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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LAW

MANAGEMENT & HUMANITIES
[ISSN 2581-5369]
Volume 4 | Issue 4
2021
© 2021 International Journal of Law Management & Humanities

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2333 International Journal of Law Management & Humanities [Vol. 4 Iss 4; 2333]

Concept of Power and Authority

VAISHNAVI SINGH1

ABSTRACT
Power means ability of an individual to influence others to control their actions. Like the
white collar people who are so economically wealthier that they try and control the
system with their own charismatic effect. Authority on other we see the legal rights
possessed by people in an institution. These rights are the formal rights given to the
people who are holding the office. In this paper we will see the working of power and
authority is interchangeable in society, or how power is coercive. In this paper we will
come across the Max Weber theories. And last will draw a clear conclusion by
establishing the differencing line between the power and authority.

I. INTRODUCTION
Power is very central to the politics, however the understanding and conceptualization of power
is essentially contested , in this paper I have tried to explain the understanding of power with
authority , and its radical understanding, also further the actual relationship between power and
authority . Although both the terminologies have independent capacity in their own meaning,
but usually we carry both the terms together, so how these two things , power and authority
interchangeably are similar and in which context we find them at same connotation is the core
basis of this paper.

(A) Hypothesis

Power and authority works and in hand most of time and Power has multi dimensions , it is
coercive but it is legitimate when come to State.

(B) Research Questions

1. Whether power can exist without authority?

2. Whether power and authority are interchangeable?
3. Whether power has coercive dimension is society?
4. Whether power and authority corollary to each other?

(C) Background

1
Author is a student in India.

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Power is seen as capacity or ability to do something . It is also understood as ‘hagemony’( by

Antonio Gramsci). It is not coercive, but it proliferates in society among the subordinate
classes. Power can be better understood with Politics. For centuries, philosophers, politicians,
and social scientists have explored and commented on the nature of power. Pittacus (c. 640–
568 B.C.E.) opined, “The measure of a man is what he does with power,” and Lord Acton
perhaps more famously asserted, “Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely”
(1887). power is the ability to exercise one’s will over others (Weber 1922).

Ronald Reagan, for example, was often called “the Teflon president,” because he was so loved
by much of the public that accusations of ineptitude or malfeasance did not stick to him
(Lanoue, 1988).

Indeed, the concept of power can have decidedly negative connotations, and the term itself is
difficult to define.

Modern State make explicit the use of power and its exercise through various of institutions. It
also describes the use of physical coercion or punishment to maintain law and order or rule of
law in democratic states. Abuse and misuse of power and position lead to authoritarian ,
autocratic and dictatorship form of government.

In general sense power is understood as capacity to do something. It is seen as coercive in

nature as power means to do something even against someone’s will.

If state gives punishment to someone like death penalty , according to the procedure established
by law, then in such case this is categorized under legitimate act. However , if a laymen would
commit a murder , then in that case that is wrongful and will be rigorously punished. In both
the case there was use of power but it was divided as legitimate and non -legitimate act.
Similarly , Power can not only be viewed as a coercive nature but can also be observed in
legitimate way.

II. DIFFERENT SCHOLARS ON POWER

Robert Dahl defines power as domination of one person over another, where one person can
be regarded as exercising power of another person to the extent that this person can get that
person to do something that this person would not do otherwise.

It explains 2 specific things about power, primary , power is seen as an individual attribute or
features that defines how individuals exercise power over other individuals . and secondary ,
power is seen as domination over others, that is, power is used to make others do what one
wants against their own will.

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Hannah Ardent talks about power as attributes of collectives that is enabled through
communication among people. He viewed power in a slightly positive sense that power make
an individual act like a responsible or accountable or moral human being in society. In thus
sense power is not always understand as ‘ power over’ but also as ‘power to’ which explains
power as positive notion also.

Talcott Parson defines power as political power in 2 dimensions , first the facilitative form of
power, and second is the systemic form of power . He pointed out that ‘power is something
that circulates in society like money in the economy.’ Moreover, he argued that acquisition of
power enhances human capacity or ability to secure political obligations .

