Power: Meaning, Types and Sources of Power

Introductions:-

The focal point of the study of political institutions is power and its uses. Although we think of

the concept of power as being associated particularly with politics or so as to say political

science, but it is, in fact, exists in all types of social relationships., ‘power relationships are

present in all aspects of society. Sociologists are concerned with social interactions among

individuals and groups and more specifically, how individuals and groups achieve their ends as

against those of others. In their study they take note of power as an important element that

influences social behaviour. Sociologists are today concerned to analyse the diverse nature of

power and that complexities it creates in human relationships, especially between state and

society.To summarize, it may be said that ‘power is the ability of groups or individuals to assert

themselves—sometimes, but not always—in opposition to the desires of others’. Many decisions

are made without opposition because of the great power decision-makers wield.

Definitions:-

1 Max Weber:-.According to Max Weber ,power is ‘the probability that one actor within a

social relationship will be in a position to carry out his own will despite resistance, regardless of
the basis on which this probability rests’.

2. Anthony Giddens :-Celebrated sociologist Anthony Giddens (1997) sees, ‘power as the

ability to make a difference, to change things from what they would otherwise have been, as he

puts it “transformative” capacity’.

3 Steven Lukes:-. According to Steven Lukes (2005), power has three dimensions or faces: (1)

decision-making, (2) non-decision-making, and (3) shaping desires.

Nature of Power:
1.Power is used in relational sense.:- When there is only one actor or element the issue of
power does not arise. It is because power implies ability to influence or control others or to get
things done by others. Naturally power relates to the relationship or interaction between two or
among more than two elements or actors. So power is always viewed in the background of
relationship.

2. Power is not concentrated at any particular centre:-, “power is disaggregated and non-
cumulative it is shared and bartered by numerous groups spread throughout society and
representing diverse interests”. In any pluralist society there are numerous groups and they all
compete among themselves at various levels to capture political power or to influence the
agencies who exercise their influence.

3.In a class-society there are diverse interests and each power centre represents a
particular interest.:- This point may further be explained. In any capitalist society there are
several classes, both major and minor, and each class strives for the realisation of its own
interests which are generally economic.But there may be political interests. However, the
conflicts among the classes sometimes lead to the other conflicts and this is the general
characteristic of capitalist society. But the advocates of the capitalist system argue that this
conflict does not create an atmosphere of class struggle. There are processes of peaceful
resolution of all conflicts. At least Talcott Parsons and many sociologists think so. According to
these persons the capitalist system is so structured that the conflicts do not create any impasse.

4., Maclver is of opinion that power is a conditional concept:-. Power, Maclver says, is an
ability to command service from others. But this ability, he continues, depends in some measure
upon certain conditions and if the conditions are not fulfilled properly power cannot function.
Power is not something which is permanently fixed. It is subject to change and it has source.If
the source dries up power generation or enhancement will stop. Again, mere existence of sources
cannot cause the rise of power. The holder of power must have the ability to use or utilise the
sources of power. All these conditions establish the fact that power is conditional.
5. Power is a very complex notion.:- How it is used, what consequences it produces, how it is
to be achieved-all are in real sense complex. No simple analysis can unearth the various aspects
of power. Different people use different terms to denote power. For example, Dahl uses the term
‘influence’ to mean power

Types of Power:

Max Weber (1958) believed that there are three (not one) independent and equally important

orders of power as under.

1.Economic power:

For Marx, economic power is the basis of all power, including political power. It is based upon

an objective relationship to the modes of production, a group’s condition in the labour market,

and its chances. Economic power refers to the measurement of the ability to control events by

virtue of material advantage.

2.Social power:

It is based upon informal community opinion, family position, honour, prestige and patterns of

consumption and lifestyles. Weber placed special emphasis on the importance of social power,

which often takes priority over economic interests. Contemporary sociologists have also given

importance to social status so much so that they sometimes seem to have underestimated the

importance of political power.

3.Political power:

It is based upon the relationships to the legal structure, party affiliation and extensive

bureaucracy. Political power is institutionalized in the form of large-scale government

bureaucracies. One of the persistent ideas has been that they are controlled by elites, that is,

small, select, privileged groups.

Political power concerns the activities of the states which is not confined to national boundaries.

The networks of political power can stretch across countries and across the globe. Political

power involves the power to tax and power to distribute resources to the citizens.

