PO110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Heredity
Document Summary
Control of the means of force (army, weapon ownership) Out of all resources, the only one that is most equally distributed amongst individuals is the ability to vote. Authority: involves granting of rights and responsibilities to particular individuals and groups so they can make the community function. (the right to exercise rights that have been granted to us) When it comes to authority, legitimacy is the key. Institution plays a role in who receives power and legitimacy (socially approved power) 3 types of authority: traditional seen in the old days when society was pre-industrial. Power that is vested in a specific person: charismatic grounded in personal qualities (ex: hitler, mussolini; not necessarily good/bad but usually leans to evils) Authority is boosted by crises or unrest (weber: rational-legal impersonal (puts authority in position) Leader needs to win legitimacy through a fair process. Legitimacy is linked to the leader"s performance. It can be weakened by poor performance and corrupt behavior.
