The doctrine of political power is one of the central in political science. And that means tons of monographs and many theories. They did not come to a unified formulation of political power. Most definitions look cumbersome and 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 management of the behavior of others through legal norms and state institutions.
How is political power different from everyone else?
The main features of political power, giving it a special dominant status, are:
- Legality - power acts only within the framework of laws, especially with regard to the use of force and coercion against citizens.
- Legitimacy - trust on the part of citizens, recognition of fair power.
- Supremacy - absolute submission to the decisions of political authorities in any field of activity: economic, social, cultural, etc.
- Publicity / universality - the right to appeal to society on behalf of society.
- Monocentricity - centralized decision making.
- All kinds of resources - social, power, economic, information, etc.
The list of the main features of political power can be continued: in different sources there are many options for definitions. But if we talk only about the main characteristics, then to the above points it is necessary to add three main signs of political power:
- The presence of the state apparatus through which the powers of one people are delegated to others.
- Coercion and sanctions for breaking the law.
- Monitoring the implementation of laws with the help of a superior apparatus of people.
New Generation Political Power: European Union
Speaking about 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 relies on different centers or special institutions - economic groups, law enforcement agencies, trade unions, etc.
To date, another extremely interesting historical form of government has established itself - the "supranational" power. This is the European Union with its parliament as the legislative branch and the European Commission as the executive branch. The forms of governance of the EU are fundamentally different from, for example, the federal form of government: the EU has only the powers that the member countries of the Union gave it. Power in this case is divided into spheres with "reinforced concrete" borders. The EU has gathered in its hands the fullness of the real power in, for example, monetary policy and the customs union. As for the general defense policy, these powers lie within the framework of “joint competencies”. Before us, therefore, is a new “hybrid” model of political power that meets modern challenges of the 21st century.
Objects or subjects?
When and which 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 state norms, be carriers of political decisions, have a connection with state power (even in the form of opposition).
The first group of such institutions can be called purely political:
- State (the first and main political institution).
- Political parties.
- Social movements.
The 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 communities, etc.
New Resources and the Arab Spring
Any power needs resources: without them, the subjugation of some people by others is impossible. Modern resources are extremely diverse and volatile.
Economic and power resources are traditional, understandable, and closely interconnected. They exist from the very old times and have not lost their relevance at all. These two types of resources are still in the first place - the champions "heavyweights".
But the value of information resources, on the contrary, is changing with cosmic speed towards amplification. Social networks alone not only changed the format of any political news broadcast, but also became full-fledged subjects of the political struggle for power, it is enough to recall the Arab Spring.
It is the evolution of traditional resources that makes a difference in modern theories of political power, as well as in 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 capabilities of the media, the role of the charisma of political leaders should increase.
On the other hand, in modern society, they are increasingly creating artificial charismatics - manipulators of public opinion. Pseudo-charisma is one of the new terms that characterize political power today. This approach works especially well in times of crisis, when a newly arrived politician with pseudo-charisma, created and rehearsed by a huge team, offers himself as a deliverer from troubles, banning old installations and imposing new ones. Of course, one of the main features of political power today is the struggle of "real and imaginary" leaders.