Besides, Weber’s types of power, there are a few other types also which are as under:
1.Knowledge power:

To Foucault (1969), power is intimately linked with knowledge. Power and knowledge produce

one another. He saw knowledge as a means of ‘keeping tabs’ on people and controlling them.

2.Military power:
It involves the use of physical coercion. Warfare has always played a major role in politics.

Modem mass military systems developed into bureaucratic organizations and significantly

changed the nature of organizing and fighting wars. According to Weber, few groups in society

base their power purely on force or military might.

3.Ideological power:

It involves power over ideas and beliefs, for example, are communism, fascism and some

varieties of nationalism. These types of ideologies are frequently oppositional to dominant

institutions and play an important role in the organization of devotees into sects and parties.

According to Michael Mann (1986), there are two types of power, viz., distributional and

collective.

4.Distributional power:

It is a power over others. It is the ability of individuals to get others to help them pursue their

own goals. It is held by individuals.

5.Collective power:

It is exercised by social groups. It may be exercised by one social group over another.
6.Direct &Indirect:- A group of persons or a person use power against others it is called direct

power, when persons authorize others to use power ort uses through subordinates it is called

indirect power.

7. Legitimate and illegitimate power:- Legitimate power is power you derive from your

formal position or office held in the organization's hierarchy of authority. For example, the

president of a corporation has certain powers because of the office he holds in the corporation.

illegitimate power can only be acquired by force, aggression, and violence.

8.Manifest Power and Latent Power:- The power which can be exercised openly and clearly is

called manifest power. Military power is its example. The power which can not be exercised

openly is called Latent Power, Example-Media power

9. Centralized and Decentralized Power:-In the centralizes power the political power is

distributed in the hands of few individuals or one individual. In the Decentralized power the

political power is widely distributed in number of many individuals.

10.Unilateral and Bilateral power:- In the unilateral power if one person uses his power on

another, where as the other person can not use his power on that person, who used power on him

is called unilateral power. In the Bilateral power ,when both sides in the power game use power

for each other is called bilateral power.

11.Domestic and International Power.:- In the Domestic power the Government exercises the

power over the people within the four boundaries of the state. In the international power, the

political power is exercised by the agency, organization recognized by the international law or

treaty or convention.

12. National Power

Willian Ebenstein says, "National power is more than the sum total of population, raw-material
and quantitative factors. It includes its civil devotion, the flexibility of its institutions, its
technical know-how, its national character or quantitative elements that determine the total
strength of a nation."

Definitions
1.Prof. Morgenthau defines national power as, "A psychological relation between those who
exercise it and those over whom it is exercised. It gives the former control over certain actions of
the latter, through the influence that the former exerts over the latter's mind."
2.According to George Shwarzen Berger, "The power is the capacity to, impose one's will on
other by reliance on effective sanctions in the case of noncompliance."
3.According to Organski, "Power is the ability to influence the behaviour of other in
accordance with one's own end."
Basic Elements of National Power
The elements of national power can be divided into two main categories i.e. tangible and
intangible.

Tangible Elements
Tangible elements are those elements that can he felt and touched. Following are the important
elements of national power.

1. Geography

Geography
The importance of geography to a study of international relations has long been recognized.
History has often been characterized as geography in nation. Napoleon once said that,
"The foreign policy of a country is determined by its geography." The importance of geography
in the study of international relations cannot be ignored, because all other elements of national
power depend upon the geographical location of the state. The importance of geography has been
decreased to some extant due to technological development but one cannot ignore its importance
because USA is the superpower of the world just because of its geographical location. Size: Size
of the state as well as population greatly influence its national power i.e. the big countries have
great weightage in international affairs while small states have no impact on national power but
some time small state with rich natural resources have deep impact on its national power, like
oily rich countries of Middle East. The size of territory increases the power of a nation. A small
state cannot become powerful. England was powerful as long as she had colonies. A large state
can accommodate a large population and can also have large supply of natural resources on this
account. In today's world USA, China and India are bound to play effective role in the world
politics on account of their vast size.
2.Population:-
Population
Population is tangible element of national power. It is assumed that populous nation state are
always powerful hut it is not true in developed nation-state a large number of population is a
source of strength, integration, development while in developing state a large number of
population is sign of its weakness i.e. unemployment, disintegration and corruption etc.
population is one of the most important element of national power. Because if population of a
country is engaged in industrial activities then the country will be stronger then the one, whose
population is primarily engaged in agricultural activities.

