POLS 110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Robert A. Dahl, Biopower, Elite
20 Jun 2016
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Document Summary
Democracy expresses core values of freedom and equality in the sharing of power. It is assumed that democracy is desirable because power is shared and people are free. Ability of a to get b to do what b would otherwise not have done. Linked to other concepts like violence, force, coercion and consent, authority, and influence. Introduces important questions about responsibility (political, legal, historical). The ideal democracy should make rational decisions and persuasion. In every society, an elite will control behavior of others. Elitist analysis of power: wright mills: wrote power elite stating every society has elites who held the power. Extremely close ties of political, economic, and military sectors. Political directorate (senior political leadership and top government bureaucrats). View that democracy is generally working the way we want it to work. There is no underling power structure, instead there are shifts and changes in who has power.
