Power, Leadership and Legitimacy Theories of Power in Government
Power vs. Leadership Power A resource that forces and compels others to do what you want them to. There is a punishment involved for not following Power is FORMAL (has a source) and STATIC (remains unchanged over time) Leadership A resources that convinces others to do what you want them to. Leadership is INFORMAL (no written source) and DYNAMIC (changes based on individual and situation)
Power Activity 1.Define Power 2.What are some sources of power? 3.How does one exercise power? 4.How does power relate to authority? 5.Who is the most powerful person in The world? The United States? Rosemead? Bosco Tech? This class (not including the teacher)?
Who has the right to have power? The number one question surrounding the use of power throughout history has been legitimacy. Legitimacy refers to the “RIGHT” to have and use power. What makes something or somebody “legitimate?” Traditional: Based on established beliefs and values Legal-Rational: Based on formal agreements (i.e. Constitution, laws) Charismatic: Based on extraordinary abilities/qualities of the leader
Legitimacy is Often Questioned
Types of Government (Aristotle) GoodBad OneMonarchyTyranny FewAristocracyOligarchy ManyPolityDemocracy
The Macro Political Spectrum RadicalLiberalModerate ConservativeReactionary Anarchy Con. Democracy Mixed Gov. Authoritarian Totalitarian As we move from left to right on the scale what increases? As we move from right to left on the scale what increases? Control Freedom Government Control Individual Freedom Legal-Rational Traditional
Types of Democracy Democracy Direct Democracy Representative Democracy A system in which the people hold sovereignty and make decisions directly An indirect democracy where sovereignty is held by representatives elected by the people
How is political power distributed? Majoritarian politics: Concept where nearly everyone has a say in making a decision (Will of the majority) Elitist politics: Concept where decisions are made by groups with a disproportionate amount of some valuable resource
Elitist Theories Elitist Power Theory (C. Wright Mills) Marxist Theory (Karl Marx) Bureaucratic Theory (Max Weber) Pluralist Theory Hyperpluralist Theory
Explaining Influence of Elites Elitist Power (C Wright Mills): Coalition of corporations, military, and government officials dominate political power & make decisions on their behalf--iron triangles Many would add media chiefs & labor officials to the coalition—issues network Proof? Examples?
Explaining Influence of Elites Pluralist: No single elite dominates politics; resources are too widely spread out; too many institutions Many groups compete with each other for control over policy Multiple access points to government Policy is the outcome of political haggling, compromise, & shifting alliances among groups Proof? Examples?
Explaining Influence of Elites Hyperpluralism: No single elite dominates politics; resources are too widely spread out; too many institutions Groups have gotten so powerful that they actually have weakened the government Groups control the policy and prevent government from taking any action Policy is the outcome of political haggling, compromise, & shifting alliances among groups Difficulty in coordinating policy implementation Confusing and contradictory policies result from politicians trying to placate every group Proof? Examples?