3. location:-

Location
Another most important element of national power is location. It determines the country's
security and its spatial relationship with outside world. England and Japan being Islands have
been more secure. Similarly, USA being separated from Europe and Asia could remain in
isolation for long time, and emerge as a super power because of its location. Location is more
important then size because it determine the climate and influence the economic system.
Location plays very significant role in national power, for example Bangladesh separated from
Pakistan just because of geographical location and weak- end the national power of Pakistan.

4.Territory

Territory
It is an important tangible element of national power. Territory is an important element that
determines the power of a state. The territorial characteristics such as boundaries, climate.
strategic location, nature of land and waterways plays very important role in the enhancement of
national power. For example, a mountainous country is difficult to be overcome by enemy while
plain one easy to be captured.

5.Natural resources
Natural resources
Natural resources may be defined as, "Gifts of nature of established utility." They would include,
for example waterfall, fertility of soil, oil, iron, copper, gas and coal etc. Natural resources plays
very significant role in national power. For example, Kuwait is very small state but due to rich
oil resources it plays very vital role in international politics. Natural resources are the gifts of
God and a raw material are the labour of the individual. However, the natural resources do not by
themselves create power. They have to be exploited with the help of capital, technical know-how
and skilled labours. For example, though Brazil had rich iron deposits they did not contribute to
her national power till they were exploited with the technical assistance received from USA.

6.Technology

Technology
Technology is often defined as applied science. Technological change reflects the actual
adoption of new methods and products; it is the triumph of the new over the old in the test of the
market and the budget. Moreover, it involves a complex, social process including many elements
science, education, research and development under private and public auspices, management,
technology, production facilities, workers and labour organization." It has already ushered in the
age of computers, automation, and atomic and space technology. Technology is also one of the
most important elements of national power. For example, USA is the global master due to
advancement in technology. In recent years, technology has come to exercise profound influence
on the power base of a state as well as the course of international relations. Technology at least
in three sphere i.e. industrial, communication and military, has greatly influenced the power of
the state.

7.Economic development

Economic development
Economic development means increase in national income or increase in per capita income or
economic development is the process that not only effect the economic relations of the states but
social, political, cultural and religious relation also. It is also an important and contributing factor
in the increasing of national power. USA emerged as a powerful state of the world because of
industrial development. USA pursues an independent foreign policy due to economic
development.
Political structure
Political structure

Political structure
Political structure
8.political structure:-

Political structure
The mere possession of abundance of material and human resources and formation of a good
foreign policy would prove useless if the political structure or the government cannot play its
role effectively. The government is required to choose the objectives and methods of its foreign
policy in the light of the power available to support them with a maximum success.

9.Military advancement

Military advancement
Military advancement is the most apparent and tangible factor capable of supporting the foreign
policy and promoting national. interest. Military advancement plays very important role in
international politics. For example, during first phase of the World War I Germany gained
superiority over British because of the use of submarines.
10.Diplomacy

Diplomacy
The national power of national state is greatly determined by the quality of diplomacy pursued
by its diplomats. According to Morgenthau "The quality of diplomacy of a state gives direction
and weight to other elements of power." Diplomacy is an entire method of resolving international
conflicts. Diplomacy can serve the interest of a state by protecting its people abroad, by
searching out new opportunities for trade, by decumulating information about geography
resources, techniques, cultural and military establishment.

Intangible Elements of National Power

So, for we have been considering tangible and material factors of national power. Now we must
turn to factors that are no less important, although they are more difficult to isolate and define.
These are the elements of ideology, moral. and leadership.

1.ideology
Ideology
In the modern period the ideologies of socialism, communism, democracy, liberalism and
nationalism have an international appeal. Ideology is the most important element of national
power because ideology creates unity among nations and builds a sense of common interest to
people. For example, the Soviet and Chinese national power is associated with the ideology of
communism. An ideology is a brunch of ideas about life, society or government. USSR got the
status of super power through the ideology of communism and Pakistan came into being due to
Islamic ideology.

2., Moral

Leadership
Leadership is interrelated with the other elements of national power because it is one of the
measures of the extant to that those elements are utilized. According to Palmer and Perline:
"Without leadership people cannot even constitute a state."

3.leadership.

