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​​📚 The Core Concept of Power: Theories of Control, Influence, and Empowerment in Political Science

​This video explores the central concept of Power in Political Science, which is the capacity to influence and control the behaviour of others. It examines the fundamental debates over the nature and distribution of power in society, comparing different theoretical perspectives.

​Defining Power: Two Key Views

​# Conventional View (Power as Domination): This view sees power as coercive. Thinkers like Robert Dahl define it as a relational concept—the capacity to make others act even against their will.

​# Non-Conventional View (Power as Empowerment): This view equates power with empowerment. Hannah Arendt argues that political power is about collective action, not coercion.

​● The Three Faces of Power (Steven Lukes)

​▪︎ Lukes introduced a radical view of power, showing how it operates at explicit and subtle levels:

​• First Face (Decision Making): The clearest form, involving making decisions and forcing others to comply.

​• Second Face (Non-Decision Making): Also known as Agenda Setting, this is the power to keep certain issues out of political discussion.

​•Third Face (Shaping Desires): The most subtle form, where people's perceptions and desires are influenced so they accept outcomes against their own interests.

​■ Where Does Power Reside? Comparing Theories

​The document analyzes theories that answer the question, "Who rules?"

​◇ Elitist Theory: Power is concentrated in the hands of a few (the Elite). Thinkers like C. Wright Mills identified a unified 'Power Elite' in the US, composed of the top leaders in the Economic, Political, and Military sectors. Robert Michels proposed the Iron Law of Oligarchy, arguing that all democracies are, in practice, oligarchies.

​◇ Pluralist Theory: Power is distributed among various competing groups and associations. Robert Dahl argued that the US is a Polyarchy, where power rests with many, not with a select few.

​◇ Marxist Theory: Political power is a result of economic power. Those who control the means of production (the Base) also control the political sphere (the Superstructure). Gramsci added the concept of Hegemony, where the ruling class maintains dominance through the manufacturing of consent and moral/intellectual leadership within Civil Society.

​◇ Post-Modern Turn: Michel Foucault
​Michel Foucault offered a revolutionary view, focusing on micro-power and arguing that power is everywhere. His core ideas include:
​Knowledge is Power.

​⊙ Power is not a possession of the state but flows in networks of relationships.
​He analyzed concepts like Disciplinary Power (controlling behavior in institutions like jails and schools) and Bio-Power (managing populations).

​Watch the video to explore this crucial political debate!

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