Philippine Politics and

governance
 Learning Goal
▣ define power
▣ recognize the nature, dimensions, types, and
consequences of power;
▣ analyze the nature, dimensions, types, deployments, and
consequences of power;
▣ assess how power is exercised in different situations.
 What is power?
In political terms, power is the ability to influence another—
the way one thinks or behaves—in a manner not of his or her
own choosing (Lasswell 1936). It thus involves one’s
capacity to get things done, and to make someone do
something he or she would not otherwise do.
 TYPES OF POWER
Coercive Power - a formal power source,
where influencing agents use the threat of
force to gain compliance from targets of
influence. The force can include social,
emotional, physical, political, or economic
means, and is not always recognized by the
target.

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 TYPES OF POWER

Reward Power - Reward power is

the formal power given to a work
leader to give out rewards to other
employees.

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 TYPES OF POWER
Legitimate Power - the formal
authority given to a person within an
organization. Because it comes from
a position or job title, legitimate
power is a form of positional power.

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 What is power?
Political power involves three interrelated
concepts: legitimacy, authority, and
sovereignty.
 Legitimacy

According to Roskin et al. (2012),

legitimacyrefers to the people’s perception that their
government rules rightfully, and thus must be
obeyed.
 Sovereignty
Sovereignty, on the other hand, speaks of the
ability of a national government to be the sole
leader, which has the last word of law in that
society.
 Authority

Lastly, authority is seen as the political leader’s

ability to command respect and exercise power.
 Authority

Lastly, authority is seen as the political leader’s

ability to command respect and exercise power.
 Authority

Power comes in different faces or dimensions. It

can be considered as decision-making, agenda
setting, or thought control. .
 Power and Authority
While power is defined as the ability to
command obedience and is rested on coercion,
most political systems have developed
mechanisms by which people obey orders. Power is
considered as authority when it is recognized as legitimate.
 Power and Authority

Max Weber (1922) distinguished three

types of authority: traditional, rational-legal, and
charismatic
 Let’s Practice - Reflection
1. Look at everyday situations in your school. How is
power exhibited and in what types of relationships
does it exist?

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 Let’s Practice - Reflection
2. In what particular instances in your school could
the dimensions of power be identified?
In what other situations are these present?
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 Let’s exercise
How are the concepts of power and authority
presented in the following illustrations? What
are your thoughts about such representations?
Share them in class.

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