Political Power: Theories of Political Power

What Political Power: Theories of Political Power covers

Political Power: Theories of Political Power is examined in Unit A2 2 Option A, Political Power — taken instead of Political Ideas. It covers studying the origin, nature and distribution of power, pluralism and the diffusion of power, criticisms of pluralism and elite pluralism, Marxism, the ruling class and the capitalist state, neo-Marxism, hegemony and the relative autonomy of the state, classical elite theory, modern elite theory and elite rule, feminism, patriarchy and political power, the theories applied to different political systems and Evaluating the four theories of power.

The 10 subtopics

Each one has its own page.

• Studying the origin, nature and distribution of powerDistribution of power, decisional method of studying power and reputational method of studying power.Open →
• Pluralism and the diffusion of powerCentral claim of pluralism and diffusion of power.Open →
• Criticisms of pluralism and elite pluralismFree-rider problem, elite pluralism and policy network.Open →
• Marxism, the ruling class and the capitalist stateMarxist theory of the origin of political power, ruling class and relationship between base and superstructure.Open →
• Neo-Marxism, hegemony and the relative autonomy of the stateIdeological state apparatuses, ralph Miliband's account of the capitalist state and nicos Poulantzas's objection to Miliband's account.Open →
• Classical elite theoryCentral claim of elite theory, mosca's political formula and pareto's distinction between lions and foxes.Open →
• Modern elite theory and elite ruleElite rule, G William Domhoff's argument about who rules America and revolving door.Open →
• Feminism, patriarchy and political powerCentral claim of feminist theories of power, slogan that the personal is political and six structures of patriarchy identified by Sylvia Walby.Open →
• The theories applied to different political systemsPluralist, elite and Marxist readings of power in the United Kingdom and the United States, feminist analysis of the power-sharing institutions, one-party and authoritarian states, Djilas on the new class, and why the same evidence supports opposing theories.Open →
• Evaluating the four theories of powerThe strengths and weaknesses of pluralism, Marxism, elite theory and feminism in turn, the evidence each can and cannot account for, the difficulty of testing claims about power, and how far the four are rivals rather than accounts of different things.Open →

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Take Political Power: Theories of Political Power further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

• A ruling class is a group defined by its ownership of the vs A power elite is a group defined by its ownership of the

  A ruling class is a group defined by its ownership of the: of production. A power elite is a group defined by its ownership of the: it is a group defined by occupancy of the top institutional positions, whoever owns what.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What three questions does a theory of political power have to answer?

   Model answer

   A theory of power must explain where power originates, what kind of thing power is, and how power is distributed across a society. Pluralism, Marxism, elite theory and feminism give different answers to all three.

2. 2

   What is meant by the distribution of power?

   Model answer

   The distribution of power is the pattern of who actually holds the capacity to shape political outcomes. A theory that says power is widely spread makes a different empirical claim from one that says power is concentrated in a single group.

3. 3

   Why is measuring power more difficult than measuring wealth or votes?

   Model answer

   Power is a relationship rather than a quantity, and much of it is exercised without any visible act. A group can prevail without lifting a finger if everyone else anticipates its reaction.

4. 4

   What is the decisional method of studying power, and who used it?

   Model answer

   The decisional method identifies contested issues, observes who prevails in the decisions taken, and infers where power lies. Robert Dahl used the method in his study of New Haven and concluded that different groups won in different policy areas.

5. 5

   What is the reputational method of studying power, and who used it?

   Model answer

   The reputational method asks well-informed local people who they believe really runs the community and then examines that group. Floyd Hunter used the method in Atlanta and concluded that a small business elite dominated.

6. 6

   Why do the decisional and reputational methods tend to produce different findings?

   Model answer

   The decisional method finds only the power exercised in visible contests, so it tends to reveal dispersal. The reputational method captures standing and anticipated influence, so it tends to reveal concentration, and critics say each method builds its conclusion into its design.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

Political Power: Theories of Political Power revision questions

What does Political Power: Theories of Political Power cover in CCEA A-Level Government and Politics?

10 subtopics: studying the origin, nature and distribution of power, pluralism and the diffusion of power, criticisms of pluralism and elite pluralism, marxism, the ruling class and the capitalist state, neo-marxism, hegemony and the relative autonomy of the state, classical elite theory, modern elite theory and elite rule, feminism, patriarchy and political power, the theories applied to different political systems and evaluating the four theories of power. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.

How is Political Power: Theories of Political Power organised?

By the CCEA 4830 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.