreign languages.

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