Steven Lukes provides a comprehensive and radical understanding of power , He provided 3

dimensional views on power . first, power at the most explicit level, where it prevails to ensure
that a more authoritative , powerful interest prevails over other.

Second, power at less obvious level where some ideas or issues are kept out of the agenda of
discussions and debates.

Third, the most radical one is , power at grassroot level, Here power work in structural manner
because here it works in shaping the perception of people.

III. AUTHORITY
Power and Authority are often interchangeably. However, there is great deal of difference
between them. Authority is generally understood as power which has legal basis. In other
words , commands or guidelines which have legal sanction are regarded as authority.

(A) Max Weber on Authority

Max Weber pointed three different kinds of authority,

a. Rational- bureaucratic
b. Traditional
c. Charismatic

Weber’s keen insight lay in distinguishing different types of legitimate authority that
characterize different types of societies, especially as they evolve from simple to more complex
societies. He called these three types traditional authority, rational-legal authority, and
charismatic authority.

If traditional authority derives from custom and tradition, rational-legal authority derives from
law and is based on a belief in the legitimacy of a society’s laws and rules and in the right of

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leaders to act under these rules to make decisions and set policy. This form of authority is a
hallmark of modern democracies, where power is given to people elected by voters, and the
rules for wielding that power are usually set forth in a constitution, a charter, or another written
document. Whereas traditional authority resides in an individual because of inheritance or
divine designation, rational-legal authority resides in the office that an individual fills, not in
the individual per se. The authority of the president of the United States thus resides in the
office of the presidency, not in the individual who happens to be president

Charismatic authority stems from an individual’s extraordinary personal qualities and from that
individual’s hold over followers because of these qualities. Such charismatic individuals may
exercise authority over a whole society or only a specific group within a larger society. They
can exercise authority for good and for bad, as this brief list of charismatic leaders indicates:
Joan of Arc, Adolf Hitler, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Jesus Christ, Muhammad,
and Buddha. Each of these individuals had extraordinary personal qualities that led their
followers to admire them and to follow their orders or requests for action.

The reason for this is simple: once charismatic leaders die, their authority dies as well.
Although a charismatic leader’s example may continue to inspire people long after the leader
dies, it is difficult for another leader to come along and command people’s devotion as
intensely.

(B) Relation of Power and Authority

Indeed, the concept of power can have decidedly negative connotations, and the term itself is
difficult to define. Endeavors to gain power and influence do not necessarily lead to violence,
exploitation, or abuse. Leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Mohandas Gandhi, for
example, commanded powerful movements that effected positive change without military
force. Both men organized nonviolent protests to combat corruption and injustice and
succeeded in inspiring major reform. They relied on a variety of nonviolent protest strategies
such as rallies, sit-ins, marches, petitions, and boycotts.

They found they had power because they were able to exercise their will over their own leaders.
Thus, government power does not necessarily equate to absolute power.

Regardless of who benefits, a central point is this: some individuals and groups have more
power than others. Because power is so essential to an understanding of politics, we begin our
discussion of politics with a discussion of power.

We make sure we strictly obey the speed limit and all other driving rules. If, alas, the police
car’s lights are flashing, we stop the car, as otherwise we may be in for even bigger trouble.
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When the officer approaches our car, we ordinarily try to be as polite as possible and pray we
do not get a ticket. When you were 16 and your parents told you to be home by midnight or
else, your arrival home by this curfew again illustrated the use of power, in this case parental
power. If a child in middle school gives her lunch to a bully who threatens her, that again is an
example of the use of power, or, in this case, the misuse of power.

(C) Conceptual Understanding

It is considered that power and authority are contradictory in nature. Power often identifies
with constraint , force, dependence or subordination that explains relationship of domination
and subjection. Whereas, authority is about seeking consent and it is based on righteousness of
actions . However , some political thinkers believed that both power and authority are nearly
impossible to separate . Because it is seen that in any kind of state or institutions, both power
and authority exist and they support each other.

