The doctrine of political power is one of the central ones in political science. And that means tons of monographs and lots of theories. No single definition of political power has yet been reached. Most of the definitions look cumbersome and are difficult to understand. The most appropriate option seems to be the following:
Power is the power to control the behavior of others.
Political power is the control of the behavior of others through the rule of law and government institutions.
How political power differs from all others
The main features of political power, giving it a special dominant status, are:
- Legality - the authorities act only within the framework of the laws, especially with regard to the use of force and coercion against citizens.
- Legitimacy is the trust of citizens, the recognition of a fair government.
- Supremacy - absolute subordination to the decisions of political authorities in any fieldactivities: economic, social, cultural, etc.
- Publicity/generality - the right to address the public on behalf of the public.
- Monocentric – centralized decision making.
- All kinds of resources - social, power, economic, information, etc.
The list of the main features of political power can be continued: there are many variants of definitions in different sources. But if we talk only about the main characteristics, then three main signs of political power must be added to the above points:
- The presence of a state apparatus through which the powers of some people are delegated to others.
- Coercion and sanctions for breaking laws.
- Monitoring the implementation of laws with the help of a higher apparatus of people.
Next generation political power: European Union
When discussing the features and terms that characterize political power, it is necessary to mention the word "state" and everything connected with it. State power can be called the core of political power, which is based on various centers or special institutions - economic groups, law enforcement agencies, trade unions, etc.
Today, another extremely interesting historical form of power has been established - “supranational” power. This is the European Union with its parliament as the legislative branch and the European Commission as the executive branch. EU forms of governancefundamentally different from, for example, a federal form of government: the EU has only those powers that have been given to it by the member countries of the Union. Power in this case is divided into spheres with "reinforced concrete" boundaries. In the hands of the EU, all the fullness of real power is gathered in, for example, monetary policy and the customs union. As for the common defense policy, these powers lie within the framework of “joint competencies”. Thus, we have before us a new "hybrid" model of political power that meets the modern challenges of the 21st century.
Objects or subjects?
When and what organizations can be attributed to the institutions of political power? To do this, they must at least have and express their political interests, exist within the framework of the norms of the state, be carriers of political decisions, and have a connection with state power (even in the form of opposition).
The first group of such institutions can be called purely political:
- The State (the first and main political institution).
- Political parties.
- Social movements.
Second group - institutions that do not participate in the struggle for political power, but defend their interests and indirectly participate in political life:
- religious;
- trade union;
- corporate;
- lobby organizations, etc.
The third group of institutions act as an object of state influence (not as subjects):
- sports communities;
- interest clubs;
- amateur bodies;
- professional associations, etc.
New Resources and the Arab Spring
Any government needs resources: without them, the subordination of some people to others is impossible. Modern resources are extremely diverse and changeable.
Economic and power resources are traditional, understandable, closely interconnected. They have existed since ancient times and have not lost their relevance at all. These two types of resources are still in first place - heavyweight champions.
But the value of information resources, on the contrary, is changing with cosmic speed in the direction of strengthening. Social networks alone have not only changed the format of transmission of any political news, but have also become full-fledged subjects of the political struggle for power, just remember the Arab Spring.
It is the evolution of traditional resources that changes modern theories about political power, as well as the development of political events in the 21st century.
Old charisma and new pseudo-charisma
Political charisma is one of the most discussed issues in political science today. On the one hand, with the current possibilities of the media, the role of the charisma of political leaders should increase more and more.
On the other hand, in modern society, artificial charismatics are increasingly being created - manipulators of public opinion. Pseudocharism is one of the new terms that characterize political power today. This approach works especially well fora time of crisis, when a newly-minted politician with pseudo-charisma, created and rehearsed by a huge team, offers himself as a deliverer from troubles, imposing bans on old attitudes and imposing new ones. Of course, one of the main features of political power today is the struggle between “real and imaginary” leaders.
Methods of political power
Persuasion or coercion are traditional methods used since the emergence of the institution of power itself. Recently, more often began to talk about political technologies, rather than about methods. Such technologies fit into three groups:
- Designed to change the rules.
- Creating new values and attitudes.
- Manipulating people's behavior.
Unfortunately, one of the main features of political power and the struggle for it has become frequent situations when new attractive, but illusory attitudes have too much influence on the masses of the public. The world is changing. Power changes after him.
