political theory chapter 5
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What is power in political theory according to Heywood?
Power is the ability to influence the behaviour of others, typically by getting them to do what they would not otherwise do.
Distinguish between power and authority.
Power is the capacity to influence or control others, whereas authority is legitimate power — power that is recognized and accepted as right or proper.
Define legitimacy.
Legitimacy is the rightfulness of power or rule — the belief that political authority is justified and ought to be obeyed.
What are the three faces (dimensions) of power identified by Lukes (as discussed by Heywood)?
Decision-making power (direct influence). Non-decision-making power (agenda control). Ideological power (shaping perceptions and preferences).
What are Max Weber’s three types of legitimate authority?
Traditional authority – based on custom and long-standing practices. Charismatic authority – based on personal appeal and leadership. Legal-rational authority – based on impersonal rules and laws.
How does coercion differ from consent in the exercise of power?
Coercion involves force or threats, while consent involves voluntary acceptance of authority.
Explain the pluralist view of power.
Power is dispersed among many competing groups; no single elite dominates decision-making.
Explain the elitist (or Marxist) view of power.
Power is concentrated in the hands of a privileged minority — a ruling elite or dominant class that controls political and economic systems.
What is the postmodernist critique of legitimacy?
Postmodernists argue legitimacy is a discourse — a social construction — rather than an objective fact; what counts as legitimate depends on prevailing narratives and power relations.
How does Heywood link legitimacy with stability in political systems?
Legitimacy fosters obedience and social order without reliance on force, thus enhancing political stability.
What did Max Weber contribute to the study of authority?
Weber classified authority into traditional, charismatic, and legal-rational types and linked legitimacy to these forms.
How did Steven Lukes expand on earlier conceptions of power?
He introduced the “third dimension” of power — shaping desires and beliefs so that people accept domination as natural.
What is Robert Dahl’s view of power?
Dahl viewed power as an observable relationship where “A has power over B to the extent that A can get B to do something B would not otherwise do” — focusing on decision-making in pluralist democracies.
How does Antonio Gramsci’s concept of hegemony relate to power?
Gramsci argued that ruling classes maintain power through ideological dominance — making their worldview appear natural and in everyone’s interest.
How did Michel Foucault redefine power?
Foucault viewed power as diffuse and productive — operating through discourse, institutions, and knowledge rather than simply through coercion.
How does John Locke’s notion of consent inform legitimacy?
For Locke, legitimate government rests on the consent of the governed; authority without consent is tyranny.
What is Hannah Arendt’s distinction between power and violence?
Arendt argued that power arises from collective action and consent, while violence is a sign of the loss of genuine power.
Can a government maintain stability without legitimacy? Consider authoritarian regimes as examples.
(Open-ended) — invites discussion on coercion vs. consent, pragmatic vs. moral legitimacy, and the durability of regimes relying on repression.
Is Weber’s typology of authority still relevant in modern societies? Discuss with reference to contemporary political leaders.
(Open-ended) — encourages evaluation of charismatic populism, bureaucratic rationality, and the persistence of traditional legitimacy.
To what extent is Lukes’ third dimension of power compatible with democratic theory?
(Open-ended) — critical discussion about manipulation, ideology, and whether democracy can exist when citizens’ preferences are shaped by dominant discourses.
How do postmodern and feminist theorists challenge traditional notions of legitimacy and authority?
(Open-ended) — discussion on intersectional power, discourse, and the idea that legitimacy is constructed rather than inherent.
Compare and contrast Gramsci’s hegemony and Foucault’s power/knowledge as explanations of political control.
(Open-ended) — explore ideological dominance versus dispersed discursive power.
Does the concept of legitimacy have universal meaning across cultures, or is it culturally relative?
(Open-ended) — debate between political universalism and relativism.
Is authority ever truly legitimate if it relies on structures of inequality?
(Open-ended) — engages with Marxist, feminist, and postcolonial critiques.