A nation state cannot emerge without able leadership. Without it there can be no well-developed
or integrated technology and without it morale is totally useless, if indeed it can exist at all.
Leadership plays very important role in stimulating or discouraging governmental activities.
People like Lenin, Stalin and Churchill changed the fate of their people and countries. So, we can
say that leadership plays very important role in the enhancement of national power.

National Character and Morale

There are three basic sources of power: force, influence and authority.

These are explained below:

1.Force:

As defined earlier, force is the actual (physical force) or threatened (latent force) use of coercion

to impose one’s will on others. When leaders imprison or even execute political dissidents, they

thus apply force. Often, however, sheer force accomplishes little. Although people can be

physically restrained, they cannot be made to perform complicated tasks by force alone.
2.Influence:

It refers to the exercise of power through the process of persuasion. It is the ability to affect the

decisions and actions of others. A citizen may change his or her position after listening a stirring

speech at a rally by a political leader. This is an example of influence that how the efforts to

persuade people can help in changing one’s opinion.

3.Authority:-

It refers to power that has been institutionalized and is recognized by the people over whom it is

exercised (Schaefer and Lamm, 1992). It is established to make decisions and order the actions

of others. It is a form of legitimate power. Legitimacy means that those subject to a

government’s authority consent to it (Giddens, 1997).

The people give to the ruler the authority to rule, and they obey willingly without the threat of

force. We tend to obey the orders of police officer because we accept their right to have power

over us in certain situations. Legitimate power is accepted as being rightfully exercised (for

example, power of the king). Thus, sociologists distinguish power from authority.

Authority is an agreed-upon legitimate relationship of domination and subjugation. For example,

when a decision is made through legitimate, recognized channels of government, the carrying out

of that decision falls within the realm of authority. In brief, power is decision-making and

authority is the right to make decisions, that is, legitimate power.

Thus, there is a difference between authority and influence:

(1) Authority is an official right to make and enforce decisions, whereas influence is the ability

to affect the actions of others apart from authority to do so;

(2) Authority stems from rank, whereas influence rests largely upon personal attributes; and
(3) Authority is based upon the status one holds, whereas influence is based upon the esteem one

receives.

Methods of Exercising National Power:

1.Persuasion: Persuasion is a very effective method of exercising national power. ...

2.Rewards: The second popular method of exercising power is the offering of rewards. ...
3.Punishment: A third way of exercising power is punishment. ...
4.Force:

Authority
Introductions:-

“Authority can most simply be defined as legitimate power…….. Authority is, therefore, based
on an acknowledged duty to obey rather than on any form of coercion or manipulation. In this
sense authority is power cloaked in legitimacy or rightfulness”. Authority is that form of power
which orders or articulates the actions of other actors through commands which are effective
because those who are commanded regard the commands as legitimate.”Max Weber used the
term authority to refer to legitimate power.In simple words, it can be said that authority refers to
power which is regarded as legitimate in the minds of followers.Weber’s notion of authority does
not imply that power is legitimate and that illegitimate power plays no role in society. “Weber
only argued that legitimacy is a general condition for the most effective and enduring
manifestations of power. Still this legitimacy may take different forms and different
justifications.” The exercise of authority is a constant and pervasive phenomenon in the human
society. Human society maintains itself because of ‘order’ - and it is the authority that serves as
the foundation of social order.It is wrong to assume that ‘authority’ is purely a political
phenomenon. In fact, in all kinds of organisations, political as well as non-political, authority
appears. Every association in society whether it is temporary or permanent, small or big, has its
own structure of authority.

2.Meaning of authority :- The word ‘authority’ is derived from the Latin word ‘auctoritas’
which means the right to exercise power given by the State (in the form of government, judges,
police officers, etc.). Authority is the power or admitted right to command or act. Authority is the
power to do something. Authority means the institutionalized exercise of legitimate power which
is backed by law or constitution and common consent.The senate, upper house in Rome gave its
counsel to the popular assembly and this counsel was called Auctor or Auctoritos

3.Definitions:-

1.Maclver :- Authority is often defined as being the ‘power to command obedience’.

2.Hondel:-‘In term of power as an essential element of authority.

3.David Baston:- Authority is a type of relationship , that we can call it influence.

Types of Authority:

Max Weber (1922) has identified three of authority as described below:

1.Traditional Authority:

It is the legitimate power conferred by custom, tradition or accepted practice. Traditional

authority is ‘hallowed with time’, like that of a king, an established dynasty or a religious leader.

