Power and Authority – Comprehensive Study Notes

Power and Authority – Overview

  • This set of notes summarizes key ideas from the transcript on power and authority, including definitions, sources of power, theoretical frameworks, and types of authority. It also covers data on gender and leadership, cultural attitudes toward violence against women, and classic political theories about power structures.

Objectives / Desired Learning Competencies

  • Differentiate power and authority.
  • Reflect on the influence of power and authority on people as social and political beings.
  • Draw a symbol or icon that represents power and authority (as a synthesis activity).

What is Power?

  • Power is the ability to:
    • get someone to do something you want done,
    • make things happen in the way you want.
  • Power is the ability to influence the behavior of others, with or without resistance.
  • Power is an aspect of a relationship between two social actors where actor A can induce or influence actor B to do something in line with A's preferences. (Adapted from Robert Dahl)
  • Note: Power inures to position, not to individuals.

Power as a Relation and Enduring Understanding

  • Enduring understanding: Power may derive from multiple sources, including:
    • social class
    • resource currency
    • position
    • personal or group charisma
    • social influence of tradition

Five Sources of Power

  • Formal Authority: Power comes from the holder's position and duties within the organization.
  • Expertise: Power derives from the power holder's specific skills or expertise.
  • Coercion: Power springs from the power holder's ability to punish or penalize others.
  • Persuasion: Power flows from the power holder's ability to persuade or influence others.
  • Rewards: Power comes from the power holder's ability to give something of value (such as money).

Theories of Power

  • Pluralism / Pluralist Theory
  • Power Elite (Elite Theory)
  • Feminism
  • Autonomous State / State-Centered Theories

FEMINISM

  • Feminist theory begins with the idea that understanding power requires robust analysis of gender; it aims to understand the nature of gender inequality.
  • Data example: Data from COMELEC shows that only 19\% of candidates in the 2016 national and local elections were women; the percentage of women elected was 21\% in the same election.
  • Enduring understanding: Feminism posits that the state is devoted primarily to men’s interests, and its actions tend to support gender inequality.

How VAW Persists (Violence Against Women)

  • Victim-blaming attitudes include statements like:
    • “Gusto niya rin yun nangyari. Kung ayaw niya talaga bakit hindi siya umalis?”
    • “Masyado kasi siyang madaldal! Kung tumahimik na lang siya hindi ko siya masasaktan.”
    • “Mahilig kasi siyang sa maikling damit kaya ayan, napagsamantalahan.”
  • Hiding the perpetrator: statements such as:
    • “May problema akong malaki kaya uminom. Lasing lang ako kaya ko siya nasaktan.”
    • “Pasalamat nga siya pinatulan ko pa siya. Matanda na siya at wala na magkakagusto sa kanya!”
    • “Kawawa naman, iniwan kasi ng asawa kaya ayan na - rape niya ang anak niya.”
  • Invoking the “natural order” of things:
    • “Normal lang na mag-away ang mag-asawa. Siyempre kapag nagkainitan ng ulo nagkakasakitan.”
    • “Dapat kasi wag masyadong sensitive. Biro lang naman yun mga sinabi ko, hindi yun harassment.”
    • “Imposible yun sinasabi niya na na-rape siya. Alam naman ng lahat na prostitute siya.”
  • Personal assessment prompts reflection on these attitudes.

Personal and Social Attitudes (Snapshots from Slides)

  • Slide: Battery happens because women allow it.
  • Slide: Women who experience violence but stay in the relationship for the sake of the children and harmony in the family should be left alone.
  • Slide: Men should be superior to women because God is a MAN.
  • Slide: A prostituted woman cannot be raped by a customer because it is her job and she receives money for it.
  • Slide: If woman fights hard enough, rape will not happen.
  • Slide: Family planning is solely a woman's decision.
  • Slide: Women should understand that men need extra-marital affairs.
  • Slide: There are women who deserve to be harassed.
  • Slide: It is time for men to undergo vasectomy to help in family planning effort.
  • Slide: It is ok for men to buy & patronize pornographic materials.
  • Slide: Same-sex relationships should have the same rights as heterosexual relationships.
  • Slide: Violence against women is unfair because violence happens to men too.

PLURALISM / PLURALIST THEORY OF POWER (1987 Philippine Constitution context)

  • Article II: Declaration of Principles and State Policies
    • The Philippines is a democratic and republican state. Sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them. 1987
  • State pluralist societies contain elements such as:
    • Law, political parties, pressure groups, individual voters, etc.
    • Examples of pressure groups and parties include Liberal Party, Lakas-CMD, Nacionalista Party, etc. (illustrative list with multiple groups and organizations)
  • Key points:
    • Law mirrors the authentic democratic will of the people in pluralist societies.
    • The state balances the weight of public opinion and pressure groups, aiming to be neutral.
    • Pressure groups fight over specific issues; political parties appeal to wide ranges of opinions.
    • Individual voters and the political parties are central to pluralist dynamics.

POWER ELITE (ELITE THEORY)

  • A type of power concentrated in a small, interconnected group of people.
  • True power structure consists of people well-positioned in three areas:
    • Economy
    • Government
    • The military
  • Those who occupy strategic command positions in these institutions are powerful.
  • Note: If the most powerful, wealthiest, and most famous individuals were separated from their institutional positions and deprived of the resources those positions provide, they would become (a) politically powerless, (b) poor, and (c) unknown.

AUTONOMOUS STATE / STATE-CENTERED THEORIES

  • The state is largely treated as an independent, regulative, manipulative, and active entity and an independent actor.
  • The state is seen as autonomous in initiating policies and turning its policy preferences into authoritative actions.

