Power can be defined as the ability to carry out one's will and exercise control over others. There are different forms and sources of power, including coercive power through threats or force, reward power by providing benefits, expert power based on knowledge/skills, legitimate power from one's position or role, and referent power from personality and attracting followers. Governments derive political power from the sovereignty of the people, and legitimacy comes from laws, customs, and traditions accepted by society. A government exercises power through tools like police power, eminent domain, taxation, military capabilities, economic influence, and psychological means. Citizenship is tied to power, as citizens enjoy rights that allow them to participate in democracy and exercise power, along with

1. POWER and
ACCOUNTABILITY
MR. KENNY L. AUXILIO

2. The Nature and Dimensions of Power
•It is generally defined as the ability of a person
to carry out his or her will.
•In politics, it refers to the ability to exercise
control or impose restrictions over individuals,
as well as compel other people to do certain
tasks.
•It is closely tied to the concept of authority,
which is the right to exercise power in society.
P
O
W
E
R

3. FORMS OF POWER
(French & Raven)
Social psychologists John French and Bertram
Raven view power as based on the perception and
understanding of the various participants in society.
Each member of a group or society recognizes that
certain individuals in their group posses a degree of
power based on the nature of their relationships
with other member of the group.

4. COERCIVE POWER
•Coercive power is
based on a person’s
ability to compel
other people
through threats,
punishments, and
force.

5. REWARD POWER
•Reward power is based on
the ability to give rewards
and benefits.
•It is the power of the manager
to give some type of reward
to an employee as a means to
influence the employee to
act. Rewards could be
tangible and intangible.

6. EXPERT
POWER
•Relies on the knowledge and skills of an individual.
•It is a power based upon employees perception that a
manager or some other member of an organization has
a high level of knowledge or a specialized set of skills
that other employees or members of the organization
do not posses.
EXPERT
POWER

7. LEGITIMATE
POWER
•It is based on a person’s position, role, and duties
in a group.
•It refers to the ability to influence others because
of the position one holds in the organizations.

8. REFERENT
POWER
•It is a power based on an individual’s
personality and ability to attract followers.
•Influence based on possession by an
individual of desirable resources or personal
traits.

9. CLASSIFICATION OF POWER
(Max Weber)
•Charismatic authority
•Traditional authority
•Legal-rational authority

10. CHARISMATIC AUTHORITY
• s
It is based on the personal
qualities of the individual
who wields power. The
person’s authority is
recognized based on his or
her traits and how he or
she is perceived by other
people in society.

11. TRADITIONAL
AUTHORITY
•It is rooted in
traditional values
and existing social
ties and
institutions.

12. LEGAL-RATIONAL AUTHORITY
•It is based on a system of laws and
regulations, and an established bureaucracy.
A person is able to exercise because he or
she has been empowered by law. Power, in
this context, depends on an individual’s
position in the social hierarchy, and the
roles and responsibilities that come with
this position.

13. Power, Legitimacy and the Government
• In politics, the concept of power is closely related to
the state, government, governance, and citizenship.
• Political power is understood to refer to sovereignty
which is the power of the government to perform its
function and conduct affairs without interference
from outside forces.
• Sovereignty also refers to the authority to exercise
control over a group or society.

14. •Sovereignty resides in the individuals that
compose society. This became the basis
for the democratic ideal of a government
“of the people, by the people, and for the
people”.
•Participation in a direct democracy,
election, initiatives, plebiscite, referendum
and organization of advocacy group.

15. LEGITIMACY
•Authority within a political context is closely tied
to concept of legitimacy, which is the
acceptance or recognition of the right to exercise
power.
•Legitimacy is generally based on existing laws,
customs, and traditions that are prevalent to a
certain society.

16. GOVERNMENT
•Whatever the form of government that
is implemented in a state, democracy
assumes that the elected
representatives in the government and
the appointed officials borrow power
from the sovereign people.

17. POWER and GOVERNANCE
•POLICE POWER
•EMINENT DOMAIN
•POWER OF TAXATION
•MILITARY POWER
•ECONOMIC POWER
•PSYCHOLOGICAL POWER

18. POLICE POWER
It refers to the
ability of the state
to use the police
force to ensure
law and order in
society.

19. EMINENT DOMAIN
It is the power
of the
government to
acquire private
property for
public use.

20. POWER OF TAXATION
It allows the
government to
impose and
collect taxes from
its citizens.

21. MILITARY POWER
•It refers to the
capability of a state to
stage war against
another state, and is
evident in resources
such as military
troops and weapons.

22. ECONOMIC POWER
•It refers to the use of
economic resources and
finances, and the ability
of states to influence
other nations by denying
or giving them access to
certain resources.

23. PSYCHOLOGICAL POWER
•It refers to the ability of a
state to use its image or
reputation in influencing
other countries. This power
requires the wise use of
diplomacy, propaganda, and
mass media to successfully
achieve the goals of the state.

24. POWER and CITIZENSHIP
• Power and citizenship are two intertwined concept within
the context of a democratic society. As sovereignty resides in
people that compose the states, the government provides
the people with the means to exercise power.
•The Bill of Rights (Article III of the 1987 Philippine
Constitution)
• It enumerates the various political, social, and economic
rights that citizens enjoy. These rights, in turn, come with a
set of responsibility which citizens must fulfill in order to
exercise power and participate fully within democracy.