Politics and the State-Political Power,Authority, and the State-Democracy and Our Relationship to the State

Chapters 1,2,3

Politics

The process of making collective decisions to resolve conflicts between competing interests and values

State

defined by Max Weber as the entity with a monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory

sovereignty

the supreme authority of the state within its territorial boundaries

night-watchman state

a state focused on providing security and enforcing laws while limiting its involvement in society and the economy

welfare state

a state that intervenes to promote social and economic equality through programs like healthcare and education

max weber

defined the state and introduced the concept of legal-rational authority

jean-jacques rousseau

advocated for the social contract and direct democracy

power

the ability to influence or control the behaviour of others

three dimensions of power

decision-making, agenda-setting, and manipulating preferences- coined by Stephen Lukes

authority

legitimate power recognized as rightful by those it governs

traditional authority

derived from long standing customs-monarchies (british royal family)

charismatic authority

based on the personal appeal and extraordinary qualities of an individual leader-MLK,Trump

legal-rational authority

rooted in established laws and procedures- modern democratic governments (united states presidency)

legitimacy

the acceptance of authority as right and proper

pluralism

a theory that power is distributed among various groups in society

elitism

a theory that a small group of elites holds the most power- concentration of wealth and influence among corporate executives

stephen lukes

developed the three dimensions of power framework

karl marx

highlighted the role of economic power and class struggle in politics

max weber

distinguishes types of authority and explored legitimacy in governance

democracy

a system of government in which power is vested in the people, exercised directly or through elected representatives

direct democracy

citizens make decisions directly (referendums)

representative democracy

citizens elect representatives to make decisions of their behalf

liberal democracy

combines majority rule with the protection of individual rights and freedoms

deliberative democracy

emphasizes informed discussion and debate before decision-making

cosmopolitan democracy

a model of democracy that incorporates global governance-the European Union

aristotle

distinguished between proper and deviant forms of government, classifying democracy as deviant

polyarchy

a system of democracy emphasizing pluralism and competition-advocated for by robert dahl

John Stuart Mill

Supported representative democracy as a means to protect individual liberty