It is based on an uncodified collective sense that it is proper and longstanding and should

therefore be accepted as legitimate.

In patriarchal societies, the authority of husbands over wives or of father over his children is

obeyed because it is the accepted practice. Similarly, a king or queen is accepted as ruler of a

nation simply by virtue of inheriting the crown. For the traditional leader, authority rests in

custom or tradition (inherited positions), and not in personal characteristics.

2.Legal—Rational Authority:

It is established in law or written regulations (formally enacted norms) that determine how the

society will be governed. This is the form of authority found in workplaces, government,

schools, colleges and most major social institutions.

Leaders derive their legal authority from the written rules and regulations of political systems. It

is this type of authority that characterizes modem bureaucratic organizations. Rational authority

rests in the leader’s legal right rather than in family or personal characteristics.

3.Charismatic Authority:

Weber also observed that power can be legitimized by the charisma of an individual. Charisma is

‘a certain quality of an individual personality by virtue of which he is set apart from ordinary

man and treated as endowed with supernatural, superhuman, or at least specifically exceptional

powers or qualities’ (Weber, 1922).Charisma is, therefore, unusual spontaneous and creative of

new movements and new structures. The term ‘charismatic authority’ refers to the power made

legitimate by the exceptional personal characteristics of the leader, such as heroism, mysticism,

revelations, or magic.

Charisma allows a person to lead or inspire without relying on set rules or traditions. Charismatic

authority is generated by the personality and the myths that surround the individual, like that of

Jesus, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Hitler and Pandit Nehru.
A charismatic leader attracts followers because they judge him or her to be particular wise or

capable. It may be pertinent to mention that the charismatic authority is socially bestowed and

may be withdrawn when the leader is no longer regarded as extraordinary.

Weber used traditional, legal—rational and charismatic authority as ideal types and as such are

usually not found in their pure form in any given situation. In reality, particular leaders and

political systems combine elements of two or more of these forms.

To Weber’s three major types of authority, some contemporary scholars have added a fourth
type, professional authority (authority based on expertise). The authority of physicians or atomic

scientists, botanists, etc., is the example of this fourth type of authority.

Besides, Weber’s types of Authority:-

1..Genral and Special authority :-Authority is general when it extends to all acts or all

connected with a particular employment and special when confined to a single act.

2.Legal and political Authority:-In legal authority the legitimacy of the power holder to issue

commands rests upon rules that are rationally established by enactment by agreement or by

imposition. Political authority is obtained with the people giving voluntarily their consent.

3.Centralized and Decentralized Authority:-In the unitary states like the U.K. the authority is

centralized .In federal states the authority is distributed between the centre and the states of the

nation.

4.Strong and weak Authority :- if majority members of parliament or legislature belong to a

single party, they can strongly administer. Due to multi party system, no party gets majority,

coalition government is formed ,due to dependency the member may not make laws properly,

due to division of opinion and this is considered as weak authority

R.S. peter Political scientist has classified authority in three group.:-

1.De-Jure Authority :-It comes into power on the basis of election or nomination.

2.De-factor Authority:-It commands obedience from the people, it does not come to power

from law, de-facto authority may have public support, de-facto authority gets legally authorized.

3.Intermediate authority:-Who do not have charisma but they are specialized in the field of

knowledge.

Sources of Authority:
According to Max Weber, there are three sources of political authority, viz., traditional,
charismatic and legal:
(a) When a continuous use of political power or its exercise on the basis of customs and
traditions leads to emergence of right to rule it is known as traditional authority.

(b) When the right to rule springs from the dynamism of a political leader, it is termed as
charismatic authority.

(c) When the right to rule emerges from the constitutional rules, it is termed as legal rational
authority.

Other Sources of Authority

1.Divine right:-

It will not be out of place to point out that in ancient times King and his advisors were the
fountain of authority. In Democracy authority is hierarchical. The official on the top of hierarchy
enjoys the maximum authority. According to Peter, “Power structure or systems are usually
hierarchical in form with those the top normally bearing more power than those at the lower level
since decisions made and enjoyed at the top of the pyramid have more widespread effect than
those made further down.”
2.Religions:-In the 13th century period of great religious movement. The church preached that
eternal law governs the whole universe. it represents the reason of god and explains that the
whole universe is governed by divine reason. Divine law consists of commands of god.

