Political Parties and the Concept of Power
Journal Data
| Type | SOURCE_BOOK |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Palgrave Macmillan Limited |
| ISBN-13 | 9781137331601 |
| Open Library | OL20716489W |
| Total publications | 9 |
| Coverage period | 2014 - 2014 |
| Language | EN |
| Cited by | 61 |
| h-index | 1 |
| i10-index | 1 |
An original investigation of the nature of the forces that make members and representatives both loyal and beneficial to a contemporary political party, this book combines theoretical reflection with
Disciplinary Power
The trajectory of the discussion so far has taken the analysis steadily further away from the individuals on whom the first mode of power is centred: by-passing confrontations between them in the second mode of power, disciplining and constraining them in organisation in the third, and constituting them in the fourth. In this fifth, and final, part of my framework, power becomes more anonymous still, and yet there is a sense in which I come full …
Constitutive Power
So far, power has been identified as something that is, first, exercised by individual agents in situations of conflict (in Chapter 3) and, second, a means by which some of those conflicts are skewed to the disadvantage of certain groups (Chapter 4). I have also discussed how the exercise and distribution of power by individuals is constrained and shaped by a more impersonal type of power embedded in bureaucratic organisation (Chapter 5). In this…
Power and the Analysis of Political Parties
Despite question marks over their continuing role as a linkage mechanism between the public and institutions of government (van Biezen, Mair and Poguntke 2012; Webb 2009, 272), political parties remain important subjects of political analysis because they still perform vital functions in a relatively efficient way (Dalton, Farrell and McAllister 2011, 216). They are still the main means by which governments are formed, preferences are articulated…
Bureaucratic Power
The bureaucratic structure of party organisation, as I pointed out in Chapter 1, is a recurring theme in the literature on party organisation. However, as I have also argued, not enough attention is paid to the importance of this as a source of power that lies beyond the immediate grasp of individuals. Anyone who finds themselves involved in an organisation, especially a large one, could reflect on how much of their time is spent doing paperwork,…
The Concept of Power
Having argued that the literature on political parties is deficient in its treatment of power, the next step in my analysis is to take a closer look at what differing theories actually have to offer. This is not necessarily a simple task, since definitions of and approaches to power vary widely. Indeed, this is a key reason for declining to define power in narrow terms and seeking instead to accept its diversity, treating it as a heuristic tool r…
Conclusion
In the introduction to this book, I posed four questions: first, in what different ways is power exercised in a political party? Second, how can power adequately be theorised? Third, how best can this theory be explored? And fourth, what contribution does this make to the understanding of power in political parties and debates about power generally? In order to address them, I proposed an analytical framework which encompasses five modes of power…
Strategic Power
I have argued that parties are associations of individuals who from time-to-time come into conflict with one another over principles, priorities or policies. But when individuals act or come into conflict with one another they do not do so in a vacuum. The contexts in which they operate (for example, local parties, parliament, party conferences) are, especially in formal organisations and institutions, subject to certain rules and codes which gov…
Individualistic Power
To conduct a proper analysis of political parties and power it is vital to understand the role of individuals. Parties are, in part, associations of individuals, and the idea of power as a capacity of individuals is a common and, certainly in Western society, instinctive way of thinking about the concept. However, an analysis like this requires more than instinct. Credible ways of theorising it must be identified. The concept of Individualistic P…
Political Parties and the Concept of Power
An original investigation of the nature of the forces that make members and representatives both loyal and beneficial to a contemporary political party, this book combines theoretical reflection with
Political Parties and the Concept of Power
An original investigation of the nature of the forces that make members and representatives both loyal and beneficial to a contemporary political party, this book combines theoretical reflection with
Disciplinary Power
The trajectory of the discussion so far has taken the analysis steadily further away from the individuals on whom the first mode of power is centred: by-passing confrontations between them in the second mode of power, disciplining and constraining them in organisation in the third, and constituting them in the fourth. In this fifth, and final, part of my framework, power becomes more anonymous still, and yet there is a sense in which I come full …
Constitutive Power
So far, power has been identified as something that is, first, exercised by individual agents in situations of conflict (in Chapter 3) and, second, a means by which some of those conflicts are skewed to the disadvantage of certain groups (Chapter 4). I have also discussed how the exercise and distribution of power by individuals is constrained and shaped by a more impersonal type of power embedded in bureaucratic organisation (Chapter 5). In this…
Power and the Analysis of Political Parties
Despite question marks over their continuing role as a linkage mechanism between the public and institutions of government (van Biezen, Mair and Poguntke 2012; Webb 2009, 272), political parties remain important subjects of political analysis because they still perform vital functions in a relatively efficient way (Dalton, Farrell and McAllister 2011, 216). They are still the main means by which governments are formed, preferences are articulated…
Bureaucratic Power
The bureaucratic structure of party organisation, as I pointed out in Chapter 1, is a recurring theme in the literature on party organisation. However, as I have also argued, not enough attention is paid to the importance of this as a source of power that lies beyond the immediate grasp of individuals. Anyone who finds themselves involved in an organisation, especially a large one, could reflect on how much of their time is spent doing paperwork,…
The Concept of Power
Having argued that the literature on political parties is deficient in its treatment of power, the next step in my analysis is to take a closer look at what differing theories actually have to offer. This is not necessarily a simple task, since definitions of and approaches to power vary widely. Indeed, this is a key reason for declining to define power in narrow terms and seeking instead to accept its diversity, treating it as a heuristic tool r…
Conclusion
In the introduction to this book, I posed four questions: first, in what different ways is power exercised in a political party? Second, how can power adequately be theorised? Third, how best can this theory be explored? And fourth, what contribution does this make to the understanding of power in political parties and debates about power generally? In order to address them, I proposed an analytical framework which encompasses five modes of power…
Strategic Power
I have argued that parties are associations of individuals who from time-to-time come into conflict with one another over principles, priorities or policies. But when individuals act or come into conflict with one another they do not do so in a vacuum. The contexts in which they operate (for example, local parties, parliament, party conferences) are, especially in formal organisations and institutions, subject to certain rules and codes which gov…
Individualistic Power
To conduct a proper analysis of political parties and power it is vital to understand the role of individuals. Parties are, in part, associations of individuals, and the idea of power as a capacity of individuals is a common and, certainly in Western society, instinctive way of thinking about the concept. However, an analysis like this requires more than instinct. Credible ways of theorising it must be identified. The concept of Individualistic P…
Political Parties and the Concept of Power
An original investigation of the nature of the forces that make members and representatives both loyal and beneficial to a contemporary political party, this book combines theoretical reflection with