Political Science 2246E Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Public Administration, Representative Democracy, Direct Democracy
28 Jul 2014
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Document Summary
Politics is essentially about power (conflict vs. cooperation over limited goods). Someone must be designated to become the arbiter over the division of goods, with the authority to exercise power and make decisions on behalf of society. Public administration then, is the mechanism by which political decision making occurs. Power (political administration) = ability to authorize, influence or coerce behaviour through a) legal position, b) status, or: force. Max weber theorized that authority is derived from one of three sources of legitimacy. Traditional legitimacy = rule = custom or habit. Legal-rational legitimacy = rule = rationally created rules and statutes. Religious (charismatic/traditional) leaders are no longer the most legitimate. Accountability and the rule of law (principle that no one, even lawmakers, are above the law) define the legal- rational system. Politics arises out of scarcity - there are not enough resources for all people to satisfy their needs and wants at once.