3.Force:-One of the sources of obtaining authority. Soldiers with advanced armaments, cavalry-
speedy horses, use of guns and cannons, air force, atomic bombs etc.

4.Revolution:-Karl Marx, believed that authority is an economic phenomenon and has been
concentrated in the hands of capitalists, who exploit the workers/ labour. Therefore,he advocated
not to obey the rule of such authority and suggested class war ,revolution and revolt.he wanted a
classless society and the real authority is vested in working class, peasants.

5.Elite:-Minority elite of the population which comes tom power to make major decisions in the
society and hold authority.

6.Traditional:- It is an established belief in the sanctity of immemorial traditions and the

legitimacy of the status of those exercising authority over them.

7.Charismatic:-When the right to rule is accrued from the great qualities and charisma of a
political leader is called as charismatic authority.

8.Legal /Rationale:-when the right to rule is accrued according to the constitutional rules of the
state is called as legal/rational authority.

Sanction of Authority:
Briefly speaking, the following are the sanctions of authority:
(a) Social sanction.:- Sometimes an individual accepts authority because of fear of society. In
certain social situation society expects the individuals to be obedient.

b) Economic security and status.:- At times authority accepted by the people if it brings
pecuniary benefits enhances their status.
(c) Sanction of purpose.:- Sometimes for efficient functioning an organisation its employees
accept the authority of seniors. In other words authority is recognised by individual for
attainment of goal or object.

(d) Psychological sanction.:- A senior can assert authority on junior by virtue of his seniority.
This is put psychological reason.

Power and Authority:

The readers, I am sure, have acquired preliminary ideas about two vital concepts— power and
authority. It is now high time to go through the relationship between them. Power, in its broadest
sense, is the ability to achieve desired results. Power also means the ability to do something.

These are the common interpretations of power. But this ability may not be legitimate. An
individual or a military general may by physical force seize political’ power but behind that there
may not be sanction of law or constitution. In that case, the person’s ability to force others to do
something is also not authorised by law. So it is held that power is not legitimate, the authority is
always legitimate. Behind every act or decision of the authority there shall be approval of law.
Law and constitution always stand behind an authority.

A person having power may demand obligation from other persons. But if they refuse to act
accordingly the holder of power legally or constitutionally cannot force him to show obligation.
Behind power there lies coercion or application of coercive measures or physical force. But
people show obligation to the authority on the ground that it is legally entitled to claim
obligation.

In explaining authority we have seen that the holder of authority is empowered to do something
or claim something. It means that authority, whatever may its nature be, is always based on law
or legitimacy. So it is said that the authority is not only legal but authorities claim is based on
right. In other words, authority has full freedom to demand something. We can say that authority
has freedom. But this conception is not applicable to power. This relation between power and
authority has been stated by Leslie Lipson in the following words. “What demarcates authority
from power is that the former is power recognised as rightful. Authority is government that all
accept as valid. Its exercise is, therefore, sectioned by those who approve the particular act or
agent and is tolerated by those who disapprove. … Authority is power clothed in the garments of
legitimacy”.

The relationship between the two can be explained still from another angle. Raphael observes
that authority can exist without power. This may be illustrated in the following way. A man may
be invested with authority of an office in accordance with law or formal rules. Naturally he can
take any decision. But he fails to exercise his authority on the ground that majority men do not
support or recognise him.This may be due to the popular mass upsurge. On the other hand,
power can exist without authority. This frequently happens in many countries. The military
rulers demand obligation from citizens though he has not that authority.

Differences Between Power and Authority

The difference between power and authority can be drawn clearly on the
following grounds:

1.Power is defined as the ability or potential of an individual to influence

others and control their actions. Authority is the legal and formal right to
give orders and commands, and take decisions.

2.Power is a personal trait, i.e. an acquired ability, whereas authority is a

formal right, that vest in the hands of high officials or management
personnel.

3.The major source of power is knowledge and expertise. On the other

hand, position and office determine the authority of a person.

4.Power flows in any direction, i.e. it can be upward, downward, crosswise

or diagonal, lateral. As opposed to authority, that flows only in one
direction, i.e. downward (from superior to subordinate).

5.The power lies in person, in essence, a person acquires it, but authority
lies in the designation, i.e. whoever get the designation, get the authority
attached to it.

6.Authority is legitimate whereas the power is not.

