Power and Authority

Student Learning Outcome

“I can explain and differentiate between the concepts of power and authority.”

Competing Claims for Recognition and Power

There are always "Competing Claims for Recognition and Power“.

Every society has to allocate to the right to make decisions for society.

Many groups within society will claim for various reasons that they are best suited to make decisions for society.

Competing Claims for Recognition and Power

Claims Based on Power These claims are often supported by the power of: owning or

controlling the wealth of a society;

– controlling organizations such as the church, the professions, business, and the military;

– having the necessary information to run a society; and,

– having the support of large numbers of people.

Competing Claims for Recognition and Power

Claims for Recognition and Power Based on Ideologies

Ideologies include:

• a set of basic assumptions about human nature and society; • an interpretation of the past; • an explanation of the present; • a vision of the future; • a goal and a strategy to achieve this goal; • a message designed to motivate the converted and win new

converts; and, • a simplified picture of reality, which it claims as truth.

What is Power?

• Political power, is the ability to make and carry out decisions, is dependent on certain sources of power.

• The exercise of power therefore involves such processes as force, coercion, manipulation, bargaining or persuasion.

What is Authority?

• Authority suggests consent and legitimacy. Power suggests force violence and a lack of consent.

• It is useful to remember the phrase: “Authority is legitimate power”.

What makes authority legitimate?

• According to Max Weber (Sociologist) people give their consent to the rule of three different types of authority:

– Charismatic

– Traditional

– Legal Rational

Max Weber

Charismatic Authority

• People consent o be ruled by people with special human qualities.

• Such qualities inspire loyalty and obedience.

• Examples throughout history include:

• Napoleon• Hitler• Gandhi

Traditional Authority

• Some people accept the power and rule of others because there is a long standing tradition of things being like that.

• The British Royal family could be said to have traditional authority.

• Similarly a society that venerates age (where elders rule) often does so on the grounds of tradition.

Rational Legal Authority

• In modern societies authority is made legitimate by the acceptance of an established set of sensible rules, laws and procedures by the majority of the population.

• For example the authority of Parliament and the Prime Minster.

Real Authority

• Most people and organizations in authority have elements of all three of Max Weber’s different types of authority.

• Why do we obey traffic lights?

Political Concepts of Power and Authority

Alternative Perspectives

Steven Lukes on Power: An Alternative Look at Power

• Steven Luke provides a different viewpoint of power and authority to Max Weber’s three types of authority.

• Luke identifies three faces of power» Decision Making» Non Decision Making» Shaping Desires

• Luke claims that Weber was only addressing the first face of power- decision making

Decision Making

• The power to make and implement decisions

• Non Decision Making• The power to set agendas

and therefore limit what is being discussed – certain issues are stopped by the powerful never reaching the point where decisions are made.

How does non Decision Making Power Work?

• The powerful can ignore the demands of the weak by delay, avoidance, or mass bureaucracy, or inconclusive inquiries.

• Issues are avoided that the powerful anticipate will cause opposition.

Shaping Desired (Ideological Power)

• The power to manipulate what people think they want- powerful groups can make people think they want or consent to something which is actually harmful to their interests.– E.g.. Nuclear proliferation based on the idea that if we

have more they (our perceived enemies) will not attack.

• Ideological power is exerted through ideological institutions such as political parties and religion.

Other Competing Models of Power

• Functionalists:– Functionalist writers use a consensus model of society. – The norms and values of society are generally agreed. – Value consensus ensures shared values and collective

goals; consequently, the more a society is able to meet collective goals, the more power it has.

– Thus, a variable-sum model of power is proposed. In the functionalist model, power is held by society as a whole. It is a social resource.

Marxists• Marxists believe that particular groups for their own benefit,

and at the expense of others - hold power in society a zero-sum model of power.

• The dominant group uses power to further its own interests, which conflict with the rest of society.

• In the Marxist model, power lies in the economic infrastructure, which is owned and controlled by a minority for its own interests. This minority constitutes a ruling class.

• The acceptance of ruling class dominance is an aspect of false consciousness and ideological hegemony.

• The inequalities that stem from the relation to the means of production extend into other areas of social life - this unequal relationship is reflected in the legal system, the medical system and education, for example.

Simple Political Spectrum – Views on Change

Political Spectrum is a method of categorizing political viewpoints according to characteristics and values. All points of view can be arranged according to their attitudes towards change and power. Definitions used within a political spectrum usually reflect a particular time and place.

Simple Political Spectrum – Views on the Economy

Simple Political Spectrum – Views on the Individual vs. Government

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Extreme Views

Moderate Views

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Radicals Reactionaries

Liberals Conservatives

Political Viewpoints

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Hierarchy

A hierarchy is a system of ranking and organizing things or people, where each element of the system (except for the top element) is subordinate to a single other element.

• In small groups 4-5, draw the hierarchical structure for the following list Include at least five people in each structure. You will have to explain their reasoning form organizing the structure in the manner you did.

– A family– A school– A sports team

Hierarchy

Canada is a pluralistic country

Pluralism

Pluralism

Pluralism is the affirmation and acceptance of diversity

Pluralism

Maintaining Stable Government in Pluralistic Societies

• Societies include competing interest groups each with a power base (resources, numbers, and organization) and each desiring decisions that will satisfy their needs/wants.

• It is serious problem to maintain a stable government in the face of the many and deep divisions within society.

Pluralism

Maintaining Stable Government in Pluralistic Societies

• Societies include competing interest groups each with a power base (resources, numbers, and organization) and each desiring decisions that will satisfy their needs/wants.

• It is serious problem to maintain a stable government in the face of the many and deep divisions within society.

Pluralism

Decision Making within a Democracy • Individuals living in a democratic society must:

– Decide which of the many different special interest groups who all believe their choice is best for society is worthy of support; and,

– Must select a few candidates from the many different individuals who want to be elected into a position to govern society.

Pluralism

– Understand many different issues and decide which of the various solutions available to these issues is the best one to choose;

• Gun Control or no gun control

• Canada’s military role around the world

Pluralism

• If a democracy is to survive, there must be some mechanism(s) which allow the governments to be legitimized.

• Governments suffer their greatest handicap when they must govern without consent or when the legitimacy of the regime is questioned.

Pluralism

Politics

• Know that politics is the process of resolving differences and conflicts between individuals and groups by giving them a share of wealth and importance according to the amount of power they can wield within society.

Pluralism

Interest Group• Know that interest groups are groups of

people who:– share one or more concerns or wants and – make claims upon other groups or upon society in

general in order to maintain or promote its position or objectives.

• Know that special interest groups often believe that what is good for their members is good for the rest of society.

Pluralism

Pluralism • Know that in modern societies there is no

broadly based consensus on many issues, but rather issues often divide people into groups with deeply held opinions based on principles and conflicting interests which are not easily reconciled.

• Know that the selection of a government is important, controversial and difficult choice for the electorate.

Pluralism

Legitimacy• Know that the resolution of conflict which is

acceptable to a broad range of people is more likely to occur when there:– is a fundamental consensus on appropriate

political behaviour; – when there are well-established channels of

political action; and, – when there are settled procedures for settling

grievances.

Pluralism

a: supreme power especially over a politically organized unit.

b: freedom from outside control. c: the condition of being sovereign or a

sovereign

Sovereignty

• the power or right of self-government.

Autonomy

• control over one's own actions.

Self-Government

FeminismSupport of social, political, and economic rights for women equal to those of men.

Feminism

• Create a timeline of events which furthered women’s rights in Canada.

• Poster Paper• 8-10 events• Due Monday, June 20, 2011• Possible search terms: “canada feminism”,

“women’s suffrage”