PO101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Steven Lukes, Charismatic Authority, Elitism
Document Summary
Chapter 2 political power, authority and the state. Power & authority: central concept, power got with coercion, coercion consent. Forms of power: economy, military, technological power. Max weber: authority- power cloaked in legitimacy/rightfulness, legitimacy- rightfulness. 3 sources of legitimate power: traditional power, charismatic authority, bureaucratic. Back to the state: theories of the state. Pluralism/liberalism: classical pluralism, society made up of competing groups, what govt does, reflects balance of power in groups. Elitism: michels observed power within group, power will get delegated to people in group elected or not, represent democracy. Socialism: marx said; power of ruling group in camitalist societies is absed on control of economic resource, capitalist state is controlled by economic elite, classes based on material status. The new right: liberal free-market thinkers, state oversteps its bounds, overpromise benefits to secure votes, expansion of state bureaucracy for own benefit.