BASIS FOR COMPARISON POWER AUTHORITY
Meaning Power means the ability or The legal and formal right to give
potential of an individual to orders and commands, and take
influence others and control their decisions is known as an
actions. Authority.
 It is a personal trait.
What is it? It is a formal right, given to the
high officials.
Source Knowledge and expertise Position & office
Power does not follow any Authority follows the hierarchy
Hierarchy hierarchy.
Resides with Person Designation
Legitimate No Yes

Authority vs. Power:

Power and authority are considered synonymous but in actual fact both differ. In the word
Lasswell, “Power becomes authority when it is legalised. Capital to issue orders is power
whereas authority is exhibited at where decisions are taken.

The main points of difference at follows:

(a) Authority is always legitimate whereas power is legitimate and illegitimate.

(b) Authority is based on consent whereas power is based force. According to Eric Row “Power
like authority means of favourably effecting the behaviour of another but by might not right.”

(c) By nature authority is more democratic than power as it is always legitimate and based on
popular support.

(d) Authority reflects ability of man to get his proposals accepted but power is the capacity of
man to change the behaviour of others.

Despite these minor differences the concepts of power and authority are most vital and
inseparable elements of politics. They have become central to the study of politic

Characteristics of Authority

Some of the important characteristics of authority are:(a) legitimacy (b) dominance (c) an informal
power (d) rationality and (e) accountability.

Legitimacy, dominance, informality, rationality and accountability are the characteristics of authority.
(a) Legitimacy:
It determines the effectiveness of authority. Hence it is the hall mark of the concept of authority.
According to Robert Dahl “A commands B and B feels A has perfect right to do so and to which he has
complete obligation to obey. Power of this kind is often said to be legitimate………. Legitimate power is
often called authority.”

(b) Dominance:
Authority is capacity of the individual to command others. An individual or a group which possesses
authority exercises dominance over other individuals. Authority is a command of superior to an inferior.

(c) An informal power:

It is not a formal power as it lacks characteristics which are the main features of power. According to
Fredrick “Authority is not a power but something that accompanies power.” It is the quality in men and
things which adds to their power, something which creates power but it is not itself power.

d) Rationality:
This is the main characteristic of authority. In the words of Fredrick, ‘The man who has authority
possesses something that I would describe as the capacity for reasoned elaboration for giving convincing
reasons for what he does or proposes to have others to do.” Evidently the basis of authority is logic or
reason.

(e) Accountability:
The individual or a group of individuals who possess authority are responsible to some higher authority.
In a democratic system accountability is the most significant characteristic of authority.

Significance of Authority

1. Authority can be used to protect our rights to life, liberty, and property.

2.Authority can be used to provide order and security in people's lives. For example, air
traffic controllers prevent accidents and provide safety for airplane passengers.

3.Authority can be used to manage conflict peacefully and fairly. For example, umpires are
used to referee baseball games and solve conflicts that may occur. Courts manage conflicts
among people over property and other matters.

4.Authority can be used to protect important rights and freedoms. For example: the First
Amendment of the Constitution protects our freedom of expression and belief.
5.Authority can be used to ensure that benefits (advantages) and burdens (disadvantages) will
be distributed fairly. For example: laws ensure that all children have an opportunity to receive a
free public education; parents may require each of their children to help with household chores.

6.Collective Security
When individuals respect the authority of social norms or the law, it assures mutual security.
When people break the law, they may harm or infringe on the rights of those around them. For
example, a person that drinks and drives could cause a tragic accident. Individuals respect
authority because they understand that doing so produces collective security.
7.Individual Safety
Authority figures often establish rules to protect the safety of the individual. These types of rules
are encountered early in people's lives, when their parents say something such as "You are not
allowed to play with the light sockets." As such, people respect authority because they know that
doing so will promote them from harming themselves.
8.Avoiding Negative Consequences
When personal or collective safety is not enough to motivate respect for authority, individuals
may choose to obey the rules in order to avoid punishment. When individuals choose to ignore
authority, they expose themselves to prosecution. For example, a drug dealer may care little
about his personal health or that of his clients, but the threat of jail may be enough to deter him.
9.Mantaining Order
When individuals respect authority, it promotes social order. This is important because it allows
society to grow and flourish. For example, taxes are used to create social programs and fund
government policies. As a result, there are roads, public services and more economic
opportunities available.