Week 2 - Power, Authority, Legitimacy

Power

The ability to achieve a desired outcome or the exercise of control by one person over another.

Authority

The right to rule and the duty to obey, providing order and stability within a political community.

Legitimacy

A belief in the right to rule, which transforms power into rightful authority and is necessary to prevent authoritarianism.

Max Weber's types of authority

Traditional, Charismatic, and Legal-rational (bureaucratic) authority.

Elitist Thesis

A view that a small group of elites has a disproportionate amount of power in a political system.

Pluralist view

The belief that power is distributed among multiple groups in society, allowing for representation and participation.

Coercion

The use of force or intimidation to obtain compliance.

Persuasion

The act of convincing someone to do or believe something through reasoning or argument.

Socio-historical power

Understanding power as influenced by social and historical contexts.

De Jure Authority

Authority in law, traced back to procedural rules like the constitution.

De Facto Authority

Authority in practice, which may not conform to legal principles but is accepted in real-world situations.

Radical view of power

A critique of traditional views, often associated with figures like Antonio Gramsci and Michel Foucault, emphasizing power as socially constructed.

Constitutionalism

The principle that government authority derives from and is limited by a constitution.

Manufacturing Consent

Noam Chomsky's concept illustrating how media and political institutions manipulate public opinion to maintain authority and legitimacy.