POWER (lat.

Potentia = the ability to affect another thing)

- Robert Dahl: Power is the ability of A to make B do something B wouldn’t choose to do;

- The potential power = the power I might have but I do not chose to do so;

Sources of power:

Agency = an individual who wants to achieve his goals; it also involves that there are different
interests and goals between A and B. (A is the powerful and B is the powerless).

- Power is most of the times negative;

- It might involve restrictions and depravations;

- Power relations basically exist in any type of communities;

- It is a phenomenon that changes; the positions of power can be interchangeable;

- It is not a mean, but an end;

- P. is not just related to economic domination, but it could be also an important variable in
the management of things;

- How do we change this management of things into governing of people?

- Political power is exercised over a limited sovereign territory, where one or several
groups are dominant;

- Power has the function of coercion which can be physical;

- Political power is tied also to the state;

- Political power maintains a certain balance within collectivities; it also ensures a certain
compatibility;

- It organizes alliances and it also organizes the defence;

- It should also have a general character => generalised capacity of control and decision
making by using political, economic, social and ideological means in the sense that in the
end of the day, the functioning power is political control;

- How does a low capacity control manifest? ?!?!?!?!?

- Power is an unequal, asymmetrical type of social relationship;

 - We are not entitled to equalize the state to political power; moreover, the state is just an
instrument in the hands of political power;

Channels

Situation, Content Intention

Positive DEALS PERSUASION
Types of sanctions ACTIVATION OF
Negative CEORCION
COMMITMENT

Max Weber, Politics as Vocation: Power is the authority of the eternal yesterday.

Authority = the right to give an order as long as it will be obeyed and no one will question it.

= the sum of power and legitimacy;

To be in authority vs. to be an authority  captain vs. the passenger/sailor who takes over.

According to Weber, there are three types of authority:

- traditional/historical = sacred, based on a myth;

- charismatic = the exceptional people;

- legal = “de jure” & “de facto” – the types of legitimacy;

Create
Use of force Make deals
obligations
“the stick” “the deal”
“the kiss”
Productive Commitment;
Nature of power Coercive threats exchange, mutual integrative
advantages relationship
Motive for
FEAR GAIN COMMITMENT
obedience
Institutions Military Economic Social
Legitimacy:

- people accept the validity of the law;

- based on consent;

- it is not the same as legality;

- a government is perceived as being legitimate as long as it confirms a certain set of moral

issue;

- it brings along a consensus: a) a basic consensus; b) a political consensus = the

fundamental agreement regarding the action of the government within the framework of
society; there is an agreement regarding the manner in which the community or the
society are particularly organized; c) a specific consensus;

Force, influence & prestige

Force = a material mean through which political power is obtained. It is in important ingredient
for political power, yet it shouldn’t be extensively used. On the other hand, force could be used
at the level of society by different groups.

Influence = a phenomenon which, in spite of being connected to power, is actually opposed to it.
Interest and pressure groups seek to promote a particular position or cause. They do not seek to
be elected themselves, but they do use the mechanisms of pressure in order to have their goals
accomplished by the political representatives per se. Trade unions, professional organizations,
employers’ organizations, ethnic lobbying, direct means (e.g. strikes) and indirect means. We
can speak about close connections between these groups and certain political parties. The interest
groups do not clash with the power, but with each other because they usually fight over the
resources that have to be allocated to them.

Prestige. A leader of a group that lacks prestige sooner or later will lose the leadership.