POL 101W Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Gross Domestic Product, David Easton, Common Good
7 Dec 2016
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Document Summary
Politics effect all aspects of life such as the economy the environment, freedoms, etc. Politics focuses on making decisions through authoritative allocation of values for a society - Power is seen as a ability to get people to do what they would not have done otherwise. Protesters may affect the government by affecting private industry as it all connects. Political power can be exerted in several ways: Power can be exercised through control of a political agenda, the issues that are considered important. If those who are powerful are able to prevent important issues from being raised, then power has been excised through non decisions . When dominant ideas work against the interest of weaker groups and result in them acting against there interest then, that power has been exercised in an indirect manner. Third face: assuming decisions will reflect the interest of the dominant groups in society. Second face: ability to ensure that issues are not raised.