MAJOR ISSUES IN POWER STUDIES

  • Struggle for power
  • Distribution of power: How fair? How equal? How effective?
  • Balance of power
  • Great power, superpower, hyperpower

SOURCES OF POWER (David Easton framework)

  • According to David Easton, sources include:
    1. Force: Physical violence or credible threat thereof (including incarceration).
    • Not just angry or harsh words.
    1. Rewards: Payment for good behavior.
    2. Legitimacy (authority): Established moral right to rule; moral obligation for followers to obey.
  • Consequences of using different sources:
    • Force: Quick compliance but requires monitoring; may generate revolt and sabotage; unstable by itself.
    • Rewards: Compliance without hostility; costly; requires constant payoffs; can lead to reward inflation and potential bankruptcy.
    • Legitimacy (authority): Obedience without monitors; loyalty and respect; low cost to ruler; efficient and stable; risk of abuse and corruption; followers may become victims.
  • Synthesis: Real political groups use some combination of Force, Rewards, and Legitimacy; stable systems must have some element of Legitimacy/Authority; legitimacy must be controlled to avoid abuse.

ULTIMATE SOURCE OF POWER

  • Power is produced by social cooperation; ultimately, it is a collective product. We create power by acting together.

WHAT IS AUTHORITY?

  • A person or organization having power or control in particular political or administrative spheres:
    • Specific position
    • Power of the leader to rule
    • Power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience

MAX WEBER: THREE TYPES OF AUTHORITY

  • Traditional Authority
  • Rational-Legal Authority (Legal-Rational)
  • Charismatic Authority

RATIONAL-LEGAL AUTHORITY (Weber)

  • Authority established through a process (Procedural Authority)
    • Examples: Elections, government hiring processes, rules for decisions (e.g., trial rules, degree requirements, law-making rules, marriage license rules)
  • Relationships are specific and bounded:
    • Limited to a context, time, and range of action
  • Strengths:
    • Predictable, orderly, transparent
    • All are equal; relatively little chance for abuse; protects subordinates’ rights
  • Problems:
    • Slow; rigid and inflexible; impersonal; processes may overwhelm goals; can lead to stupid outcomes or block quick solutions (example given in PSHS-CVC context)
  • Modern democratic governments are typically rational-legal; focus on procedures over outcomes; emphasizes equality; can both protect and frustrate citizens.

TRADITIONAL AUTHORITY

  • Authority is inherited.
  • Leaders are leaders because of them being:
    • Divine right of kings
    • Village elders
    • Inherited priesthood lineage (Old Testament)
  • Usually shows patterns of inheritance; stable transitions.
  • Characteristics:
    • Authority is diffuse and unbounded; no fixed limits; strong tradition
    • Relationships are whole-person; leader’s authority may extend into private life
  • Potential strengths:
    • Stable and orderly; flexible; strong positive associations; legitimacy nurtured by tradition
  • Potential problems:
    • “Right” seen only from the leader’s perspective; can be fickle; no mechanism to remove incompetent leaders; little room for individual excellence; power can be unlimited or unrestrained, increasing abuse risks

CHARISMATIC AUTHORITY

  • Followers believe the leader is infallible; leader can command almost anything, including violating traditional values and changing beliefs.
  • This is more than just a strong, dynamic leader; it involves a transformative, personal magnetism that inspires obedience.
  • Weber’s charisma is distinguished from “newspaper charisma” (mass media-enabled fame) which may not embody the deeper, frame-shaping charisma of Weber’s theory.
  • Real examples (Weber’s charisma): Mao Zedong, Jim Jones, Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith, Moses, Adolf Hitler.
  • Newspaper charisma examples (not Weber’s): John F. Kennedy, Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Ronald Reagan.
  • Potential strengths:
    • Rapid change is possible; old, corrupt systems can be overthrown; new worlds can be imagined; may solve major problems.

HUMAN NATURE AND POWER

  • A classic maxim often cited: "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely…" and related quotes about how authority tends to lead to unrighteous dominion.

AMERICAN SOLUTION FOR POWER CHECKS

  • Divide power among three branches (checks and balances).
  • Create a system where each branch checks the others to prevent concentration of power.
  • Establish core rights and constitutional limits; enforcement via the balance of powers and self-interest in maintaining balance.

NOTES ON FORMAL STRUCTURE AND REFERENCES

  • The content integrates multiple theoretical frameworks (pluralism, elite theory, feminism, state-centered theories) to analyze how power operates in society.
  • It highlights empirical data (e.g., women in leadership in 2016 Philippines elections) to illustrate gendered dimensions of power.
  • It emphasizes ethical and practical implications of power and authority, including how norms, culture, and institutions shape or constrain power dynamics.

Quick Reference - Key Terms

  • Power: The ability to influence behavior and outcomes.
  • Authority: Legitimate power embedded in a position or institution.
  • Pluralism: Power dispersed among many groups and actors.
  • Power Elite: A small set of interconnected leaders controlling key sectors.
  • Rational-Legal Authority: Authority based on formal rules and procedures.
  • Traditional Authority: Authority derived from customs and longstanding practices.
  • Charismatic Authority: Authority derived from the personal appeal and extraordinary qualities of a leader.
  • Legitimacy: Those in power have a recognized right to rule and followers’ obedience.
  • Easton’s framework: Force, Rewards, Legitimacy as core sources of power.
  • Democratic balance: A system designed to prevent power from concentrating unchecked.

Symbols for Power and Authority (Study Prompt)

  • Students may be asked to draw a symbol or icon that represents both power and authority, capturing the interplay between legitimacy, coercive capacity, and leadership.