Path of Least Resistance Implicit Power

A detailed Summary of Path of Least Resistance Implicit Power

Path of Least Resistance: Implicit Power

In his book, Power and Choice, W. Phillips Shively introduces to students of political science the importance of power within the framework of politics. According to him, "Politics consists of the making of a common decision for a group of people through the use of power"(Shively 9). And that "power" is, "the ability of one person or group to cause another person or group to do what the first wishes, by whatever means"(5). Power, therefore, is of extreme importance within the arena of politics for any group who wishes to institute reform or maintain order. And yet, the question of analyzing power, and understanding how it is used, is not as clear as one might imagine. There is a split among political scientists as to who has the power, and how those in positions of power keep it. The debate seems to be centralized over the difference between observable power (manifest) and indirect power (implicit). When deciding the question of who has the power, it seems that the arguments of Hunter and Dahl are mainly concerned with the observable power exercised by those in positions of authority. The other, and more sound, theory of Baratz, Bachrach, and Lukes, maintains that actual power li

of power was the same that Dahl had voiced: Hunter "...wrongly equates reputed with actual power"(947). Those who are thought not to be influential in politics, i.e. the family, are ignored

es within the manipulation of issues from behind the scenes. In answering the question of power, the arguments of Baratz, Bachrach, and Lukes, go beyond the those of Hunter and Dahl, and show that the most effective uses of power are those which are the hardest to see, (implicit power).

Manifest power is, "based on an observable action by A that leads B to do what A wants"(7), and it is this power that both Hunter and Dahl, describe in their studies. These men, although they disagree on specific details, believe that those people with political power take an active and visible part in their community's important issues. When Hunter did his inquiry into

The question of power is an important one when trying to understand politics. Because different groups within a political framework have different agendas, power is continually exercised. One group will always try to manipulate another into seeing issues its way. Yet no one willingly goes against what is in their best interest, or, if they do, power according to Lukes is still being exercised. It is beneficial for a group, therefore, to exercise power in as subtle a manner as possible. Because this is so, it becomes essential when analyzing questions of power, to look at what is not said, as closely as one looks at what is said.

the political currents of Atlanta, he asked his advisors who the most influential men in the city were. He found that there existed a group of powerful individuals who greatly influenced the polici

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Approximate Word count = 1137
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English