PHILIPPINE POLITICS and

GOVERNANCE

POWER is the ability to achieve a desired outcome and is sometimes seen as the
‘power to’ do something. He further explained that in the context of politics and
governance, power is usually thought of as a relationship: the ability to influence the
behavior of others or having ‘power over’ people and the ability to punish or reward.

NATURE of POWER

POWER OVER POWER TO POWER WITH

• Ability to • Ability to do • Ability to work

dominate something on with others to
another one’s own get something
person or • Intellect done by
group resources, cooperation
• Comes from knowledge,
force or threat stamina, etc
Dimensions or Faces of Power

 Power as Decision-Making

This face of power consists of conscious actions that in some way influence the
content of decisions. Identifying who has power is done by analyzing decisions in the
light of the known preferences of the actors involved. The implication of this view of
power is that the most powerful actors in society are those whose opinion are
considered and upheld in the decision making. The powerful are able to get what they
want and make others behave the way they wanted them to. According to Boulding
(1989) as cited by Heywood (2007), decisions can be influenced in a variety of ways
distinguished between the use of force or intimidation (the stick), productive
exchanges involving mutual gain (the deal), and the creation of obligations, loyalty and
commitment (the kiss).

 Power as Agenda Setting

The second face of power as further discussed by Heywood (2007) is the ability to
prevent decisions being made: that is, in effect, ‘non-decision-making’. This according
to him involves the ability to set or control the political agenda, thereby preventing
issues or proposals from being aired in the first place.

 Power as Thought Control

The third face of power, still according to Heywood (2007) is the ability to influence
another by shaping what he or she thinks, wants, or needs. This is power expressed
as ideological indoctrination or psychological control.
TYPES of POWER

 Reward power is based on the belief that a leader controls important

resources and rewards that the follower wants. Reward power not only
depends on a leader’s actual control over rewards, but also on the
follower’s perceived value of those rewards. Reward power has been
shown to be most effective when followers see a direct connection
between performance and reward.

 Legitimate power stems from an authority’s legitimate right to require

and demand compliance. Legitimate power stems from a leader’s formal
authority over activities. This type of power is dependent upon the official
position held by the person exercising it. Legitimate power may be derived from
prevailing cultural values that assign legitimate power to some individuals (i.e.,
respect for one’s elders), accepted social structure that grant legitimate power to
some people (i.e., British royalty), or through one’s position in a hierarchy.

 Expert power derives from group members’ assumptions that the

leader possesses superior skills, knowledge, and abilities. This expertise
enables leaders to perform tasks and provides them with a better
understanding of the world around them. However, expertise is only a
source of power if others are dependent upon the leader for the skill,
knowledge or ability the leader possesses. The more important a problem
is to the follower, and the more the leader is perceived to be an expert in
that area, the greater power the expert leader will have.

 Referent power is based upon identification with, attraction to, or

respect for the leader. Group members gain a sense of intrinsic personal
 satisfaction from identification with a referent leader. This kind of power
relationship is dependent upon the inclination to work harder for
someone who is liked or admired. To gain and maintain a leader’s
approval and acceptance, a follower is likely to do what the leader asks,
develop a similar attitude, and even imitate the leader’s behavior.

 Coercive power is the capacity to dispense punishments to those who

do not comply with requests or demands. People exercise coercive power
through reliance upon physical strength, verbal faculty, or the ability to
grant or withhold emotional support or tangible resources from others.
Also provides a leader with the means to physically harm, bully,
humiliate, or deny love, affection or resources to others.

Consequences of Power

Compliance refers to the readiness or act of agreeing to do something.

The two types of power most likely to cause compliance are legitimate or position
power and reward power.

 Compliance with the order may occur if it is perceived to be within the leader’s
scope of authority.

 Compliance is most likely to happen if the reward is something valued by the

target person.

Commitment is an even more desirable outcome because of the trust and

emotional pledge that it causes. It is perceived as loyalty or a sense of dedication or
devotion. Commitment is most likely to be the consequence when the powers used are
referent and expert.
  The common way to exercise referent power is merely to ask someone with
whom one has a friendship to do something.

 Expert power may result to commitment if the leader presents logical

arguments and supporting evidence for a particular proposal, order or policy. It
will depend on the leader’s credibility and persuasive communication skills in
addition to technical knowledge and logical or analytical ability.

 Commitment is a very unlikely consequence if coercive power is employed.

Resistance means to refuse or to oppose. It is the most likely outcome when

coercive power is used in a hostile or manipulative way. It is best to use coercion
power in preventing behavior that is harmful to the society and well-being of the
people such as illegal and violent activities. (Heywood 2007)