WORLD LEADERS

PO W E R A N D
A C C OU N TA B I L I T Y
AT THE END OF THE LESSON, STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
1. HOW IS POWER EXPRESSED IN GOVERNMENT AND GOVERNANCE?
2.HOW DOES POWER DEFINE RELATIONS BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT AND
ITS CITIZENS?
3.WHAT ARE THE VARIOUS WAYS GOVERNMENT EXPRESSES ITS POWER?
4.WHAT FACTORS INFLUENCE THE EFFECTIVE EXERCISE OF POWER BY THE
GOVERNMENT?
5.HOW DOES THE GOVERNMENT ENSURE THAT IT EXERCISE POWER IN A
RESPONSIBLE MANNER?
MAKING SENSE

GUIDE QUESTIONS:
•IS POWER ALWAYS POSITIVE? NEGATIVE? BOTH?
•WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF POWER?
THE NATURE AND DIMENSIONS OF POWER
• POWER IS GENERALLY DEFINED AS THE ABILITY OF A PERSON TO CARRY OUT HIS/HER
WILL. THIS CONCEPT IS PARTICULARLY SIGNIFICANT IN THE STUDY OF SOCIAL
RELATIONSHIPS SINCE SOCIETY IS COMPOSED OF INDIVIDUALS WHO EXERCISE
VARIED DEGREES OF POWER.
• IN POLITICS, POWER REFERS TO THE ABILITY TO EXERCISE OR IMPOSE RESTRICTIONS
OVER INDIVIDUALS, AS WELL AS COMPEL OTHER PEOPLE TO DO CERTAIN TASKS.
• POWER IS CLOSELY TIED TO THE CONCEPT OF AUTHORITY, WHICH IS THE RIGHT TO
EXERCISE POWER IN SOCIETY.
•SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGISTS JOHN FRENCH AND BERTRAM RAVEN VIEW
POWER AS BASED ON THE PERCEPTION AND UNDERSTANDING OF
THE VARIOUS PARTICIPANTS IN SOCIETY. EACH MEMBER OF A
GROUP OR SOCIETY RECOGNIZES THAT CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS IN
THEIR GROUP POSSESS A DEGREE OF POWER BASED ON THE NATURE
OF THEIR RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF THE GROUP.
•POWER, THEREFORE, COULD BE CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO SEVERAL
BASES; COERCIVE, REWARD, EXPERT, LEGITIMATE, AND REFERENT.
THREE DIMENSIONS OF POWER

•PHYSICAL POWER
•INFORMATIONAL POWER
•EMOTIONAL POWER
TYPES OF P OW E R
COERCIVE POWER

•IT IS BASED ON THE PERSON’S

ABILITY TO COMPEL OTHER
PEOPLE THROUGH THREATS,
PUNISHMENT, AND FORCE.
REWARD POWER

•IT IS THE ABILITY TO GIVE

REWARDS AND BENEFITS.
EXPERT POWER

•IT IS BASED ON THE

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS
OF THE INDIVIDUAL.
LEGITIMATE POWER

•IT IS BASED ON PERSON’S

POSITION, ROLE, AND
DUTIES IN A GROUP.
REFERENT POWER

•IT IS BASED ON AN
INDIVIDUAL’S PERSONALITY
AND ABILITY TO ATTRACT
FOLLOWERS.
AFTER THE IMAGE
Q AND A
IF GIVEN A CHANCE TO ASSUME GOVERNMENT
POSITION, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
HOW ARE YOU GOING TO EXERCISE THE POWER
VESTED IN YOU?
TY P ES OF A U T HO R I T Y
•MAX WEBER, A GERMAN SOCIOLOGIST AND PHILOSOPHER,
PROPOSED A CLASSIFICATION OF POWER BASED ON DIFFERENT
TYPES OF AUTHORITY.
CHARISMATIC AUTHORITY
•IS BASED ON THE PERSONAL
QUALITIES TYPES OF AUTHORITY.
THE PERSON’S AUTHORITY IS
RECOGNIZED BASED ON HIS/HER
TRAITS AND HOW HE/SHE IS
PERCEIVED BY OTHER PEOPLE IN
SOCIETY
TRADITIONAL AUTHORITY
•IS ROOTED IN TRADITIONAL
VALUES AND EXISTING SOCIAL
TIES AND INSTITUTIONS. AN
EXAMPLE OF PEOPLE WHO WIELD
TRADITIONAL POWER ARE
MONARCHS AND MEMBERS OF
ROYAL FAMILIES.
LEGAL RATIONAL AUTHORITY
•IS BASED ON A SYSTEM OF LAWS
AND REGULATIONS, AND AN
ESTABLISHED BUREAUCRACY. A
PERSON IS ABLE TO EXERCISE
POWER BECAUSE HE/SHE IS
EMPOWERED BY LAW.
POWER, LEGITIMACY, AND THE
GOVERNMENT
• IN POLITICS, THE CONCEPT OF POWER IS CLOSELY RELATED TO THE STATE,
GOVERNMENT, GOVERNANCE, AND CITIZENSHIP.
• POLITICAL POWER IS UNDERSTOOD TO REFER TO SOVEREIGNTY WHICH IS
THE POWER OF THE GOVERNMENT TO PERFORM ITS FUNCTIONS AND
CONDUCT ITS AFFAIRS WITHOUT INTERFERENCE FROM OUTSIDE FORCES.
SOVEREIGNTY ALSO REFERS TO THE AUTHORITY TO EXERCISE CONTROL
OVER A GROUP OR SOCIETY.
•IN ANCIENT TIMES, RULERS AND LEADERS WERE BELIEVED
TO POSSESS SOVEREIGNTY AND COULD THEREFORE
COMMAND RESPECT AND OBEDIENCE OF THEIR SUBJECTS.
THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT, HOWEVER, REDEFINED
SOVEREIGNTY IN THE CONTEXT OF THE SOCIAL CONTRACT.
SOCIAL PHILOSOPHERS OF THE ENLIGHTENMENT
ADVANCED THE IDEA THAT SOVEREIGNTY RESIDES IN THE
INDIVIDUALS THAT COMPOSE SOCIETY.
ACTIVITY 1

• THINK OF SOMEONE WHO CAN EASILY INFLUENCE THE BEHAVIOURS OF

PEOPLE AROUND HIM OR HER. IN 3-4 SENTENCES, DESCRIBE THAT PERSON.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE THE REASONS WHY THAT PERSON IS
INFLUENTIAL? WRITE YOUR ANSWER ON A SEPARATE SHEET OF PAPER
WHAT I HAVE LEARNED
• 1.HOW DOES THE STUDY OF FACES OR DIMENSIONS OF POWER HELP YOU
UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT THE CONCEPT OF POWER?
• 2. WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING AN IDEA ABOUT THE CERTAIN
TYPES OF POWERS WHICH MAY RESULT INTO CERTAIN CONSEQUENCES OF
POWER?