A . Carter in her work Authority and Democracy pointed out that ‘ authority rarely exists in its
pure form. She also said ‘ even a constitutional government acting in a liberal manner would
still lack ‘ pure authority’ since such government relies ultimately upon coercion.

C. J. Friedrich argued that authority involves reasoning . He said ‘ this is not the reasoning of
mathematics and logic but reasoning which relates actions to opinion and beliefs to value ,
however defined.’ It can thus argued to be in contrast to analysis of power.

Some theorists have argued that authority is philosophical concept and power is sociological
concept that is based on observation of power relationships and the way it operates in society.
Social Scientist basically focuses on empirical studies of political decision making and the way
state functions. It emphasized on the roles of power elites that dominate over people through
their policies or decisions on varied socio-economic issues in society. Authority is dependent
on reasoning , rules and rightfulness. It cannot be based simply on coercion or command and
obedience relationship like that exists in power relationship. So, in contrast to power , authority
describes rightfulness and legitimacy and at same time, it talks about the loss of liberty or
freedom because under an authoritative state the free choices of individuals are reduced or
limited to a great extent.

There are rules or laws that authorizes or give authority to certain individuals to make decisions
regarding socio- economic or moral issues. For instances , officials of the legal system i.e. –
judge , lawyers , police military , officials , ministers etc. These individuals have legitimate
authority and they exercise power on the basis of the rules of the state.

Thus, rightfulness is considered as the basis of authority unlike power , which can be exercised
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or operated in society by force or coercion . However, it is very difficult to ascertain the

difference between power and authority and there are critics who believed that there is no
agreement on concept of power and therefore is regarded as an ‘ essentially contested concept.’

IV. CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS

Power is a puzzling notion. It seems so useful as a way to talk about politics in ordinary
discourse, but when used to analyze politics systematically it quickly becomes entangled in a
snarl of concepts, its precise nature and meaning growing less clear in the underbrush of related
terms. This article seeks to clear away some of this tangle. Using the framework of resource-
exchange analysis, the author explores the concept of power, following Weber's formulations,
and seeks to clarify its relation to authority and legitimacy. His approach illuminates not only
the notion of power but also many problems of political analysis and discourse.

V. LITERATURE REVIEWS
(A) The purpose and power of authority , by Dr. Myles Munroe

The author dispels widely accepted but counterfeit and destructive concepts of authority,
explains the nature of genuine authority and submission, reveals how one can discover and
exercise one's personal authority, and provides principles for establishing legitimate authority
in the world.

(B) The power of Authority, by Michelle Prince

In today's crowded marketplace, the very best way to stand out from the competition is to
establish yourself as the go-to expert and premier leading authority in your field. And the
fastest, most credible way of becoming an authority is by authoring your own book.

(C) Max Weber on Power and Social Stratification

1. An Interpretation and Critique

First published in 1997, this book revolves around a textual analysis of the Weberian thesis that
'classes', 'status groups' and 'parties’ are phenomena of the distribution of power within a
'community'. An internal reconstruction of Weber’s own ideas on what is called social
stratification in contemporary sociological discourse is undertaken. The reason for this
reconstruction inheres in the fact that Weber’s thought (especially in the field of social
stratification) has been modified and misappropriated to such an extent that Weber himself is
usually lost in the commentaries.

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VI. REFERENCES
1. Barry Norman P.(1989). An introduction to Modern Political Theory. United Kingdom :
Palgrave, Macmillan.
2. Bhargava Rajeev and Ashok Acharya .(2008).Political Theory: An Introduction . Delhi :
Pearson Longman.
3. Hoffman John.(2008). A Glossary of Political Theory , Edinburgh: Edinburgh
University Press.
4. Weber, M. (1978). Economy and society: An outline of interpretive sociology (G. Roth
& C. Wittich, Eds.). Berkeley: University of California Press. (Original work published
1921).
5. Wrong, D. H. (1996). Power: Its forms, bases, and uses. New Brunswick, NJ:
Transaction.

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© 2021. International Journal of Law Management & Humanities [ISSN 2581-5369]