POLI 100 Lecture Notes - Steven Lukes, Essentially Contested Concept, Ochlocracy
20 Nov 2012
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Document Summary
In political science, power is viewed as dominance. Writes the state has a monopoly on the legitimate use of force. Weber"s claim places violence at the very center of governance and politics. Steven lukes (2005): having the means of power is not the same as being powerful. Traditional authority: derived from long-established customs and values (monarchies) Charismatic authority: personal attributes of ruler (dictatorships) Legal-rational authority: status of office with constitutional (democratic rule) Elitist argument: assumes people from certain social backgrounds with broadly shared interests hold a dominant position in all policy areas. However, even if we can establish that they come from similar social (and educational) backgrounds, but can"t show that they have similar interests. Marxist argument: power is wielded by representation of the dominant economic group. In capitalist, power lies with organized business groups (corporations) From this bourgeois democracy can"t be a vehicle of significant change. At best, democratic parties can only persuade dominant groups to make token concessions.
